Nine years after the release of its predecessor, Ruiner 2 returns as a true action RPG.
In 2017, a small but extremely stylish and brutal cyberpunk firework called Ruiner appeared on Steam. With its dark look, tough difficulty level, and iconic helmet with flashing red LED lettering, the top-down shooter burned itself into many memories.
Almost a decade later, there is now fantastic news: developer Reikon Games has officially announced Ruiner 2 (the game on Steam).
But instead of just delivering more of the same, the studio is taking a bold step and adding a healthy dose of role-playing depth to the action.
Welcome back to corporate hell
The sequel throws you right back into the cyber dystopia of Rengkok, ruled by ruthless megacorporations – and this time, you even get to venture beyond it into the surrounding wasteland.
The premise is as cynical as ever: everything in this world is incredibly terrible, but you can’t even escape into a merciful death because that would be a strict violation of the terms of your contract.
Your only way out: you have to resort to Plan B and simply kill everything else that stands in your way. You can watch the first trailer for the sequel, which already packs a punch, here:
From arcade shooter to action RPG
At first glance, the new installment looks very similar to its predecessor in terms of gameplay and visuals:
Reikon Games promises that the action-packed basics will remain untouched and the enemies will continue to be relentless.
But there have been some major changes under the hood. According to the developers, Ruiner 2 is evolving from a cult top-down shooter to a true action RPG.
The most exciting new feature for you is likely to be the so-called shell system: instead of committing to a single class for a hundred hours at the beginning of the game, you build an agile team of up to three combat units, the aforementioned shells.
You can switch seamlessly between them at any time in the heat of battle. Each of these shells plays noticeably differently, comes with very special abilities, and fulfills a completely different role in combat.
You don’t just unlock these bodies in some boring menu, but acquire them by defeating tough bosses.
If you like to delve into builds and experiment, you’ll get your money’s worth here. Each shell in your repertoire has a deep, specialized progression path. There are four core abilities, whose branches don’t just increase damage, but completely change the behavior of the skills.
The deeper you dive into these mechanics, the further your build will stray from the usual standard stuff.
When will Ruiner 2 be released?
Unfortunately, it’s still completely unclear when exactly you’ll be able to put on that cool helmet again, as Reikon Games has not yet revealed a specific release date. However, you can already add the game to your wish list on Steam so you don’t miss any updates.
What do you think of the massive genre change? Are you looking forward to the RPG mechanics in Ruiner 2, or would you have preferred a straightforward shooter sequel? Let us know in the comments!