What Dark Quest 2 is
Dark Quest 2 is a turn-based RPG built around a party of heroes pushing deeper into a castle to reach the chambers of the evil sorcerer. It draws on the board game Hero Quest, so expect dice-based mechanics, an isometric hand-drawn look, and maps laid out as adventures rather than open-ended wandering. Each map tests the party's strength, courage and sanity as you descend. Along the way you explore twisted mazes, hunt for hidden doors and fight bloodthirsty orcs.
How a group plays it
Every turn each hero in your party gets one single action, so the whole group is deciding together who moves, who attacks and who holds back. Play it carefully: a careless turn can land a hero captive in the sorcerer's eternal prison. The heroes each have their own personality and strengths, and the intended approach is to lean on what each one is good at rather than sending everyone in the same way. The campaign can be played cooperatively with friends, and the game also supports online PvP. Between fights you return to the village, where the old masters teach new powers, you craft new weapons and mix potions that improve what your heroes can do.
Things to know before starting
The Skull of Fate sits in the darkest dungeons of the castle as a last resort. When there is no hope left, rolling it reveals a twisted fate, so it is a gamble you take when the alternative is worse. The campaign is story driven and unfolds as a series of adventures, so expect a set path through the castle rather than a sandbox. There is a map editor for building your own adventures and sharing them through Steamworks, which gives the group material beyond the campaign. The game is in Early Access, and it can be played single-player as well as with others.