Enter The Gungeon 2 Could Be A Make Or Break Moment For The…

While the reveal of Enter the Gungeon 2 might have been a welcome surprise for fans of the bullet hell roguelike, the upcoming sequel could be a make-or-break moment for the indie series given its hit-and-miss history of past games and drastic new look. Taking their name from the same in-game mechanic, indie developer Dodge Roll released their debut game, Enter the Gungeon, in 2016 and received positive reviews from players and critics alike. Yet despite this success, it was only during the latest Nintendo Direct for the Switch 2 that Enter the Gungeon 2 was announced as a direct sequel nearly a decade later.

However, digging deeper into this supposed hiatus reveals a bigger picture behind why Dodge Roll's indie series might be in trouble and how Enter the Gungeon 2 could determine the series' future. Given that its first sequel, Exit the Gungeon, failed to live up to Enter the Gungeon's standards, it could bode well for the series that Enter the Gungeon 2 is returning to the original game's roots. But Dodge Roll may have taken too big a risk with Enter the Gungeon 2's sudden shift from 2D-pixel graphics to 3D gameplay, especially when the sequel already faces pressure to get the indie series back on track.

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By LB Beistad

Enter The Gungeon 2 Walks A Fine Line As A Sequel

Though Enter the Gungeon 2 will be a direct sequel to the original game, it arguably isn't the first or even the only sequel Dodge Roll has made. In addition to 2019's Exit the Gungeon, the studio also released Enter the Gungeon: House of the Gundead in 2022 as an arcade cabinet spin-off. As a result, Enter the Gungeon 2 will join an odd mix of Gungeon games with an equally mixed history. Ultimately, the fact that Enter the Gungeon 2 isn't another spin-off or switch in genres, and instead will be a direct sequel, could be critical to the game's success as well as the series' revival.

Enter The Gungeon 2 Both Returns To Its Roots And Reinvents Itself

But while Enter the Gungeon 2 appears to return to the dungeon-crawling bullet hell gameplay of the original roguelike, the sequel also overhauls Enter the Gungeon's former 2D-pixel style with new 3D designs. Though Enter the Gungeon 2's announcement trailer was only brief, the difference in visuals and gameplay potentially risks the game coming across as less of a sequel and more of a spin-off like Exit the Gungeon. With a projected 2026 release date giving Dodge Roll ample time to showcase its upcoming game, future updates should aim to reassure players that Enter the Gungeon 2 is still a direct sequel at its core.

After Exit The Gungeon, Enter the Gungeon 2's New Look Could Be A Risk

exit the gungeon key art — exit-the-gungeon-title

However, any similarities or differences between Enter the Gungeon and its upcoming sequel won't be the only factors that play a role in Enter the Gungeon 2's success. Besides House of the Gundead, Exit the Gungeon is still the last game to have been released within the indie series, which means that Enter the Gungeon 2 will be compared to this spin-off-like sequel as much as it will the original game. More specifically, Enter the Gungeon 2's return to its dungeon-crawling roots might be undermined by its new visual style, especially when Exit the Gungeon retained the series' original 2D-pixel graphics.

With Exit the Gungeon's mixed reception in mind, the return to Enter the Gungeon's original gameplay might not be enough to win players over if they don't respond well to the sequel's new 3D graphics. While Exit the Gungeon was criticized for its shift in gameplay despite keeping the original visual style, Enter the Gungeon 2 may be held back for the opposite, with its reprised gameplay overshadowed by a change in graphics. Therefore, as the next major game in the Gungeon series after Exit the Gungeon, Enter the Gungeon 2 could either lead to future 3D-style games or risk the series' future overall.