Rogue Legacy 2 review: an endlessly replayable roguelite

My roguelite adventure is about 10 hours in. Rogue Legacy 2, the game’s random heir generator served me a Ranger character with a massive spoon instead of the usual bow and arrow. A new twist was not something I would turn down, and so I took the spoon lady with me on my next run. Rogue Legacy 2’s twisting, ever-resetting castle.

Despite his powerful utensil — which bounced around the room, dealing critical damage on ricochets — my hero eventually fell, either to a skeleton, a burst of fire, or some spikes, just as all his ancestors had before him. But his death only fueled my hunger for discovery — with spoons, spinning hammers, mysterious scythes, and pizza occasionally gracing my runs, I knew I’d never tire of Rogue Legacy 2’s endless nonsense.

Between the first and the second world war, the number of roguelites has risen to a staggering 99%. Rogue LegacyIts recently published sequel. Some — Hades, The Spire is yours to tame, Monster Train, Vampire Survivors — have ascended to the pantheon of exceptional run-based games, overlooking an endless sea of dime-a-dozen imitators that couldn’t hold my attention past a few runs. Thankfully, Rogue Legacy 2 It lives up to its predecessor’s high standards and offers pure chaos.

Image: Cellar Door Games

Rogue Legacy 2The meta goal, like all roguelites is to run over and over again, gain incremental progress, and receive permanent upgrades following each death. But unlike in other roguelites — even some of my favorites — I never want to put Rogue Legacy 2Another failed boss try has resulted in me crashing down. My sword, knife, bow, staff and spear are all raised high. I then run the thing back.

The second game was the same as before. Rogue Legacy 2 derives its longevity from the “heir” system, which lets me choose a new descendant at the beginning of each run. They’re really just a collection of randomized spells, weapons, and talents pulled from a dozen character classes — but it’s easy to get attached to the ones that carry me particularly far into the game. I can also use gold from previous runs to upgrade my family’s estate (which unlocks further classes and stat upgrades), purchase new armor, or apply special runes to enhance my abilities.

Each of these many features ensure that I’ve always got new tools and effects to play with. Even if I do get an heir with the same combinations as their ancestor, the castle layout, the myriad upgrades I’ve picked up in recent generations, and the omnipresent chance for bizarre items (like the spoon) ensures that my adventure won’t play out the same way.

However, Rogue Legacy 2’s biggest strength is occasionally a weakness. It is difficult to understand the effects of certain traits or relics, so it forces you to experiment early. However, this can lead me into frustration when the game becomes my biggest problem. I’ve lost numerous promising runs because I’ve picked up a new, mysterious relic only to discover it had a potent negative side effect. One instance was when my hero’s secret trait made it impossible for me to deal with critical hits. I had to give up on them and retire him. And even now, with over 30 hours of playtime, there are traits and relics that I will never pick up again because they’re just too obnoxious to deal with.

This is perhaps the most daunting aspect. Rogue Legacy 2’s chaos is to accept how rare those “perfect” runs truly are. I’ve died after acquiring an excellent class, relic, and weapon combination, knowing I’ll likely never get that exact build back again. But it’s to the game’s great credit that — despite its relatively high difficulty level — I’ve usually felt as if each of the heroes I select have a fighting chance. So when I lose those once-in-a-lifetime heirs, like spoon lad, I simply shrug it off and make a point to remember them, knowing I’ll never see their ilk again.

Image: Cellar Door Games

Beauty is in Rogue Legacy 2This is because it uses randomness in a brilliantly balanced way. Even if every hero isn’t as memorable to me as spoon lad, I can look back on the portraits of my past ancestors and they’ll tell me a story. The farting Valkyrie, who got burned to the crisp by a fireball or the huge Knight who could strike enemies through the ceiling with his bare feet.

It’s so easy to get bOdered and frustrated in roguelites after banging your head against the same set of rooms or bosses for hours. Games like Hades or Dead CellsThis can be avoided by giving the players many builds for each run. However, those games are comparatively streamlined — despite a lot of randomness, they still give me enough tools to tailor the game to my play style. In those cases, I’m bending the game to my will. Rogue Legacy 2This makes it even more challenging. If I don’t bend and meet the game halfway, I’ll likely break.

Rogue Legacy 2’s extremely random nature would crush a lesser game, but Cellar Door Games uses that pressure to create diamonds. Even if it’s occasionally frustrating, Rogue Legacy 2 refuses to ever let me be bored, and that’s more than enough to set it apart from the heap of roguelites that have followed in the original game’s wake. I’m 30 hours into Rogue Legacy 2, and I’m still discovering new toys to play with. But I still haven’t found another spoon.

Rogue Legacy 2 Released as an early access release on April 28 Xbox Series X, Xbox OneAnd WindowsPC. This game was played through SteamCellar Door Games will provide a code. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. Although these partnerships do not impact editorial content, Vox Media could earn commissions for products sold via affiliate links. Find out more. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.