With an elevated emphasis on storytelling, CastleStorm II returns us to a classic fantasy land of medieval madness, rife with heroic knights, enchanting sorceresses, glorious griffins and more. But a new threat rises – literally…as in, from the grave. Killer zombies. Headless horsemen. All-around nasty necromancy. You get the picture.

An Undead threat rises intent on vanquishing humanity, and only you can stop them. Or control these hellish monstrosities against the living if that’s more your thing. We won’t judge

Each of six distinct campaign modes are represented by delightfully memorable heroic characters, as players strive to conquer an overworld map through a mix of turn-based strategy and skill in an upgraded take on traditional CastleStorm combat. They’ll build castles and fortresses – and eventually an entire empire – through gameplay structured to engage hardcore strategy fans while also proving accessible to a wide player base. And as the castles get bigger, they fall much, much harder – the destruction powered by the Unreal 4 engine enhances the visceral action.

Players who want to test sheep-flinging catapults are in luck as Zen Studios have also released a free CastleStorm II demo today on the Epic Games Store, which will be available until June 30th.

Key Features:

• Bigger Genre-Blending: CastleStorm made a name for itself with a tantalizing mix of ballista-based destruction, tower defense, and in-your-face beat-em-up combat. It all returns, and is better in every way.
  • Destroy Even More! Projecting ballistic weapons to destroy an opposing force’s castle defined much of the core gameplay of the first CastleStorm. This mechanic returns with a visceral fierceness and sense of crushing weight that surpasses the original.
  • Control Every Soldier: Once again, players can hack and slash their way through a battle using hero units – like the noble knight Sir Gavin, the wise sorceress Lady Meredith, and the not-quite-evil vampire Luna – for a direct impact on a battle’s progress. But for those times when a personal touch can mean the difference between victory and defeat, players can now control individual soldiers as well.
• New Metagame of Strategic Conquest: Inspired by the ‘4X’ subgenre most popular in 1990s PC gaming – yet designed for accessibility for the modern gamer – CastleStorm II encourages players to explore the map, expand their territory, exploit the resources they control, and exterminate their rivals (or at least to rough ‘em up pretty good).
  • Liberate the Kingdom – or Destroy It: The Undead threat is quickly overtaking land once held by the Kingdom. Meanwhile, each unique faction has its own idea of what’s best for the land. Only through total domination of the map by one faction can the Kingdom once more restore peace (or rest in peace, should the Undead prevail…).
  • Procedurally Generated Maps: No two campaigns are ever the same, as a map’s terrain and layout changes with each new game. Fields, forests, mountains and more await.
  • Find Secrets and Side Quests: Each map is replete with unique side encounters where your decisions may result in comradery, coin or carnage – or maybe a little of each!
• Six Unique Campaigns and Stories: Six memorable hero characters – three from the Kingdom, three sided with the Undead – represent their own unique factions, and each hero has his or her own motivations. Though all rooted in same initial story setup, the events to follow differ dramatically, with each narrative revealing unexpected twists about the world and its characters. Each story is designed to stand alone, yet be more appreciated as revelations occur in other campaigns.
• Multiplayer modes include quick PvP castle-destruction matches, plus cooperative and competitive campaigns spanning the entire map
• Trademark CastleStorm charm and humor in a cartoonish medieval setting
• Powered by Unreal Engine 4
• Planned expansions will carry the game forward for years to come

CastleStorm II is coming to PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Epic Games Store) on July 31, 2020.