Gloomy and unsettling top-down horror game Darkwood is getting a sequel and, it turns out, a surprise new developer. Original creator Acid Wizard, and publisher Hooded Horse, have brought in Pathologic developer Ice-Pick Lodge to do the work.
Acid Wizard hasn’t disappeared entirely, however. It remains the IP holder and will oversee and consult on the game.
Darkwood 2, as the sequel will be called, will move the action away from a murky and foreboding forest to the parched lands of a dying sea, spreading the playing area across deserts, swampy marshes and deeper waters, where anything might lurk. This dramatic change of biome will bring new sights to see and new creatures to fear, and face. All the more reason to shore up your base and hang on until morning breaks.
Darkwood was a deceptively slight and harmless-looking game. Its top-down presentation didn’t necessarily scream “fear!” at you, but its clever use of line of sight kept unpleasant surprises concealed, and its inky black heart and remorseless nature soon made itself felt. The idea was to survive long enough to work out where you were and what was going on. That meant venturing further and further afield into a strange dream-like world while avoiding the merciless perils of night.
Pathologic is a series with a similarly uncompromising nature, and Ice-Pick Lodge has been around long enough to acquire significant expertise. It’s an interesting pairing, for sure.
Darkwood 2 is in development for PC and, apparently, PC Game Pass.