How Normal People Talk:
Friend: "How was your day?"
Normal Person who doesn't play RimWorld: "Pretty ok."

How RimWorld Players Talk:
Friend: "How was your day?"
Person who plays RimWorld: "Well, my dog got his eyes torn out so he can't see at all, my colonists are coming down with malaria, no one will haul the wood to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ STOCKPILE AREA, I'M RUNNING OUT OF FOOD, MY ONLY DOCTOR IS DEAD, I WAS RAIDED AND HALF OF MY POWER SUPPLY WAS DESTROYED, I'M OUT OF COMPONENTS, I HAVE NO STEEL, NO ONE HAS COME TO TRADE IN 2 YEARS, AND TO TOP IT ALL OFF, I HAVE NO MORE WEAPONS BECAUSE THEY GOT BURNED IN A FIRE AFTER THE FACT THEY WERE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING!"
Friend: "........"
Person who plays RimWorld: "So my day was normal. How was yours?"

Seriously though, this game is actually hard to grasp at first, but you will get used to it. It's SUPER FUN and I'm already addicted to the game.

(Update): This game just released to the full version! It's definitely worth the buy, and has come a long way these past few years.

I just beat the game about 10 minutes ago as I write this, and GOD does this game really show why this franchise is not only great mechanically with gameplay, but with storytelling, character design, and having a good message overall about self-analysis and the human condition.

Without any spoilers, I will review DD2 as I have played it thus far. I have not maxed everything out, but I know for a FACT I will come back and continue to play this game despite having beaten it.

I was very skeptical about DD2 when I first saw the design changes and the inherent changes to gameplay when the game released on the Epic Store. I didn't play it very much because honestly, Epic SUCKS, so I didn't play it until it released on Steam just recently. To address those concerns that I know DD1 players have, as many people have said how they don't like the changes to the gameplay or the art style or whatever, all I have to say is that you get used to it. The art style and animation work is INCREDIBLE. The wind-ups on some of the animations are so COOL that you feel hyped just by seeing the Bounty Hunter whip his hook around his arm, or by Dismas flipping his dagger in his hand before cleanly slicing through an enemy. The art style was jarring for me to get used to, but I got used to it, and I LOVE it.

I love what they did with the rogue-like/rogue-lite gameplay. It feels like a DD1 gameplay revamp and everything still fits the style of Darkest Dungeon. Yes, arguably, you can say that this gameplay loop is more forgiving in certain contexts, but I don't think that is a reason to discredit the game and the developers. You don't have to like DD2, but saying that DD2 is a bad game because of it's differences between itself and the original is just plain stupid. The loop of trying and dying and upgrading and trying and dying and upgrading over and over gives you a sense to keep moving forward, that with each death and failed run, you can try again and get revenge on the Lair Boss or Mountain Boss (or road enemy, I suppose) that ended your run. The only way to get better at the game is to LOSE. In DD1, if you built up a hero and lost that hero, unless you were lucky enough to get the resurrection event in the hamlet, they were GONE. You had to start back at square one. In DD2, your characters are MEANT to die. You cannot beat the first run of the game the first time you play it. You have to upgrade your heroes to give them better stats so next time you do that act, you can beat it. The gameplay rewards TENACITY, just like DD1 did. So even though they did stray from the initial gameplay loop of the first game, it still fits DD's aesthetic and design philosophy of unforgiving and brutal encounters. To sum this section up, I think that you shouldn't listen to what the naysayers have to say about DD1 being the superior game in every way without giving DD2 a chance. The gameplay loop is great, and I enjoy it thoroughly.

The message that the ending cutscene has is great, and I think that even though most people see DD as just a game with creepy cosmic/eldritch horror themes, this game really delves deep into each hero's backstory in the Hero Shrine you can encounter throughout each region (which give the characters new skills), as well as delving into a more comprehensive backstory of the main character, you.

Overall, DD2 is a fantastic game. I love the gameplay loop, I love the characters, I love the music and the art style, I love it all. Red Hook did such a fantastic job on this game, and it shows. Give DD2 a chance, you don't have to like it, but at least TRY it if you're the kind of person that thinks they will hate it because they liked DD1's gameplay better. I was there, too. Jump in like I did.

You won't regret it.