Black Reliquary is a massive Darkest Dungeon mod that is scheduled for release on March 24, 2023. The mod is a total conversion that was approved by the creators of the original Darkest Dungeon at Red Hook. And it features a long list of changes. The game’s gameplay has been completely reworked. A new campaign has been added, complete with fresh environments, personalities, stories, songs, foes, items, and protagonists.
A group of heroes will explore the Black Reliquary, a massive building in the unnamed desert of The Valley. What the creators have to say about it: “Put aside your preconceived notions and assumptions. You will find no compassion or mercy in the Valley, and the tests that lie ahead will be unlike any you have ever faced. Your new home is the airship Flameseeker, where you’ll meet an old friend from your past. Together, you’ll take on the mysterious and oppressive Black Reliquary.”
There are two trailers for Black Reliquary, one focused on the story and the other on gameplay, both of which show off the impressive amount of new art and design that has gone into the free expansion. Which is not what this is at all. This seems to be an unofficial sequel that slipped into our world from another universe at no cost.
Game Trailer
It’s a lot and it’s been in the works for a while. It’s one of the few mods, outside of those for games that have been out for ten years or more like Half-Life 2, to be given its own Steam rather than relegated to a Workshop.
In these trailers, at least, the guy playing the new narrator does a great job recreating the gravelly voiceover that has become a trademark of the Darkest Dungeon series.
That, plus the extensive use of visuals, is what convinces me to call this a sequel. Not a sequel in the sense of the year 2020, when it has been five or six years since the first, but rather a sequel in the sense of the year 1990. Whereas the Sequel would reuse the engine and some art, and overhaul systems. And then confidently go forward into a release like a year later max.
If you already own Darkest Dungeon, the Shieldbreaker DLC. And the Crimson Court DLC, then you can get Black Reliquary for free on Steam. Black Reliquary is a game that can be purchased on the Steam platform. The Black Reliquary team uses Patreon to pay for the custom art in the mod, and you can keep up with the mod’s progress on Twitter.
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