The 1.2 patch of this game provides support for 3dfx and Rendition Video cards. The gameplay is the same, but the blockiness was smoothed out. The result is a more realistic looking game environment.
A cheat code in Descent II is FREESPACE. This was also the name of the next game from the developer.
A voice sample from the game was used in the song Plasticity (on the same-titled record) by the industrial band Front Line Assembly.
Descent II features music by the New York goth metal band Type O Negative in the form of a very shortened, instrumental version of their song Haunted, as well as two tracks written by industrial legend OhGr (formerly of Skinny Puppy), called Ratzez and Glut.
The original marketing slogan for Descent II was "Your going down... AGAIN!" You could even get a T-Shirt featuring that slogan if you purchased the game from CompUSA.