Clicker Heroes 2 lands on Steam Early Access for $30

Clicker Heroes 2, "the sequel that nobody asked for," starts its one- to two-year run on Steam Early Access today. Knowing how much time I poured into the original game, I'm hesitant to get swept up in this stuff again. But dang, look at that worm boss! This might just be the prettiest idle game yet.

Rather than use the free-to-play model of Clicker Heroes, this sequel costs $30. Developer Playsaurus wrote at length about the decision last year, citing ethical and game-design reasons for the switch.

The current beta build of Clicker Heroes 2has:

• One hero with an expansive skill tree with over 600+ nodes to unlock.
• Three world types with unique environments, monsters, and world bosses.
• An automator that allows you to automate complex skill combos and item purchases.

To elaborate on that last point, the automator plays Clicker Heroes 2for you while you're away -- it can "automatically level up your gear, buy new gear, and create complex skill combos." The idea is to put together the most efficient "sequences" so that when you return, you'll see the best possible gains.

In the final game, Playsaurus intends to have at least three heroes "with their own unique play styles, skills, and skill trees," and "at least two more world types with special monsters and world bosses."

I feel like I need to stay far, far away from this game before I fall down a never-ending rabbit hole.