Patches for the Early Access-build continue, but the next big content update will coincide with the full launch of the game on PC (Steam, Epic) and consoles (first on Xbox) later this year.
Game Director, Joris Dormans, explains how the latest update dovetails nicely into the procedural nature of the game and its worlds:
“By turning on or off giant ancient machinery, players change the world state, making it easier to reach the endgame. Or, making the endgame itself easier. It’s up to the player to make those choices. Remember, when you die in Unexplored 2 the world remains, you continue as the new Wayfarer a few years later. But… if you die during the endgame, all is lost, the world is wiped from existence. And from your drive.
"So, these are important decisions the player makes, over multiple runs. What seems to be a good option for the world right now, might not be so at all times or for all possible worlds. It creates an exciting puzzle with many different solutions based on your choices and execution.”
Very Customizable Difficulty Settings
Another major addition is the New World Settings-menu, which is available when players generate a new world. It allows them to adjust difficulty by enabling or disabling (world) features and request specific content. It’s one of the advantages of having your whole world procedurally generated for you.
Community Challenge
Early Access players who are the first to find the machines in their world, will be rewarded with the opportunity to add something to the game stemming from their own imagination. This community challenge will take place in the game’s Discord channel: http://discord.gg/TGhQ8AjkvF
Patch notes
Update #6: Marang Machinations
This update will likely break existing worlds!
New and improved content
- New World Settings menu available when you generate a new world that allows you to adjust difficulty and request specific content. (Not fully controller supported yet, some of the options will later be locked behind achievements)
- New major Marang machines: Infernal Flame, Helico, Lightning Machine, Earth Shaker
- New minor Marang machines: Hearth Flame, Magic Well, Root Singer
- New adventure destinations: Mountain Top, Mountain Top Temple, Lake-bed Temple, Way Shrine, Hidden Tower, Forest Shrine
- New unlockable backgrounds: Sky Summoner, Master Artisan, Tinkerer, Honor-bound Warrior
- New regional characteristics: biting cold, predators, drought, burning sun, underground passages, withering away, fierce winds, tremors, magic lightning, restless snap trees, thick thickets
- Restructure of the main quest: you need to visit Raaf temples to reveal the main quest objectives
- Improved travel locations: underground passage
- Improved and expanded the quest to find the Flow Elemental
- Improved destination: Forge of Destiny, Hill-Top Ruin, Barrow, Detona Spire, Monster Cave, Bernhilde’s Tomb, Barren, Wind Temple, Bone Temple, Lakes
- New and improved equipment: windbreaker cloak, shimmering shard, fallen star, marang machine manifest
Gameplay changes
- You can pick-up dropped and thrown weapons after a while during combat
- Your speed with a drawn bow is reduced
- You can buy more food in settlements
- Food prices have gone up, bandages are cheaper
- Wounded status is less frequent and less impactful
- Locations indicate better if food and prey are available
- Improved distribution of inscriptions and secrets in the world
- Presence is reduced when you arrive at a destination and only when you do not gain presence during the journey
- Forges require Form Sigils to function
- Scrying stones require Sky Sigils to function and can detect active machines
Bug Fixes
- Eating in an inn or at a farm no longer restores hope
- Threadbare equipment functions correctly
- Fixing generation issues that caused ramps and climbing spots to be missing
- Fixes generation issue that caused segments of walls to go missing
- Scrying devices do not show up on the map as Imperial forces
- Fixes issue with missing wind gongs in the First Valley
- Restoring a Serpent Gate now correctly registers and the corresponding gate on the Serpent Path also opens
About the game
One quest. Unlimited adventure. Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy is a challenging roguelite RPG with a table-top feel, procedural node-based open world, and a cool twist on permadeath. Leave the Dungeon of Doom behind and venture into a vast, wondrous world as you embark on a heroic quest to destroy the mysterious Staff of Yendor.
Explore beautiful landscapes and discover hidden marvels. Encounter magical creatures and dangerous foes. Make brave choices and put your faith in good fortune. Featuring a unique legacy system, advanced procedural generation technology, and rich, generative storytelling, Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy is an adventure like no other.
Key features
- Legacy system: the actions of past heroes impact the fortunes of those that follow in their footsteps. Use your legacy wisely to give successive adventurers greater hopes of completing their quest
- Permadeath in a persistent world: when a hero dies, they stay dead. But you can choose to return to the same world with a new adventurer, forearmed with knowledge of what lies ahead. Or, if you prefer, begin a new adventure in a completely uncharted world
- Generative storytelling: there is no premeditated script in Unexplored 2. Every adventurer's ultimate goal may be the same – to destroy the Staff of Yendor – but every hero will have their own unique story of the events and encounters that happened along the way
- Procedural generation: Ludomotion's proprietary technology generates content that feels designed by humans, not algorithms, and can create a near infinite number of new lands, new places, new stories, and new challenges to discover
- Orchestral adaptive soundtrack: an intricate system allows Unexplored 2's music to be arranged reactively, making subtle changes to the score at appropriate times, whether a moment of high emotion, or to provide foreshadowing (Official Unexplored 2 Soundtrack Playlist on Youtube)
> Press, streamers, content creators: To request an Early Access key, or for any coverage inquiries, please contact: matt@bigsugargames.com
> Epic Games Store: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/unexplored-2/
> Epic Games Store: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/unexplored-2/
About Big Sugar
Big Sugar is a new publisher that does what it wants. And what it wants is to work with talented independent developers and to publish the unique, fun, compelling, entertaining, memorable, and all-round high-quality games that they create. https://bigsugargames.com/
About Ludomotion
Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Ludomotion is an independent
developer aiming to advance gameplay technology and create all kinds of new
gameplay experiences. https://twitter.com/PlayUnexplored