One of 2018's greatest roguelikes is finally getting a sequel, and its expanded 4-player online co-op looks fantastic

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Wizard of Legend 2, a follow-up to one of my favorite roguelikes of 2018 which is in the works at a new dev collaborating with the original creators, was one of the high points of today's Triple-I indie showcase. We got a fresh look at the sequel's updated 3D art style and co-op, and so far it looks like a solid homage to what made the first game great.

The folks at new dev Dead Mage, who've coordinated with original dev Contingent 99 for the sequel under publisher Humble Games (who also co-publishes the first game), previously promised that Wizard of Legend 2 would be "authentic to everything fans loved about the first game." Its new combat trailer, at least, seems to stick to that promise. 

Wizard of Legend is a magic-fueled action roguelike about smashing spells together to blow up screens of enemies and bosses. It was deceptively cute and simple, but it had some real depth and bite to it, with challenging fights that held up well in two-player co-op. Wizard of Legend 2 has held onto the elemental themes with various schools of Arcana, which our cloaked champions use to once again blanket entire screens with fire, lightning, windstorms, boulders, and plenty more. 

This trailer is a good look at the new 3D art style, which has a nice, inky cel-shaded look to it that still pops visually, even if it is dramatically different from the original game's lovely pixel art. I was initially worried by the change in developer, and I'll probably always prefer the original aesthetic, but the sequel looks a lot better now than it did pre-alpha. Go figure.

Today's reveal also showed off some extended co-op play, which has been expanded to four players with self-described "easy to get into" matchmaking. "Using others as shields is a time-honored tradition," says the trailer's narrator, accurately summarizing my co-op experience in the first game. (I was the shield.) 

Wizard of Legend 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but it does at least have a Steam page. If you've not played the original game, I can't recommend it enough, especially if you've enjoyed more recent co-op roguelikes like Ember Knights. Here's hoping this sequel plays just as well. 

Elsewhere, the new roguelike from the Dead Cells devs looks like an incredible co-op Hades where the dodge is intentionally overpowered.