It really didn’t feel like that ground had been adequately explored in computer role-playing games. When Chris first proposed it, I immediately thought about all the tabletop RPG sessions I’ve played where the psychological elements entered the game thanks to great role-playing. Tyler Sigman, Design Director: Every game needs a “hook”, and this felt like it. Something that would embrace and gamify the life of an adventurer, which, upon even a cursory glance, would be abysmal! Killing things in the dark in pursuit of profit would be an incredibly stressful lifestyle, and Darkest Dungeon was born from a series of late-night whiskey-infused rants along these lines. Tyler and I challenged each other to imagine a game about the sword arm, not the sword. I felt that giving a normal person a giant weapon and matching armor wouldn’t do anything if that person was a coward. Going back to the original Darkest Dungeon, what made you decide to create a game that focused on not just combat, but the psychological impact of combat?Ĭhris Bourassa, Creative Director: The concept originated from an observation that role-playing games are typically power fantasies that take killing for granted, and celebrate advancement with more and more elaborate and oversized gear. In this wide-ranging interview, we chatted with Red Hook Studios creative director Chris Bourassa and design director Tyler Sigman about the original game’s inception, how early access will shape this sequel, and why the duo say this game is more like a family road trip than the original game’s brutal hockey game. The world is still spinning dizzily to its end, but the journey has players moving toward the light rather than away from it.
A masterpiece of role-playing, but also overwhelmingly pinned to suffering.ĭarkest Dungeon II, which hits the Epic Game Store today in Early Access, appears, in some ways, to be a tonic to that brooding original title. In a word, Darkest Dungeon was an unerringly dark game. Soon, players were finding themselves managing the sometimes deadly quirks of their crew as much as focusing on their abilities to kill and explore. Most importantly, though, it examined the deep, psychological impact adventuring has on adventurers. Its dire setting was matched by a nihilistic view of the world and its heroes.
When it hit, Darkest Dungeon proved that there was still so much more to plumb from the typical role-playing game.
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