Editor’s Note: This article contains affiliate links to GamersGate. Buying a game through these links supports Niche Gamer.
Today’s Niche Spotlight is Dead Age 2, a zombie apocalypse survival RPG by Silent Dreams and Headup that recently left Early Access.
This sequel to the zombie survival RPG from 2016 features improved combat, upgraded base mechanics, and much more. Dead Age 2 is set 10 years after the collapse of society following the zombie apocalypse, and blends elements of survival, management, roleplaying, and randomized roguelite events with permadeath.
Send out teams of scavengers to brave the zombie-infested wasteland in search of resources and materials. Upgrade your survivors, and outfit them with whatever weapons and skills you can find so they can win turn-based engagements with ravenous zombies or roaming gangs of bandits.
The homestead is just as important, as you assign workers to vital tasks at your base camp. This allows you to upgrade your stronghold, and increase your chances of surviving. Trade and negotiate with three factions to gain access to resources, and favors in a world where you need all the help you can get.
You can find the launch trailer below.
Dead Age 2 is available on Windows PC, Linux, and Mac (all via GamersGate, GOG, and Steam) for $17.99 USD.
You can find the rundown (via GamersGate) below:
Dead Age 2 is a unique combination of survival, management, Rogue-Like events, turn-based combat, classic role-playing game with tons of quests and a story in which your decisions directly affect plot progression!
Features
- More complex story with no knowledge of the previous storyline necessary: If you haven’t played Dead Age you will still be able to follow the diverse story of Dead Age 2 without difficulty.
- Improved combat system (Final Fantasy X meets Darkest Dungeon): with fast-paced yet strategic battles and use of up to 24 skills
- Faction Reputation System: Increase your standing with the three major factions to reap rewards and improve trade
- 3D Base-Management: Assign tasks to survivors, craft items and expand you camp’s capabilities for improved crafting options
- Compact Open World: Free exploration of the world map with 80 detailed locations to search for valuable resources
- Decisions with Consequences: Your decisions directly affect the story in a much more drastic way. Dead Age 2 has six unique possible endings
- Rogue-Like Elements: random 3D events with permadeath! If you die, you may purchase upgrades unlocked in previous runs for your next playthrough. Choose from 3 difficulty levels
10 years after the initial outbreak of the zombie apocalypse, the members of Jack’s camp fled to Freedom City, where a cure for the zombie plague was developed. But the news brings more suffering than relief. New factions have sprung up in the region, in constant battle for dominance. The merciless Military, the shady Smugglers and the Independents made up primarily of civilians.
When an Independents’ refugee camp was overrun by an undead horde, the few survivors struggle for food and valuable resources in an unforgiving world, always looking over their shoulder for gangs of looters and the flesh-eating dead.
While the big advantage of Dead Age’s turn-based combat system versus tactics-based games is faster progression, the mechanics have evolved.
A character can now bring up to 24 skills to the battle. Change up your tactics mid-fight to instantly gain the advantage over zombies and hostile survivors. Place front-row combatants to protect ranged-combat allies from attackers, and deploy turrets, hunting dogs and tigers, as well as an array of new weapons.
Visit the outposts of other factions to trade and take on missions and improve your standing with them. Improving relations with the region’s greater factions unlocks better equipment and plot devices. A negative reputation can lead to confrontation or even a bounty.
Your 3D base is your central hub of operations. Here, you assign crafting or building jobs to survivors, build and upgrade stations to improve defense and quality of life and unlock improved craftable items and higher yield of resources.
The new open game-world offers free exploration of the world map with over 80 detailed graphically depicted locations. Beside nature scenes, Dead Age 2 features new indoor locations like hospitals, bunkers, schools, malls and army supply stores.
Decisions you make while playing can have significant effects on the progression of the story involving the three survivor factions, romanceable characters, and bring you closer to one of the game’s six endings!
Like its predecessor, Dead Age 2 features random events on the map resulting in a variety of consequences, but this time those events are depicted fully in 3D. Survival RPGs are especially dangerous. 3 difficulty levels and permadeath may result at any time in losing an ally for good. If your main character falls victim to the apocalypse you are forced to begin a new playthrough, for which you can purchase upgrades and advantages unlocked in previous runs.
Gain enough standing with the factions and you may purchase things like upgraded faction equipment for newly-created characters, as well as unlock unique endings. This gives Dead Age 2 high replayability!
If you’re a developer and want your game showcased on Niche Spotlight, please contact us!
This is Niche Spotlight. In this column, we regularly introduce new games to our fans, so please leave feedback and let us know if there’s a game you want us to cover!
Image: GamersGate