Ark 2: Everything We Know

Ark 2 is the upcoming survival game that is the highly anticipated sequel to Ark: Survival Evolved. This sequel promises better performance, as well as a graphical update that is pretty substantial. This will be fantastic for those players who enjoyed the first game's gameplay, but the performance left a lot to be desired throughout that. At the same time, there is still quite a bit of time before we know anything especially concrete. So, without further ado, here is Ark 2: Everything We Know. 

Story

This time around, instead of playing as a player-created character, Ark 2 with having its very own protagonist. The protagonist's name is Santiago, and he will be portrayed by Vin Diesel, who incidentally is a massive fan of Ark: Survival Evolved. In fact, the famous actor was hired on by Studio Wildcard to be the President of Creative Convergence. The game's story seems to pick up where part of the first game left off.

The alien planet that the player will find themselves on is called Arat. With a fantastic amount of flora and fauna to discover while there is actually surprisingly little known about the story itself. We look forward to seeing just what Studio Wildcard has in store for us. This time around, however, it appears that more world events will take place around the land that players can participate in. This is fantastic for players who want a more interactive experience while playing. So in closing, little is known about the actual story of Ark 2 while it is in development, but we look forward to whatever the developers have in store for us.

Gameplay

The gameplay within Ark 2 seemingly is going to be completely revamped and overhauled from the original combat system. This time around, things appear to be much smoother, allowing for more player fluidity in the combat. There will also be a number of improvements and implementations as well. This seems to be done in order to make the combat feel as visceral and customizable as possible. Combat is an area in which the first game fell behind for some players.

It will be immensely interesting to see how the developers take the feedback from the first game. And apply it to the sequel's combat. If the trailer's fluid motions indicate the combat, then players are in for quite a treat. This will make up for one of Ark‘s most fatal flaws, which is the combat itself. While the world and survival elements are all top-notch, the combat does feel a little janky in the first title. All in all, the gameplay that we have seen so far leads us to believe that these issues will be alleviated in the sequel, which is great to see.

Development

While there isn't a ton of information out there that can be confirmed about the development of Ark 2, we will let you know everything we know. The enemy AI is now looking to be based on the AI's senses. So it isn't a simple AI tracking system anymore, which is great to see. There will also be considerable additions made to the RPG elements of the game. Allowing for more player choice and freedom when it comes to their character builds.

The development for the game is presumably underway, making way for many improvements to be made to the sequel to Ark: Survival Evolved. It would also appear that another area in which the studio wishes to improve upon the first game is within the combat system. Improving the combat hopes to help the moment-to-moment gameplay feel a bit better compared to the first game. So, all in all, the development for Ark 2 appears to be promising, with many upcoming features that hope to help the quality of life in the game as well as gameplay improvements.

Trailer

The trailer for Ark 2 is very telling about the direction in which the game is heading. The gameplay appears smooth, with a combat system that looks to be very much refined. Especially when compared to its original state. This is great because one of the areas in that Ark has lagged behind its competition is with its combat animations. These improvements are sure to go a long way in terms of improving the player experience overall.

The trailer also prominently featured Santiago, played by Vin Diesel. As well as the opposing force of the game, the Aratai. These enemies appear to be rather imposing and can cause a lot of havoc for players when they finally get their hands on the game. In addition, the trailer shows off stunning visuals, which are a noticeable improvement from the first game. However, that isn't the only place that has seen progress, as the trailer also shows more graphical detail. Finally, to close, the trailer teases us with a fantastic look at what is to come for Ark 2.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

While there is no solid release date for Ark 2, most estimates point toward the latter half of 2023. This will make sure that the developers have ample time to turn this experience into precisely what they envision. However, it is essential to note that the game also is a launch exclusive for the Xbox Series X|S. This means that PlayStation owners will have to wait a while to get their hands on the game. Nevertheless, the launch exclusivity is sure to be interesting to see how it pans out for both the studio and Microsoft.

There is also limited information that can be verified surrounding the editions that the game will release with. Unfortunately, this means that, at least for the time being, we are unaware of what editions players can purchase. It would be a safe bet to say that a collector's edition of the game will be released, but it is too early to tell what that will entail. In closing, there is much anticipation surrounding Ark 2, and the fact that so little information came out about the game last year in 2022 probably means that a release date is still quite far off. But the most we can do is see what Studio Wildcard has in store for us.

So, what's your take on Ark 2: Everything We Know? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.