Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy

Big Sugar, and Lodomotion attempt to go full roguelike in "Unexplored 2: Wayfarer's Legacy", and that attempt may or may have not paid off in the end. The developers have not only established through this segmented roguelike action rpg sequel a complete and continued mythos, and randomly generated worlds that will end or continue with a completed run, but have also created a permadeath situation for custom characters who act as the heroes of the tale. Heroes who can pass on their legacy to successors willing to finish what was started. Through spent day and night cycles, exhaustive travel, inquisitive exploration, perplexing puzzle solving scenarios, and applied combat as these destined wayfarers you'll either come to terms with the task requirements at hand or fail miserably trying. 

Unlike most action rpg roguelikes there is no leveling in 'Unexplored 2', and no stat distribution to speak of. You are simply equipped with only what you can carry without being overburdened, and must use weapons, gear, and resources wisely as you fight against all hope, the strain of the burden at hand, and time itself. The trek from point A to point B taking it's toll with each passing day. Making resting/saving a must, and the luxuries of repair and cooking afforded by campsites, a necessity. Opening up a risk and reward system wherein actions taken or not taken will impact the very nature of your adventure, and the lifespan of the wayfarer, themselves. Packing on a social fortune system in which chance coin modifiers open up new buffs and debuffs for the price paid. Ultimately landing you where you need to be in order to destroy the staff that you carry, if you can make it that far. 

Initially, "Unexplored 2" gives you a brief, but detailed hands on tutorial explaining away the base mechanics. Everything from inventory management to stealth options, and how to utilize the staff to open up new areas is disclosed. That, and the fortune/spark currency system that plays both into character interactions, and investigative exploration. A mechanic that, if not failed in it's random drawing of different colored coins, will afford you bonuses which will aid or hinder you as you move forward. Along with snippits of textual history, and bobbles of legendary proportions. Additionally the developer was aware that problematic randomly generated areas can pop-up as a progress problem along the way due to the random generation of the world/s, so they implemented a prayer system in which you can literally offer up a prayer to your God to get unstuck and advance you a little ways ahead. If you abuse it though there are penalties that will come into play later on. Affecting your traversal of the world map, and it's many points of interest.

Beyond the tutorial lies the New Game and Character Creation menus. In "Unexplored 2" Characters, however fleeting their lives may be in the permadeath scheme of things, are fully fleshed out through options selected prior to shipping them off to fight the good fight. This includes race, culture, background, hope traits, skills, and equipment. 

There are three races to begin with including that of Grus, Human, and the Tlinga Klong. Each with their inherent natural abilities in tow. Things like senses, endurance, charm, and insight accounted for. These races also align with a culture. There are four distinctly different cultures in the game, but Raafi are unlocked by default leaving the remaining three as unlockables. The culture, more or less, defines the wayfarer's devotional nature. The God they pray to for assistance, and what that God can do for them in-game. 

Past the culture and race lies the background options and it is the background, again one of four, that will determine your character's number of skills, possible skills, and possible equipment. Something that will alter how your wayfarer plays and performs in combat situations. In the way of bonus perks you'll be able to additionally select four hope traits that each effect abilities that tie into the game's given mechanics. Whether it be the fortune system, the ability to find hidden things easier, or the ability to suffer less fatigue. Things like that. Skills are also a four selection option wherein things like weapon proficiency, the ability wield and use certain weapons, defense proficiency, and the ability to better discover paths on the overhead map are made available. Lastly, equipment is where you'll add to or take away from your stocked inventory. Minding the encumbrance slots which will only serve to exhaust, and wear out your wayfarer.

In, and throughout your journey as a wayfarer you will have to mind many things. This includes equipment, food resources, and your mental/physical status. Things tended to on a daily basis, and as you travel from location to location through the map that you will be navigating. Keeping good health, resting up via a campsite, repairing gear, and choosing when to explore is how you'll best meet your destination alive. This includes traveling to, and visiting points of interests with displayed risks, rewards, and requirements on display. Should you die you'll have a choice to either continue with the given world through a successor wayfarer, or to scrap the world, and legacy characters giving way to a wholly new experience.

Following the dotted line on the constantly revealing overhead map can have you meeting combative enemies, local folk, or even conditions that will weigh heavily on your wayfarer's wellbeing, and legacy. At the cost of boot points, and clothing points allotted for said travel. Choosing poorly according to where it is you should go can result in the loss of hope points, and can set in fatigue as well as slowdown your travel in a number of ways. Afflicting you with negative status effects that will hinder progress. Supposing you make it from beginning to end you will destroy the staff, and in doing so lose the world, and your character. Giving way for another adventure that varies from the last.

Whether it's permadeath or completion that ends your playthrough there is always something new to experience as the world is born again new alongside any new characters that you have created. Making for a fully randomized, and highly replayable adventure that can, given a chance, afford you more bang for your buck.

The Verdict ...

As artistically beautiful, and audibly mesmerizing as Unexplored 2 is, it is the chopped up sections of gameplay sandwiched between annoying loading screens and map intermissions that make any effort put in more cumbersome than it should. While this is expected from a game that doubles down on the roguelike elements it still feels broken up, stretched thin, and less fun than it would have been if the game had been divided into full-fledged biomes, or dungeons filled with pure action packed opportunities. These mini-missions, and the map sequences leading up to them unnecessarily void what should have, and could have been a more action focused affair. 

Gameplay oddly seems to take a back seat position to the strategy, and planning required for successfully navigating a full run. Even the combat falters in quality as the enemies and hazards you encounter seem basic by design, and kind of like sponges meant to temporarily stand between you and whatever it is you're trying to get at. Mechanics like that of stealth, and searching for hidden items in a cautious mode (stance) offer innovation that seems oddly misplaced, and there just to add substance to the mix. Even the fortune system which either negatively effects or benefits your wayfarer, in what amounts to a mini-game of chance where character customization holds sway, felt like a half effort. Something to spice things up a bit, but something that felt tacked on for complexity sake.

As harsh as this review assessment might read I am being honest. I went in expecting more gameplay than I got, and was at a loss having witnessed the amount of time spent between the map travel, and the constantly loading dungeons. Be it the loading screens, or the map travel it wore thin on my patience. It felt way too cumbersome, and exacerbated something that could have been made more streamlined and challenging were it more action inclined instead of preparation/strategy minded. It's a pity too in that the game would have been a profound achievement had it realize the roguelike nature in a more constant form. Having permadeath, worlds constantly being reborn/revisited, and a playthrough that is never the same twice is an ambitious goal for any developer. Somehow though this beautifully rendered indie fell short of being amazing in that regards. Unless you don't mind the strategy aspects, and the tedious nature of travel you will likely be disappointed with this roguelike adventure.