Become a bear whisperer and overthrow the president in Streets Of Rogue 2 next year
Zombie outbreaks, military coups and, err, Stardew Valley simulation
We already knew that roguelite sequel Streets Of Rogue 2 was going open world, but we finally saw the free-flowing chaos in action at last night’s Gamescom blowout. The immersive sim playground, sequel to an RPS favourite from 2019, looks even more over-the-top than the original. You can smash through buildings in a truck. Or smash through buildings on horseback. Or smash through buildings as a giant gorilla. Or... you get the gist. In other words, there should be a metric mega-ton of options when the game hits early access next year, as you'd expect if you played the first Streets Of Rogue.
Playable alone or in co-op, the follow-up is set in a “huge and seamless randomly generated world filled with cities, forests, islands, caves, and the occasional cannibal outpost.” As was the case with the last game, you can also pick between several wacky characters (farmers, hackers, bear whisperers) and several wackier weapons (banana peels, shrink rays, bear traps). Something for everyone, regardless of where you fall on the bear-loving spectrum.
All of those choices are maybe extraneous compared to the one choice that really matters: what do you actually want to do? Sure, the main loose goal is to overthrow an evil president, but the trailer shows off the usual distractions that come with any open worlder. You can randomly beat up mourning passersby in a graveyard, for instance. More interestingly, you can squint real hard and do your best to turn the game into a Stardew Valley-like. I’m excited to see just how far Streets Of Rogue 2 can stretch.
Brendan Caldwell (RPS in peace) gave the original our Bestest Best stamp of approval in his Streets Of Rogue review. “It's a daft miscellany of violent mobsters and unseen assassins, criss-crossing feuds and small mistakes that snowball into bloody knife fights,” he wrote. “If you want a tiny, varied Deus Ex that will make you laugh, this is it.” The game’s messiness is so flexible, Sin Vega recreated characters from blaxploitation parodies, Wes Anderson comedies and a fugly toilet-dweller from The Ghoulies 2. We also have a guide to the funniest co-op cocktails in the game. Basically, the RPS Hivemind likes this soon-to-be series, is what I’m saying.
Streets Of Rogue 2 enters early access on Steam in 2024. Hurray!
For more of the latest news and previews from Gamescom 2023, head to our Gamescom 2023 hub. You can also find everything announced at Opening Night Live right here.