Cellar Door Games have announced that Rogue Legacy 2 is now available on Nintendo Switch, a shadow drop that was shared in this week’s Indie World showcase.
With a brand new art style, all-new weaponry, abilities and classes, the developer believes that this roguelite experience “surpasses its predecessor by building upon its manor and improving almost every area of the game.”
The sequel has introduced Heirlooms which permanently grant heroes new abilities, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny of the game’s Metroidvania-inspired world. Traits have also been improved “to bring greater value to their risk versus reward gameplay,” and an effort has been made to make “significant strides” with the game’s accessibility.
“It was extremely important that no corners were cut when bringing Rogue Legacy 2 to Nintendo’s portable console,” Cellar Door Games explain. “We spent months ensuring there were no compromises to the high-octane action and fluidity at 60 frames-per-second. For us, the Nintendo Switch version of Rogue Legacy 2 was a true labour of love, and we hope that comes through when fans finally get the chance to play it.”
The publisher has outlined the game’s key features as below:
- Every Adventure is Unique: New monsters, new traps, and new layouts await you every time you enter the Kingdom. This is a world where improvisation, and not memorization is the key to success.
- Wildly New Classes: No two classes play the same. Hide atop Ivy Canopies as the Ranger, and rain poisoned arrows down onto your foes. Take to the skies as a Dragon Lancer and fly across the skies striking foes at massive speeds. Or sing and dance through your enemies, as the joyous bard, leaving only a trail of bodies behind you. Rogue Legacy 2 supports 15 new classes, with 15 distinct styles of play.
- Brand New Style: We’re taking a whole new artistic approach to Rogue Legacy 2. The sequel features 2.5D stylings, with 3D characters against hand-drawn backdrops. The art uses heavy shading and all animations are done using stepping techniques to keep the familiar RL look and feel.
- Revamped Biome Generation: We went all-out with biome generation to make each area in RL2 feel completely new. Each biome adopts different “build strategies” to create completely unique yet still-randomly-generated regions.
- True Metroidvania: To really push the Metroidvania flair, RL2 introduces heirlooms: special items that permanently give your heroes new abilities that fully reveal the world’s secrets. These are not basic lock-in-key abilities, but powers that fundamentally change how you play. And heirlooms are not simply handed to you. You must prove your worth, provided you can find them.
- Traits 2.0: Though fun the first time, the traits in RL1 often wore their welcome later in the game. We’ve now added gold modifiers to entice players to take on new challenges. The more debilitating the trait is (in-game), the bigger the reward. This makes choosing your heirs a meaningful decision every time.
- Relics and Resolve: One of the most exciting new features to Rogue Legacy 2 is the ability to pick up Relics, which are unique items that change how your run is played. Gain stat modifiers, complete special challenges, and even gain brand-new abilities as you traverse the kingdom. But be careful, the more Relics you obtain the more your resolve is shaken, and all Relics are lost if your hero perishes.
- Improved Accessibility: We’ve taken accessibility to the next level with the introduction of House Rules. Toggle contact damage, tweak global damage and health, and even give yourself flight for difficult platform sections. You have complete control over how you want to play the game. We’ve also introduced new mechanics such as Off-shore Banking to give struggling players more ways to succeed.
- A Rich Narrative: Not only is the lore to the world of Rogue Legacy greatly expanded in the sequel, but it runs deep. New lore awaits you all the multiple NG’s in. Beating the game once is only the beginning. Learn about the inevitable collapse of a once-thriving kingdom, and discover the dark secrets of the ones responsible. And connect and build relationships with the characters you meet along the way.
- New Game+ for Days: Your journey has only begun after beating the final boss in RL2. There is a ton more to explore and discover on multiple playthroughs. You must choose how the game gets harder, from unique biome hazards, to special boss fights. The experience keeps changing for near-infinite replayability.
- More of Everything: Of course, we’re also adding more of everything people loved from the original Rogue Legacy. More traits, more spells, more classes, more biomes, more enemies, more equipment, more rooms, more story. More secrets… Just more everything.
Rogue Legacy 2 is now available on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch worldwide, priced at £22.49 ($24.99).
