A new Dungeon Defenders game has been funded on Kickstarter that aims to “recapture the soul of the original.”
Called Dungeon Defenders: Awakened, developer Chromatic Games says on its Kickstarter campaign that it will be set after the events of Dungeon Defenders 2, but “go back to the roots” of the original Dungeon Defenders gameplay style. This is a likely a response to the lukewarm reception the second game received, some feeling it was too large of a departure from the original.
The campaign ‘Pitch’ section explains that Awakened will take “the core gameplay of the original Dungeon Defenders, its amazing content, its physics-bending charm,” and then mix it into a “brand-new game.” It will also feature improved visuals and mechanics, setting it apart from just being a simple remake or the like.
The Kickstarter campaign has currently raised roughly $338,000, well over its $250,000 goal. Stretch goals are already being met, including language localization and new maps, and a harder difficulty and customizable hub Tavern are still left to unlock with six days left.
According to its Kickstarter rewards, Dungeon Defenders: Awakened plans to have a Closed Beta on PC in October, but will also be coming to Switch eventually. IGN gave the original Dungeon Defenders an 8.5 when it launched in 2011, saying its co-op tower defense format offered “countless hours of entrancingly addictive gameplay.”
Tom Marks is IGN’s Deputy Reviews Editor and resident pie maker, and he once modded Dungeon Defenders to play at an ultrawide resolution across two monitors to more comfortably play splitscreen co-op. You can follow him on Twitter.