Rogue Legacy 2 leaps into early access in July

New generations of heroes will rise and fall when Rogue Legacy 2 launches into early access on July 23. The developers, Cellar Door say they expect a full launch in 2021 for the roguelite platformer, which is about conquering a randomly-generated castle across generations of lives by pumping upgrades into your family tree for your heirs. The original was good so yes, good. Come watch the new trailer.

Our Rogue Legacy review in 2013 described the original as "a smartly crafted platformer with randomly configured rooms and a clever sense of progression." It is! Then mere weeks ago, our former John (RPS in peace) declared it "still the most approachable roguelite of them all."

Building on those foundations, Rogue Legacy 2 switches to a new more illustration-y art style, with 3D models and painted backgrounds. Other changes include some metroidvania-y progression with special items that give new abilities, an overhauled traits system for the weird and wonderful quirks your heirs can have (traits in the first range from gigantism making you hard-hitting but huge, to alektorophobia making smashed furniture sometimes spawn a rowdy live chicken), new weapons for classes, and other general newness.

Cellar Door say that feedback for the first game "helped steer [it] in a better direction" so they want to repeat that by taking the sequel through early access. When it arrives, they say it will have most its systems in place but mostly need more content: more biomes, rooms, classes, traits, skills, gear, enemies, bosses, and so on, as well as a few features. They expect the full launch will follow after about one year, sometime in 2021.

Rogue Legacy 2 will debut in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store on July 23rd, priced at $20. The price will go up to $25 in the middle of early access, then up again to $30 once it's complete.