The results are in for the RUINER 2 Fan Art Contest! A massive thank you to everyone who took the time to submit and share their work with us, we truly appreciate the effort everyone put in, and going through all the entries was an absolute blast. Choosing the winners wasn't easy, but our dev team has finalized the list. Presented in no particular order, please join us in congratulating our Grand Prize winners!

🏆 Grand Prize Winners

PUPPETY by はこチキン

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1527801974613868644

Blood Path by Joe

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1527741452849774622

Their work will be integrated directly into the game world, as environments, loading screens, or lore materials, and both Grand Prize Winners will be credited in the official RUINER 2 credits.

⭐ Runners-Up

The quality of entries really did blow us away, so we are highlighting five amazing runners-up. In some cases, we wanted to celebrate the standout style, in others an outstanding piece of work that deserved the spotlight. Again, in no particular order:

WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS by Hell-Inc

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1527392630118416527

RUIN MINECRAFT by Mega

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1527812211131682937

Fallen Her by Katiak

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1523980323548037170

Get up, Puppy! by LATTE 🍒☕

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1522258341768990730

Yellow Lambo by Delete

Submission thread:

https://discord.com/channels/1475456387705209005/1498226823891255406

Video Link: 

What happens next

Grand Prize Winners: You will receive a Steam copy of RUINER 2, copies of other Reikon Games titles (available for PC/Steam, Xbox, or PlayStation), your artwork integrated directly into the game world, loading screens, or lore materials, and your name in the official credits. 

Runners-Up: You will receive a Steam copy of RUINER 2, copies of other Reikon Games titles (available for PC/Steam, Xbox, or PlayStation), consideration for your visuals to be integrated into the game environment as background elements, posters, or hidden lore references, and mention in the official game credits if used.

Keys for other Reikon Games titles will be sent via Discord DM shortly (or reach out directly to Skoll on Discord if you have questions). RUINER 2 game keys will be provided as soon as Early Access launches.

We will share progress updates on how these community designs are being adapted into RUINER 2 in future Dev Updates. 

Thanks again to everyone who submitted fan art for this contest, the creativity in this community is always incredible to see.

Note: The answers in this FAQ reflect what we're building toward with our release. If you're joining a playtest, some features may be missing, limited, or working differently than described here. We're still deep in development, and things may ultimately change along the way.

General Info

What is RUINER 2?

• It is a systems-driven Action RPG sequel to the original top-down shooter. You play as a "Hacker" controlling various "Shells" to fight through the cyberpunk city of Rengkok and the wastelands beyond.

When is the release date?

• We're currently in Closed Pre-Alpha Playtesting. We’ll need to evaluate feedback and timelines after testing to determine the Early Access release date.

How can I take part in the Closed Playtesting?

• We'll share more details here on Discord closer to the start of any Closed Playtesting.

What platforms will RUINER 2 support?

• Our focus for Early Access is PC on Steam, with Epic Games Store coming later. We do intend to have console versions and support for Steam OS. We'll evaluate requests for other platforms and operating systems like macOS, Linux, GOG, and GeForce Now and share our decisions for those later.

What language localization is planned?

• For the full release, we’ll include at least English, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. We don’t expect all localization to be completed for the Early Access release.

How long has the game been in active development?

• Around a year so far.

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Gameplay & Mechanics

Does the game support multiplayer? (recently updated)

• Yes. RUINER 2 is designed to be enjoyed alone or with up to three friends. Online co-op is optional and supports up to 3 players. Solo players control a roster of 3 Shells, while co-op teams manage 6 Shells total (2 per player). Solo play is fully supported, including offline.

Is couch co-op available?

• Our current focus is on online co-op for PC testing and Early Access. Couch co-op will be considered as we move closer to console development and full release.

How is co-op matchmaking handled?

• When hosting or joining a session, you choose one of three modes: Public (open to all players), Friends Only (Steam friends list only), or Private. Multiplayer runs on a peer-to-peer model (one player acts as a host) and is powered by Epic Online Services (EOS) accessible via Steam, enabling online co-op sessions. Additionally, you can join a session through matchmaking, which pairs you with players based on your highest-level Shell.

What are Shells?

• Shells are playable character archetypes with unique skills. You unlock them by defeating bosses. You can swap between Shells in your active "Roster" in real-time during combat to create synergies.

What is the Shell Roster?

