Dark Quest 2

About

"Dark Quest 2" is a turn-based strategy RPG, inspired by the board game "Hero Quest," with single and multiplayer options. Its hand-drawn art style, dice-based mechanics, and campaign story create an immersive fantasy atmosphere. Players must tacticsically navigate through the evil sorcerer's castle, confronting challenges that test their characters' strengths. Create and share new adventures with the map editor, available through Steamworks. The Skull of Fate adds an extra layer of mystery in the darkest dungeons.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 735 reviews

story76 positive mentions

grinding34 negative mentions

The game captures the nostalgic feel of HeroQuest with charming graphics and engaging gameplay.
It's a fun and simple dungeon crawler that offers a casual gaming experience, making it easy to pick up and play.
The multiplayer mode enhances the experience, allowing for cooperative play with friends.

The user interface is clunky and lacks hotkeys, making navigation and character management tedious.
The game can feel repetitive and grindy, especially when replaying levels to level up characters.
There are bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in multiplayer mode.

story
446 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
79%
4%
The story in "Dark Quest 2" is largely considered minimal and generic, revolving around a classic fantasy trope of defeating an evil sorcerer. Players noted that while the missions are technically well-designed, the narrative lacks depth and engagement, often feeling repetitive and uninspired. Overall, the game prioritizes gameplay mechanics over storytelling, appealing more to fans of dungeon crawling than those seeking a rich narrative experience.
- “The storyline kicks off in one of the most classical ways: the king is dead, an evil sorcerer seized the castle and his horde of minions is ravaging the lands, bringing death and destruction.”
- “Only a handful of valiant heroes are left, and they gather in the last free city of the kingdom, where an elder will task them with various quests aimed to destroy the enemy forces and save the land.”
- “Campaign missions are quite varied and provide a good number of different enemies, situations and objectives, like liberating prisoners, collecting pieces of an artifact, or killing a boss.”
- “The story is boring.”
- “The story is absent.”
- “The story is really quite bad as well, at no point did I feel engaged with what was going on, which is really important if you're going to have a successful dungeon crawl due to how monotonous they can get.”
gameplay
154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
67%
4%
The gameplay of this title is characterized by its blend of simple mechanics and tactical depth, offering an engaging dungeon-crawling experience reminiscent of classic board games. While the game features appealing graphics and a variety of character classes, some players find the mechanics to be overly simplistic or poorly balanced, leading to repetitive gameplay and potential exploits in character progression. Overall, it provides a casual yet satisfying experience, particularly in multiplayer, though it may lack the complexity some players desire.
- “Solid tactical gameplay; there's enough magical pots (advancement points) to encourage experimenting with different characters.”
- “Highly recommend if you're looking for a relatively casual yet addicting and satisfying gameplay loop with a solid character progression system and beautiful hand-drawn art and scene settings.”
- “Gameplay is easy to learn and hard to master, with tactics becoming very important late game.”
- “Ultimately, what should be a good game is let down by mechanics and the type of difficulty.”
- “Unfortunately, the moment-to-moment core gameplay is quite boring and repetitive, and I found myself very quickly losing interest.”
- “Leveling up without XP is very weird, especially because you can explore the mechanics and level up all your heroes to the max if you have enough patience to grab a flask and go back to town (repeat 200x).”
graphics
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
45%
2%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many praising the hand-drawn art style and improved visuals compared to its predecessor. Reviewers appreciate the charming, slightly cartoonish aesthetic that evokes a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic tabletop RPGs, although some note that animations can be lacking. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience despite some critiques of repetitiveness and a simplistic UI.
- “It has splendid graphics, arguably one of the best graphic art I have seen in modern video games.”
- “Featuring an amazing, hand-drawn isometric art style and dice-based mechanics, Dark Quest 2 really looks like a board game that came to life in a digital form.”
- “The graphics are a great improvement over the first game and look pretty nice with an 80's cartoon/tabletop feel and I find the quests fun.”
- “Pretty much the same as the first Dark Quest, just the graphics got a little better but it's still very repetitive with again a very boring storyline, really silly ugly UI, useless skull of fate that brings nothing to the game, no inventory, minimum choice of items, no character progression, only a few abilities usable and the rest are passive; active abilities can only be used once or restricted per quest/turn.”
- “Don't expect modern effects and graphics, since everything is hand drawn with 2D sprites.”
- “2) Passable graphics and controls.”
music
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
38%
14%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the soundtrack's quality and atmospheric tracks, while others criticize its repetitiveness due to a limited number of songs. Some users find the music enhances the overall experience, contributing to the game's enchanting atmosphere, but several mention that it can become annoying over time, leading them to turn it off. Overall, while the music is generally well-received, its short length and repetitive nature detract from its impact during extended play sessions.
- “The soundtrack is a better experience; it is filled with good songs with a healthy mix of instruments and a few atmospheric tracks to even things out.”
- “I really love the turn-based style of playing, and the soundtrack fits the scene to bring you in the right mood.”
- “I would highly recommend this game; it has an absolutely fantastic atmosphere, music, and art.”
- “However, the OST is very short, which means you will hear certain songs over and over, which can get annoying if you are doing multiple playthroughs.”
