Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this game a narrative sequel to Defender's Quest: Valley of the Forgotten? Do I need to play the first game before playing this one?
A: No, Defender's Quest was always imagined as an anthology series, akin to Final Fantasy. Each game takes place in its own world with its own unique story and characters. There are repeating motifs and references here and there, and perhaps some other links you'll discover, but generally speaking you shouldn't need any prior experience with the first game to understand or enjoy the second.
Q: You shared some story material and characters early on. How much of that has changed?
A: Pretty much all of it, except for some high level details. We're really happy with where things have landed.
Q: Did Armor Games Studios request or impose any story, narrative, or design changes?
A: No. We insisted on (and received) complete creative control.
Q: Will the game be available on consoles?
A: If and/or when we make such an announcement we'll update this FAQ accordingly.
Q: Will the game be translated into my language?
A: We're working to get the game localized into other languages and will update this page when we have more information.
Q: How intense will the content in the game be?
A: The game does deal with some heavy topics, much like the first one did, but doesn't feature gratuitous sex and/or violence. All the enemies are non-human and there’s no blood or gore in the combat (although there is a cartoony status effect called “bleed” which is a single red drop). Of the more serious themes, the most notable involves a particular character's struggles with addiction to a fictional substance that doesn't exist in our world.
Q: Will you still be honoring all of your original pre-order backer rewards?
A: Yes. We gave our alpha and beta backers early access to in development builds starting a few years back, and we've been in touch with all of our high-level backers for custom monsters, maps, and items. We will also fulfill all our other pre-order promises, such as the digital art & story book and the original soundtrack. That said, these might not all be available at launch, but we will fulfill them all eventually. We have kept all of our original preorder records from Humble, so we haven't lost touch with anyone.
Q: Wasn't Nobuo Uematsu supposed to be doing the music for this game? Is that still happening?
A: So here's what happened: we have the music from Nobuo Uematsu. It's finished. It's sitting right over here on my file system. Unfortunately, for some complicated and boring reasons we no longer are in possession of a valid license that will legally allow us to ship the game containing these music tracks. Kevin Penkin, the composer for Defender’s Quest: Valley of the Forgotten, has done the entire soundtrack for Defender’s Quest 2: Mists of Ruin and I’m thrilled to have been able to work with him again for this game. Kevin and I are as bummed as anyone else to be unable to ship the Uematsu tracks, and Level Up Labs will happily refund anyone who pre-ordered on this basis. The good news is that Kevin is a celebrated musician in his own right and we are very proud of the soundtrack he's put together for us.
Q: What happened to James Cavin, the game's original writer?
A: James got an offer he couldn't refuse—namely, as Lead Narrative Designer for Imangi studios. This was a huge move up for his career, and we are all very happy for him. We’re incredibly fortunate to have award-winning writer Xalavier Nelson Jr. on board to write the story for Mists of Ruin, and he’s crafted a narrative in the style and tone of Valley of the Forgotten. Xalavier has worked on a myriad of games, including Stranger Things VR, Hypnospace Outlaw, Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator and El Paso Elsewhere. The bottom line is that if you enjoyed the original game's story, we have every confidence that you will also enjoy Mists of Ruin.
Q: What if I can't remember what I pre-ordered?
A: Email leveluplabs@gmail.com and provide whatever details you remember (name, email address, etc), and we will check our records for you.
Q: I'm unsatisfied with my pre-order for [any reason].
A: Email leveluplabs@gmail.com, and we will cheerfully refund your money, no questions asked. Offer expires when the game is released :)
Q: Why did this game take 10 years to make?
A: Life happened, basically. When I first started, I had no children. Now I have three. Also, the original DQ1 was a simple flash game whose original launch lacked most of its eventual features -- I continued to support DQ1 for a good six years after its initial release, and the currently available version of DQ1 represents all those extra years of effort. I also made some mistakes along the way and learned some things the hard way, which I shall detail at a later date. The good news is the game is finally coming out, in no small part thanks to Armor Games Studios.