Off the Shelf Media

I forget exactly how I stumbled across this game. But once I had, it became an instant classic for myself and my friends. It came on the market like a tidal wave. The first iteration, Risk of Rain, had great success but because of its 2D-based gameplay, it did not receive the massive market attention that the sequel acquired, at least to my speculation. While having different dimensions, the games operate similarly to one another, essentially making the first edition a perfect springboard for the second game, or at least one would have imagined that was the goal. A little backstory before the review; Hopoo Games sold Risk of Rain 2 to their publisher, Gearbox, in 2022. With that being said, let’s dive in. 

Gameplay: 2

Risk of Rain 2 is next to impossible to ignore when talking about roguelite titles. This article is not about defining the difference between roguelike and roguelite. The only important definition you need to understand is that the game has permadeath, real-time combat, random loot drop, and some procedural generation in map layout. There are many games with similar features but the scale of enemies, diversity in character, fluid control, easy-to-launch multiplayer, and near-perfect abilities make every run feel unique.

In my opinion, the characters and multiplayer game mode take the forefront here. While you can certainly find other games with similar features, Risk of Rain 2 combines them in such a way it stands out with obvious attention to detail, at least until you get to some DLC, but we will get to that later. Almost every character is an easy-to-play but difficult-to-master scenario, aside from maybe “Commando” who feels like the most middle ground of all the playable characters and is easy to pick up from the beginning. 

While many games have an ‘endless loop’ design, it has often become a phrase synonymous with boring. Games like that can be fun the first few times but when the gameplay does not go as far, it leaves an almost lazy feeling remaining in the mind. That is absolutely not the case here. The amount of diversity in strategy alone is enough to keep you playing, but their use of ‘relics’ launches it into unlimited amounts of enjoyment during your playtime. These relics can change core game mechanics like giving the player the option to choose which item they receive or doubling the amount of enemies spawned in but halving their health. Any combination can be activated at the click of a button in the starting menu. The same goes for any installed DLC. It might seem like an insignificant feature that should be standard but the ease of use here shows how the developers understood the player would want access. 

Story: 2

I think most people who play this game will probably find some disagreement with my perfect ranking here but allow me to explain. During gameplay, there is little to no dialogue. Ever. Maybe a sentence or two from the obelisk or if you want to consider the different line of dialogue each character receives after ‘winning’ but aside from that there is not really going to be any speech. Where the backstory does come from is the logbook in the menus. 

Yes, you have to be in the menus to get any information on everything you encounter. At its core, it may seem like a bad story but it’s perfect for this game. It is high stakes and fast-paced. So much so that you may find yourself forgetting to blink while you play. It does not have room for story during gameplay and you really would not want any. If you stand still for more than 30 seconds, you can almost guarantee your character’s demise. The few seconds of peace between new enemies spawning rapidly draw shorter and shorter as you progress. 

This type of storytelling is perfect for the game. If you want some background information on the strange aliens you fight or even the maps you play on, you can seek it out, but you are never forced to stop playing to receive any of it. It is a strange and curious world(s?) you play on so I can understand the intrigue but I am willing to bet most players have never actually read the entries beyond clicking them to remove the notification, which is a pretty minor notification too. 

Atmosphere: 2

The levels are fantastic. Each one feels incredibly unique, some more removed from the group than others, but remain familiar enough to navigate even on your first playthrough. For the most part, they remain static but certain passageways and areas will be blocked off at random. The loot boxes and interactive statues are entirely random, meaning you are generally forced to wander the maps looking for all the drops. Even here there is an equipment item the player can acquire that will ping all interactable items on level when activated. The map size is small enough to not spend a boring amount of time looking but large enough to offer some great combat and evasion tactics. The levels hone the gameplay perfectly while switching enough about them to make nothing predictable until you are there. 

The music alone is incredible. However, it’s also a perfect game if you prefer to shut the music off and play your own soundtrack because you know you will not be bothered by any dialogue and might just want to change it up. The graphics are nothing to write home about, probably to maintain framerate with so many possible interacables. If the game has never lagged or had a serious drop in frames then, well, you just ain’t playing Risk of Rain! What really sends this game visually into the stratosphere for me is the change to your character as they acquire more skills. As you collect powerups, they are slapped onto your character to any free space available. Each character has a different section on their body for each acquired ability. The hilarity comes late-game when you have acquired such a large variety of abilities it’s almost impossible to see the original character model encased in powerups. 

