Darkest Dungeon II

In keeping with the occult-slathered gloom of its IP, the Vancouver studio appears to delight in bizarre experiments, extracting the core of its creation then cracking the bones to alter its structural frame. In Kingdoms, a new (and free) game mode, the Roguelike becomes a kind of board game.
But before that, as an appetiser, we catch up on paid DLC in the main Confessions mode. We finish off our quest to unlock the Crusader character in last year's episode, then turn to the freshly assembled Inhuman Bondage, where we greet the return of the Abomination. Starting as a pitiful, scarred prison escapee, by uncovering his story we unleash his true power. Another addition here is a new area type, the Catacombs, where - with a sense of dread - we greet the return of slime monsters.
Kingdoms incorporates these extras, if you have them, into an adventure that scatters a dozen heroes around a gridded map, where dangerous territory alternates with inns and campsites. Your eventual objective is to repel an invading clan of beastmen, which is terrorising an already terrorised land. With an active team of four, you cross hostile regions shortened versions of Confessions' Slay The Spire-like carriage journeys to complete subquests that inch towards a showdown. Perhaps you need to visit a field hospital, or kill certain enemies to collect samples.
The beastmen don't stand idly by, however - they randomly lay siege to your inns. Repel ...