In recent years we as gamers have seen many troubled launches of games. One such launch was that of Rune II back in 2019. If you haven’t heard the story regarding its launch, well, it’s best simply put, was a dumpster fire. But that story is not the purpose of this article you are reading, so I will not go into much detail here. Instead, The story here is that of my experience playing Rune II Decapitation Edition for the first time in a co-op game with some of the Development Team at newly formed Studio 369. Along with that, I want to shed some light on the developers’ hard work effort at Studio 369. If you want to learn more about the legal battle story, check out the two articles gamesindustry.biz made on the affair. Now without further adieu, let’s begin.
Rune II has come along way from its troubled past and is almost unrecognizable in its current condition, thanks to the hard work of the new developers’ Studio 369. That said, during the time I spent with the awesome folks over at Studio 369, I was taken on a brief one hour tour where I was shown some of the improvements made to the game. I must say overall; it was a truly memorizing experience because the condition Rune II is now in is simply phenomenal. It first started with combat, and combat in Rune II Decapitation Edition feels engaging and has real weight to it.Â
You even can stagger and parry attacks and lop and dismember your opponents like a true Norse warrior. There are also several weapon types to suit many playstyles and go hand in hand with their new and improved skill system. Basically, depending on what god you choose, you will do better damage with a specific weapon. For example, Hel players will do more damage with axes while Thor players will do more damage with hammers.
 Along with this, when you choose a god, you also get access to several unique skills that also suit a specific playstyle. Overall I was impressed with both the skills system and combat and the hard work the developers put into reforging both shows. The game also has a basic skill system that is a completely new feature in Rune II. Because according to the devs, in 2019’s Rune II, you didn’t even have skill attributes!! But now they here and counted for and add to making 2020’s Rune II a new and improved version.Â
Loot is also a big deal in Rune II Decapitation Edition, and If you ever played an ARPG like Grim Dawn or Torchlight, you are going to love Rune II. During my tour, I got a brief glimpse of the game’s loot system, and I honestly was impressed with what I saw. Players can now collect different weapons and armor tiers with all matter of modifications. Stuff like fire swords, Ice arrows, poison axes, and more! There is also a new In-depth crafting system where players can craft items from recipes they can find in-game.Â
Overall, I think the loot system is awesome, and just like the other aspects I mentioned, it also adds a lot to this new Rune II experience. With that said, everything I experienced during my One Hour coop session with some of the devs did not fit the descriptions I heard regarding the 2019 version. There’s so much that was done to improve Rune II. For example, now Rune II has 250 quests, whereas before, there were only 5. Along with this, the game also has 50 more voice actors, and from what I heard and experienced during my tour, the voice acting is nothing short of amazing.Â
 Rune II is reborn, and where once it was a broken dream, it is now a six-foot Viking warrior screaming with the fury of the gods. I have to say I’m excited about this upcoming release of Rune II Decapitation Edition, and you should be too!! So Be sure to check out their steam page here, their website, and show them some support; you won’t regret it!! Let us know what you think about the upcoming release of Rune II Decapitation Edition in the comments below.