If a character is under a lot of stress, they will have a debilitating meltdown during combat, which results in a massive decrease in health and the acquisition of negative traits.

[6] Some time after the temporary defeat of the Heart of Darkness, a scientist known as the Scholar begins experimenting with an Eldritch force called the Iron Crown.

However, the experiments go awry and the Iron Crown's powers go out of control, causing a "realignment" of the planet that sends the majority of the human population into madness and allows Eldritch beings to invade the physical world.

The Scholar recruits a band of surviving heroes and guides them on the dangerous trek to the Mountain, fighting their way through various bandits, cultists, and beasts along the way.

The Scholar has to repeat the journey every time they fail or manage to destroy the Eldritch monster residing in the Mountain.

During these journeys, the Scholar also learns about the troubled pasts and motivations of the heroes under his command and recalls their own memories of the world before it went mad.

The Body of Work is defeated and the Scholar uses the flame of Hope to gain control of the Iron Crown, using it to undo the damage it originally caused.

While the game uses an improved version of the core combat system from its predecessor, the studio stated its intent is to offer a completely different metagame experience, including the transition from 2D to 3D graphics using Unity.

Composer Stuart Chatwood, narrator Wayne June, and sound design team Power Up Audio will continue to support work for the sequel.

Red Hook used early access releases again for the sequel as player feedback was essential to the development of the first game.