Ark 2 is still in development, but there are rumors that the sequel will be nothing like the original game. If the first game was a first-person survival sandbox, the sequel will have a third-person perspective and a combat system reminiscent of Dark Souls. PC Gamer Portal speak everything that is known about the game at the moment.
Ark 2 release date
Ark 2 doesn't have a specific release date yet, but according to the developers, the game will be in early access “for the next two years.” That means the earliest release date is 2027.
According to Studio Wildcard executives, before the release of Ark: Survival Ascends (a remaster of the original game), they had a pretty cool vertical slice of Ark 2 on hand, but they felt that the team would have difficulty maintaining the same performance throughout the product development process. So the studio made Survival Ascends a priority, and most staff moved from working on Ark 2 to supporting the remaster.
A small percentage of Wildcard staff are currently working on Ark 2. Currently, the studio is trying to figure out the best time to shift resources back to the sequel.
Story and game mechanics
Who is Vin Diesel's character Santiago?
The game's launch trailer features Santiago, a character played by actor Vin Diesel. According to his biography details from the Ark animated series, Santiago is a mecha pilot from the 24th century, a mechanic, and a freedom fighter. He also has his own small tribe.
Santiago becomes entangled in a long saga of wars caused by the struggle for valuable scientific materials and weapons technology. This led to the total destruction of Earth, where there were ships in orbit – giant space stations inhabited by dinosaurs, dragons and sandworms. It is at these stations that the events of the original Ark and its additions take place.
Will there be a story-based company in the game?
Due to Vin Diesel's presence, you might think that Ark 2 would have a story campaign following his adventures… But no, the sequel is designed as a multiplayer online sandbox. At least that's all the developers can say for now.
What's new in mechanics?
According to the game's description on the Steam page, Ark 2 will be played entirely from a third-person perspective. It will also have “advanced movement mechanics” such as the ability to climb rocks, parkour, tackle and jump rope.
In addition, the combat system will borrow ideas from soullike games: in Ark 2 you will need to block attacks, dodge, perform combos and special attacks. The full transition to a third-person perspective is a far cry from the concept of the original Ark, where the developers let you switch between first-person view and the shoulder-mounted camera.
Apparently, crafting will also be completely reworked. Weapons and tools will be made up of “individual modules” that can be combined to give devices specific functions and appearances.
