Dungeons 2 goes where no dungeon management sim has been before: outside

With EA's free-to-play mobile Dungeon Keeper reboot proving particularly monstrous, there's more than enough room in this world for Realmforge Studios and Kalypso's Dungeons series, even if the first one wasn't completely up to snuff . Seeing as it's International Announcement Day in the world of computer games, Kalypso have just announced a sequel. Dungeons 2 might seem like an apposite name, but it turns out this one will allow you to extend your reach to the filthy, human-filled overworld. What do you call a dungeon management sim not set wholly in a dungeon? It's a question worthy of Bishop Berkeley.

In addition to those outdoor bits, expect four-player competitive multiplayer and—oh God—"numerous references to various fantasy books, movies and TV shows". I'm struggling to think of a time when that has ever been funny. Here's a less worrying block of text outlining the features of this sequel:

"Take control of the mighty Dungeon Lord and craft a network of unique and terrifying dungeons, recruit an army of fearsome creatures and command two new factions. Prepare to defend your Kingdom against those pesky heroes, go above ground to wage war on their human cities and use the 'Hand of Terror' to take direct control over your minions, issue commands, and even dish out a swift slap to keep them in line."

Dungeons 2 isn't out till next year, but the site reveals that it's going to be at GamesCom, so we might hear more about it next week. Here's the footage-free announcement trailer:

Tom Sykes

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.