Developer IronOak Games’ wonderful tabletop-RPG-meets-digital-board-game adventure For The King is getting a sequel, and it’ll be making its way to PC some time next year.
The original For The King, if you’re unfamiliar, was a thoroughly entertaining (if sometimes brutally challenging) blend of familiar RPG stables – think dungeon crawling, questing, turn-based exploration and combat, loot acquisition, and so on – streamlined into a light-hearted, optionally co-operative rogue-like adventure.
More than anything, it was a wonderfully designed little story generator – encompassing everything from haunted carnivals to suffocating jungles – with enough potential combinations across its moving parts to feel sufficiently different each run.
“If you’re a fan of tabletop RPGs and have a couple of sadistic pals to keep you company,” said Eurogamer contributor Vikki Blake in her review, “it’s a Kraken little game that’s sure to delight – and dismay – in equal measures.”
All of which brings us to IronOak’s newly announced For The King 2, which, on the face of it, looks to deliver a very similar experience to its predecessor. However, alongside a new story – which pits players against the kingdom of Fahrul’s tyrannical queen – the sequel promises expanded co-op for up to four players (including online), and a greater focus on strategic decision making and class, armour and weapon customisation.
There are also new biomes, and a new artstyle that, judging by the announcement trailer above, manages to retain the atmosphere of the original’s wonderful low-poly aesthetic while moving toward something a little more detailed.
There’s no word on a console release just yet, but expect more details as For The King 2’s 2023 release on PC approaches.
