For the King 2 review

pcgamer.com:

I played 2018's For The King by chance, when I randomly stumbled across it on Xbox Game Pass. It's the type of game I'd have never played if I'd had to pay for it first, but I ended up sinking so many hours into it that I eventually just bought it outright.

I explored every single map and unlocked every scrap of lore, easily putting in over 50 hours. So when I heard that IronOak Games was making a sequel, I was excited to do everything all over again—although perhaps not quite to the degree that For The King 2 has in mind.

What is it? A turn-based, D&D-inspired roguelike set in the land of Fahrul.  
Release date November 2, 2023
Expect to pay $25 / £20
Developer IronOak Games
Publisher Curve Digital
Reviewed on Ryzen 7 7700X, RTX 4080, 64GB RAM
Steam Deck Playable
Link Official site

For The King 2 is a mix of turn-based combat and Dungeons & Dragons-inspired chance-based mechanics. You set out with a party of four with the intention of completing five story chapters, while contending with a procedurally generated map and the ever-looming threat of permadeath.

For a game that projects a lighthearted fantasy vibe on the outside, For The King 2 is surprisingly punishing—so much so that I had to go back and replay the first game just to make sure I wasn't imagining this spike in difficulty. Ten minutes into my first playthrough I foolishly attempted to fight three Jelly Cubes that spawned close to the starting town and barely managed to chip one of their health bars by a third before they slaughtered my entire squad. Enemies hit harder and make smarter tactical decisions than they did in the first game, like targeting your character with the lowest health, and routinely outlevel me. The extra challenge only bolstered my