Rogue Legacy 2 now has a release date, and the first game’s free too

After 20 months in early access, Rogue Legacy 2 will leap to a full launch on the 28th of April. If you’ve missed out on the series of roguelike platformers where each run is another generation on your sprawling (and sometimes diseased) family tree, good news: this week Epic are giving the first game away free to keep.

At heart, Rogue Legacy is a solid Castlevania-y stab-o-platformer with player classes. Off you go, mashing monsters and bashing bosses, hoping to end the ultimate enemy. You probably won’t. You’ll probably fail because you are weak, and your bloodline is weak. In comes the roguelike elements. Each character is a new generation of your family, and you can boost future generations through unlocks. But sometimes a kid might have quirks, positive or negative, or both. It’s a novel twist on top of a decent roguelike adventure.

If you missed the first game, you can grab a copy free for keepsies from the Epic Games Store this week. Until 4pm on Thursday the 14th, swing by and add it to your Epic account. First-person mystery game The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter is free right now too, but that’s nothing to do with Rogue Legacy.

Adam Smith (RPS in peace) dug the original, saying in our 2013 Rogue Legacy review that “it manages to consistently reward almost every five minute session that I spend with it.” Years later, John Walker (RPS etc.) sung its praises, declaring that it “is still the most approachable roguelite of them all”.

I’ve not heard much chatter about the sequel, though I do like the new art style. I hear it’s way more metroidvania-y? What do you say, dear reader?