Things Enter The Gungeon 2 Should Expand On

As one of the many surprises included in the Nintendo Switch 2, Direct Dodge Roll revealed gameplay for its sequel to Enter the Gungeon, the dungeon-crawling, bullet-dodging indie game that tested players’ resilience and skill level as they died and re-tried over and over again. With its procedurally generated levels, each packed with treasure chests, hidden passageways, and pixelated enemies to defeat, Enter the Gungeon became a perfect option for shorter bursts of arcade-style gaming, making a name for itself as one of the best action roguelikes in recent memory.

With the sequel set to release in 2026, a decade after the original, fans of the franchise are already looking forward to their return to the gungeon’s depths and the challenges that await. Despite the extremely short Enter the Gungeon 2 gameplay trailer Dodge Roll released, there are still plenty of features to mention that the sequel will hopefully return with and build upon.

New Weapons

The Zainier, The Better

One of the defining features of Enter the Gungeon’s success was the insane catalog of well-designed guns for players to collect and utilize, making every single run wildly distinct. Whilst more standard weaponry like pistols, shotguns, and crossbows still pack a punch, Gungeon’s more overpowered guns come in unusual forms, such as the Crown of Guns, which fires bullets from atop the player’s head.

Other humorous inclusions, like the Mailbox, Balloon Gun, and the Lower Case r, not only worked to switch up the gameplay, but provided some great laugh-out-loud moments between the game’s more unforgiving combat encounters. New weapon types that are both powerful and amusingly designed are essential for Enter the Gungeon 2.

New Items

Helping You Out In A Bind

Much like the wacky collection of weaponry, Gungeon’s collectible items were a great way of aiding the player throughout runs, offering unique gameplay mechanics to help them move from room to room. Offering anything, from the ability to give bullets freezing or poison effects, to throwing jars of bees at enemies, active items caused Enter the Gungeon players to try new approaches to the repeated bosses and make difficult decisions as to what deserves their active item slot.

The game’s great sense of humor was also seen here through passive items like the Broccoli, Sunglasses, and Junk, each of which seem utterly pointless but can shake up gameplay in surprising new ways that the second game should definitely echo.

New Gungeoneers

Bring Along Some New Faces

At the beginning of every run in the original game, players were given the choice between multiple playable characters, the aptly-named “gungeoneers”, giving players even more options through their four wildly different starting builds. For instance, the Marine’s extra ammo and additional armor pack are great for new players due to his durability, whereas the Hunter’s doggy companion will often dig up important items, adding an extra level of treasure hunting to the adventure.

As confirmed in the short gameplay trailer, the Pilot will be returning to the Gungeon, so many fans can speculate which other characters will join him, and if there will be any fresh new character builds to play around with upon release.

New Enemies and Bosses

Fill The Room With Bullets

Another essential feature Enter the Gungeon 2 needs to build upon is the enemies players will be facing, adding new ammunition-inspired bad guys with challenging and unique attack patterns. Of course, the first game had this in spades, with rooms filled with hoards of Bullet Kin and Gunjurers, and amazing bosses such as the Mine Flayer and Bullet King who provided intense bullet-hell encounters at the end of each chamber.

Almost every moment of combat (if evaded) would make players feel like a true action hero, meaning that the sequel has some high expectations to beat concerning its enemy design. However, if the gameplay trailer is anything to go by, showing a large amalgamated Bullet Kin as one of the main bosses, the developers have already got this covered.

New Merchants and NPCs

Ways To Interact And Upgrade

Extending from the original game’s humor was its use of unlockable NPCs, whom players could find in the different dungeon chambers and bring back to the breach. Characters like Ox and Cadence made new weapons available to buy and utilize in future runs, and Tinker’s quest objectives to help fix the elevator meant players could start their runs in any chamber they desired.

With other merchants like Cursula and Professor Goopton found around the various levels, these NPC appearances were a delightful sight for many players, so their inclusion (and the prospect of new companions and friendly faces) will be greatly anticipated.

A New Artstyle That Retains The Charm Of Its Predecessor

Into The Third Dimension

One of the most exciting and unexpected new features seen in the sequel’s reveal was its shiny new artstyle, swapping out the 2D pixel art sprites of the original for a fully 3D render. From the brief footage that has been seen, there seems to be much more detail in the environments through this change, allowing digital textures like bullet casing, rune circles, and dramatic action lines to pop among the action.

Colors are vibrant, with shining lights reflected off the Bullet Kin, but the game manages to maintain the same charmingly simplistic art style, even in a 3D space. With the further addition of damage-numbers and what looks like a fixed camera perspective, many players are excited about what other visual differences the game has on offer.

More Hidden Areas and Secrets

For many Enter the Gungeon players, one of the greatest strengths that needs to return is tied to exploration and optional areas, making sure this iteration of the Gungeon is filled with things to do. In the first game, not only could the player break down walls to find secret chests and smaller rooms, but they could discover entirely new secret chambers to explore.

Areas like the Oubilette and the R&G Department couldn’t be more different from each other, taking the form of a sewer-like labyrinth and an office building respectively, making for unique experiences when you come across them for the first time. As such, the sequel needs to expand further on the Gungeon’s contents, letting players shoot and dodge in environments they thought they never would.

More Things to Destroy

Let Us Break Stuff!

Aside from the combat and exploration, partially destructible environments were one of the main joys people found in the original game, with decorated rooms poised to be completely wrecked. The inclusion of explosive barrels of fire and poison added another layer to enemy encounters, and with paintings to shoot off the walls and chandeliers to smash, collateral damage was part of the fun.

It seems integral, then, for Gungeon 2 to provide more scattered objects to make a mess, perhaps providing different uses for combat. One step further would be incorporating the use of fully destructive environments, adding another level of pure chaos to the exploration through shortcut-making, wall-destroying and chaotic problem-solving.

More Reasons to Keep Returning

Keep Entertaining After The Credits

Even after completing the original Gungeon, players still find themselves returning to explore its chambers through its additional objectives and utterly addictive gameplay loop. With hidden endings, additional gungeoneers, and unlockable modes like the boss rush or cursed runs, players had plenty of reasons to keep diving right back into the Gungeon, so the sequel must provide the same endless fun.

This could be done through new difficulty modes, pushing players to hone their skills, or even bigger rewards for a certain number of completed runs. However, if Enter the Gungeon 2’s content is anywhere as endlessly engaging and polished as its predecessor, players should have lots to be excited about.