If you’ve been meaning to pick up Darkest Dungeon, but were concerned that the lengthy and difficult 2D dungeon crawler would eat up too much of your gaming time, I’ve got some great news. Red Hook Studios has an exciting update scheduled for February. The studio will be adding monsters and addressing some quality of life issues, but the core of the update is implementing Radiant Mode — which cuts the length of the game down to 40 hours.
Radiant Mode is not meant to decrease difficulty, but instead cut down on some of the more time intensive aspects of the turn-based RPG. Building up an estate via dungeon crawling, leveling the companion roster and eventually crushing the Darkest Dungeon will all still be on a player’s to-do list. This is simply an effort to include a more casual (or time-crunched) audience, and a clever move by Red Hook Studios.
Their veteran dungeon crawlers haven’t been forgotten with the update — several new monsters with brand new abilities will be hiding out in Champion Dungeons. The studio gave us a sneak peak at one new monster, the The Bone Bearer:
“Several seasoned adventurers have whispered, gripping tankards of ale to hide shaking hands, that new horrors await in the deepest regions of the Ruins. The repulsive ranks of the malignant skeletons therein are said to rally around banner-bearers of extreme decrepitude. Theirs is a blasphemous and ensorceled flag whose presence in battle lends great strength and other unspeakable assistance to their damnable kin. These chittering fiends are even said to tap into the hoarish energies that animate the long-decayed corpses! A new threat whose grinding teeth and shuffling steps echo endlessly in the shadowy arcades of the ruined battlements…”
This should give experienced players something to occupy their time until The Crimson Keep DLC releases. The date has been pushed back (to allow the studio to focus on this update), and is now expected sometime in the spring.
Darkest Dungeon was an outstanding Early Access success story. In a sea of survival games on Steam, this 2D RPG has garnered massive praise and had a smooth and impressive release. If you’ve been waiting to check it out, this new mode might be the perfect option for you.
Are you already playing Darkest Dungeon? Will you be trying out the new mode? Let us know in the comment section below.
