Recently, the joyously funny Rogue Legacy 2(opens in new tab) had its first birthday, and the game’s creator Cellar Door Games commemorated the event with one final significant content update. Its fittingly named “The Swan Song” update adds a treasure trove of features, such as new game modes, class changes, and a number of tweaks and improvements. The ability to use a surfboard to kill foes is the most crucial feature, though.
This radical addition is a new Fabled Weapon for the game’s Pirate class. Pirates can use the surfboard’s momentum to batter enemies and easily bypass certain hazards like spike traps and (obviously) water. Surfboards aren’t the only new Fabled Weapon added to the game, either. The Valkyrie can wield a Mjolnir-like Ancient Hammer, smashing and zapping enemies with lightning-infused strikes. The Dragonlancer, meanwhile, gets a hand-puppet that’s possessed by the spirit of a dragon, enabling them to soar through the air and incinerate foes with fiery attacks.
Alongside these new Fabled weapons are three new game modes. First up is True Rogue. This is intended as a more authentic roguelike experience, giving you a random hero with just one life to complete a shorter run of four biomes. The other two game modes, Thanatophobia and Thana-Two-Phobia, are inspired by an achievement in the first game unlocked by completing it in under 15 lives. Both modes only give you 15 lives to complete Rogue Legacy 2, with the added restriction that you can only play as each hero class once. Thano-Two-Phobia further increases the challenge by adding enemy and boss Burdens, just in case Thanatophobia isn’t hard enough for you.
Other additions include a redesigned Blasting Wand that’s easier to get to grips with, tweaks and buffs to various weapons and items like the frying pan and the shield, and a change to the final boss area that adds three relic rooms before the game’s climactic encounter. The developer also stresses that, while Rogue Legacy 2 won’t receive further major content updates, it will continue to receive patches and balance adjustments as required.
You can watch the trailer for the Swan Song update above. Rogue Legacy 2 was already pretty great(opens in new tab) according to our review, with Anne-Marie Coyle describing it as “a sequel that not only lives up to its predecessor, but easily surpasses it.” It’s also currently 30% off(opens in new tab) on Steam, with the discount lasting until May 5.