Human Head Studios, the studio behind the original Prey, is back with their latest title Rune II. The title started off in development back in 2017 as Rune: Ragnarok, a sequel to the original Rune that put Human Head Studios on the map.
The title was meant to launch on Steam Early Access, but that was abandoned in favor of Human Head Studios finding actual funding for the title. After a while, the developer announced that they’ve found it with ESDF Management, and now Rune II is back on track to launch sometime this summer on PC via the Epic Games Store.
Along with the announcement came a new trailer, detailing the titled Age of Darkness, a time set during Ragnarok itself. Check it out below.
Looking at the trailer, it seems that the developers mean for Rune II to be a reimagining of Rune, rather than a direct sequel. Players create their own Viking warriors and choose a Norse god to follow, yet all of their goals align in defeating Loki, who seeks to bring about the Ragnarok. There will be a multiplayer component as well, only this time you get to play with your friends in a cooperative hack ‘n slash experience. There will also be crafting involved, as you seek to rebuild your village and grow your forces to battle the various demons, creatures and giants that Loki has in store for you.
The original Rune was released back in 2000, and was based on the Ragnarok, an event in Norse mythology that signifies the deaths of a number of Norse deities following a battle between Odin and Loki. The game was a hit, and it received an expansion pack called Rune: Halls of Valhalla, plus continued support for its fun multiplayer mode. It will be interesting to see how Human Head Studios follows up with Rune II, especially with a development period as long as they’ve experienced.
Rune II is set to release sometime this summer, exclusively for PC on the Epic Games Store. There are few PC exclusives worth playing, at least for me, so I’m hoping that this one will live up to its potential.