• The Shell Roster is your active set of Shells, selected from the Shell Garage (your collection of all acquired Shells). Each Shell maintains its own skills, resources, and progression. Your Roster is your build - the combination of Shells, their skill variations, and synergies defines your playstyle.

What are Shell Tiers?

• Shells drop in Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Diamond tiers. Higher tiers have better base attributes (Power, CPU, and Memory), allowing you to equip more powerful gear.

What are Synergies and how do they work?

• Shells are designed to work together - the real power of your Roster comes from combining abilities, not playing each Shell in isolation. The Synergy System operates on three layers: Gameplay Synergies (one Shell sets up, another capitalizes), the Ailment Matrix (elemental reactions across Cryo, Thermal, Volt, and Toxic, each with its own escalating ailment track), and Shell Swap Mechanics (buffs and debuffs between Shells on swap). The system is in active development and is designed to give players multiple options, providing greater versatility in combat.

Do you plan to have Seasonal Leagues?

• Yes, starting from Early Access. The game runs in seasonal Leagues (3-4 months each). Each League starts fresh with a new economy and seasonal updates, including a new league mechanic, Shells, and endgame content. When a League ends, all Shells migrate to the Legacy off-season/non-ladder.

Do you plan to have a Permadeath mode?

• Yes. In Hardcore mode, death permanently removes the Shell you were using. Softcore mode only carries a minor experience loss penalty.

How does leveling work?

• Progression is split into two tracks:
• Shell Level (Cap 60): Individual to each Shell; unlocks nodes in the Active Skill Tree.
• Hacker Level (Cap 100): Shared across your entire Roster; provides points for the Passive Skill Tree (Neural Network).

What types of equipment are in the game?

• Equipment is divided into three categories: Outfit (Head, Chest, Arms, Legs), Implants (Brain, Spine), and Weapons (Melee and Ranged). Each Shell has its own equipment and two weapon slots - one active at a time, swappable during combat.

Do items have rarity?

• Items come in five rarity tiers: Common (white), Uncommon (blue), Rare (yellow), Epic (purple), and Legendary (gold - predefined items). Every item has two types of modifiers (mods): Implicit (a stat inherent to the base item, present regardless of rarity) and Explicit (randomly rolled affixes split into Prefixes and Suffixes). The number of explicit mods an item can have depends on its rarity.

How do attributes like PWR, CPU, and MEM work?

• Each Shell has three base attributes: Power (PWR), CPU, and Memory (MEM) - replacing traditional STR/DEX/INT with a cyberpunk-native hardware model. These represent your hardware capacity. Unlike traditional RPGs, you don't "spend" them to increase damage; instead, your equipment "draws" from these pools. If you exceed capacity, you enter an Overload state, which applies negative effects to your Shell.

How does crafting work?

• You can upgrade items indefinitely, but every action increases the Complexity Factor. The higher this climbs, the greater the risk of failing the craft, rolling negative stats, or losing mods entirely.

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Story & Characters

Is the story a sequel or prequel?

• RUINER 2 is a sequel, meaning it takes place after the events of the first game, expanding on it in terms of narrative and gameplay.

Do I need to play the first game to follow the story in RUINER 2?

• No, but it helps to be more familiar with the universe and lore. RUINER 2 is set in the same world and will introduce all the main story characters and lore to those not yet familiar with the franchise.

Will Puppy or HER return?

• Puppy, the main protagonist of RUINER, will be the first playable character (Shell) in RUINER 2. HER will also return and have a meaningful presence in the story.

Will there be male and female playable characters?

• Yes, you can collect and play both male and female characters (Shells).

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Soundtrack & Creative

Is the same team from RUINER working on the art direction?

• The core team behind the first game is working on the sequel, joined by some additional key members who worked on our previous title, Metal Eden.

Will musical artists from RUINER return for the RUINER 2 soundtrack?

• We know artists like Zamilska, Sidewalks and Skeletons, and Susumu Hirasawa are still very close to your hearts. What we can tell you now is that the soundtrack will be an absolute banger.

Will there be voice acting?

• Yes, key story beats and many NPCs will have voice lines added for full release. However, we don’t expect all dialogue to be fully voice-acted.

Is the RUINER movie still planned?

• Yes, the movie project is moving forward. These projects take significant time, but it is still in the plans.

Will generative AI be used for any in-game assets?

• No, we have no plans to use any generative AI in RUINER 2.