- “Music is annoying and repetitive.”
- “The music was average, and I often found myself turning the music off because it got old after a while.”
grinding
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
94%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly due to the need for individual character movement and the overwhelming odds in battles. While some appreciate the grind for character upgrades and replaying dungeons as a means to prepare for tougher challenges, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a monotonous experience. Overall, the game is described as visually appealing but suffers from a lack of variety and engaging gameplay as it progresses.
- “It just gets very boring and very samey and very grindy in a very short while.”
- “Exploring the dungeons does not become an engaging risk vs reward asset, but a tedious slog where players who've already played the game will know the optimal route.”
- “A bit grindy, super repetitive and way too random - I felt like I was fighting RNG rather than solving problems with tactics and strategy.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
57%
12%
The game offers significant replayability through features like a map editor and Steam Workshop support for user-created content, allowing players to experience new challenges and strategies. Players can also replay levels at increased difficulties and experiment with different character builds, although some reviewers noted that deeper character customization could enhance this aspect further. Overall, the combination of mod support and varied gameplay options contributes to a satisfying replay experience.
- “The mod support for more maps adds great replay value.”
- “Great replayability; the maps increase in difficulty after you beat them, so replaying actually does provide a challenge.”
- “All it needs is deeper character building, customization and equipment systems for better replayability.”
- “An added bonus is the map editor for infinite content to even extend replayability.”
- “An less replay value, obviously.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game exhibits notable stability issues, particularly in multiplayer, with frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as getting stuck when exiting rooms. Despite these problems, many players find the experience enjoyable and engaging, highlighting the game's charm and solid mechanics. Overall, while it has its share of bugs, the fun factor remains high for most users.
- “This game might be in early access, but it is full of content, mostly bug-free, and already has solid gameplay mechanics that are fun and engaging.”
- “Runs great and is easy on the wallet.”
- “The game is stable and provides a smooth experience, making it enjoyable to play.”
- “The game has some interesting ideas and doesn't suffer from numbers bloat, but... it's very buggy and gets repetitive quickly.”
- “I do have to give a strong warning that this game is not without its bugs/glitches.”
- “Multiplayer is somewhat buggy.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by a beautiful art style, diverse characters, and an engaging soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers consistently highlight the combination of music and visuals as creating a captivating and immersive environment, making it a standout feature of the game. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fantastic and worth the investment.
- “I really enjoyed the artwork and atmosphere of the game.”
- “Love it, very atmospheric, worth every penny!”
- “I would highly recommend this game, has an absolutely fantastic atmosphere, music and art.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
Character development in the game is criticized for lacking specialization and depth, with players feeling that while their choices in party creation have some impact, the overall leveling and equipment improvement systems are inadequate. Many reviewers express a desire for a more robust narrative and enhanced character development in potential future editions.
- “And there are enough choices in the party creation and character development systems between missions that you feel like your decisions have an impact on the way each dungeon plays out, which is important.”
- “There was no specialization in character development.”
- “Though, if I'm completely honest, the character development, level up, and equipment improvement is poor; they tried to do something a little different, but unfortunately it doesn’t work.”
- “If they develop a third edition, I'd be happy to pay £20 for it if they create a proper narrative, better character development, and less restrictive equipment choices.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The optimization of the game has been criticized for poor performance and the presence of numerous bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
- “Poor performance and bugs.”
- “Poor performance and bugs.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The emotional impact of the game is largely diminished due to its repetitive gameplay and lackluster storyline, which many players find boring. The absence of character progression and limited choices further detracts from any potential emotional engagement, leaving players feeling disconnected from the experience. Overall, the game's design choices contribute to a lack of emotional depth and investment.
- “The game feels emotionally flat, lacking any real depth or connection to the characters, making it hard to care about the story.”
- “Despite the improved graphics, the emotional engagement is minimal, and the repetitive gameplay makes it difficult to stay invested.”
- “The storyline is dull and uninspiring, which severely impacts the emotional experience and leaves players feeling disconnected.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as enjoyable and nostalgic, enhancing the overall experience of the dungeon crawl, especially in co-op mode. Players appreciate the lightheartedness that complements the gameplay, reminiscent of their childhood gaming dreams.
- “Add in co-op, and good humor, and you're looking at an ultra fine dungeon crawl developed exactly how you dreamed the future would be when you were a kid on your 386, if FPS hadn't taken over gaming.”

60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Switch Review - 'Dark Quest II'
Worthplaying.com
60%

Buy Dark Quest 2

5h Median play time

8h Average play time

5-20h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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