The atmosphere is a major part of the gameplay as well. There are so many hidden items and things to find scattered across each map, which I do not wish to spoil. That being said, it is almost always worth it to explore these maps multiple times when you first start playing. The enemy scaling clock creates a sense of urgency most of the time. Once you find yourself powerful enough to explore, it is certainly worth it. 

Value: 2

It’s a steal. Even the base game is incredible at $24.99, easily worth every penny. I cannot stress enough how excellent that price is, probably the most reasonably valued game I have seen in the last decade, not during a sale. It is also on sale frequently, on Steam at least. The game is also available on every console with a recent update for PS5 compatibility. Unfortunately, I do not think any version is cross-platform, yet. This tends to be the case with a lot of games. I think stemming from the fact that PC games usually receive updates before consoles and often more frequently for PC-exclusive games. I cannot confirm if the DLC is cross-player for the consoles but it is for the PC version; meaning only one person in the lobby needs to have the DLC in order to for all of its features to be active across the lobby. 

The Survivors of the Void DLC is also reasonably priced at $14.99, which adds 2 new ‘survivors’ or playable characters, 41 items, 11 new enemies, 2 status effects for enemies, at least 3 stages, new statues/interactables, game mode, and alternate endings. That is a lot for the price and easily worth it as well because the additions blended well with the previous items but also it can dramatically shift how you use a lot of the previous items. It is everything a DLC should be: a lot more content, adds value to older content, and blends perfectly with the original release. 

Some of you may have noticed I have not mentioned the Seekers of the Storm DLC. It certainly accomplished the first requirement by adding a lot of new items, characters, and content in general, even more than the Survivors of the Void. The issue can easily be identified as the difference between Hopoo and Gearbox. This DLC was developed entirely by Gearbox after their acquisition of the game because the team preferred working on 2D games. Under Hopoo’s hands, the game felt and performed like it was made by gamers for gamers, even down to the user interface. It all made sense. Nothing was out of place from the vision they had when they went to develop it. The Seekers of the Storm DLC missed that mark by a mile. Yes, there was a game-breaking FPS bug on release. To be fair, it’s something to be expected with a massive release. However, it also crashed players who did not purchase or install the game. That has more to do with production methods and implementation of a company in general than any specific game.

The real issue is the quality of the material added. Many of the items seemed useless, adding abilities or supplementing abilities that were not productive or helpful to the game. It did not bring a big enough bonus and felt sloppy, almost like they had not played the game enough to understand it well. One of the new maps was also horrifically designed. Helminth Hatchery, while an interesting aesthetic, is largely a hill sloping down in lava. This might seem like a rather specific complaint but it shows a lack of understanding of the level design. While the other maps have a fluidity that lets the character bounce around or risk it in cramped caves or tunnels, this sloped design in Helminth pulls the character near the bottom where the most available space to maneuver on foot exists. Characters that stick more to the air may not be too concerned but the awkward angels have a massive effect on most movements and attacks, not in a fun, challenging way but one that seems ignorant to how the abilities scale movement in the middle and early stages of a game. It also added Gilded enemy variants. The elite enemies are incredibly strong but also generate buff that, when taking less damage, will steal the player’s gold. Again, adding difficulty with nothing to reward makes it feel removed from the rest of the game. These are just a few of the examples but are the reasons I have not bought this DLC, even though I bought the Survivors of the Void DLC upon release. When playing with friends, we’ve attempted this DLC a handful of times. Each time, we come to the same conclusion that it makes the game unplayable and have to disable it. Hopefully, the most recent update will address these issues as it does completely change the effect of some of the abilities.

Duration: 2

Not only does the standard game mode have multiple options to change certain mechanics but also three alternate modes. It is easy to lose yourself in this game on single-player but next to impossible to escape in multiplayer. It scales the enemies by the number of players and the amount of loot per level. You can decide when to fight each boss to progress to the next level, which usually is the final step as you add more abilities to your inventory. Should you wish to rush forward, nothing is stopping you but your skill. With so many options as to how you play and how fun the game is in general, the duration is perfect. 

Total Score: 10/10

Risk of Rain 2 may seem like a simple game on the surface but if you want to dig deeper, bring a shovel and a ladder. While the latest DLC has not measured up to the game’s other content, it is constantly experiencing updates and refinements and could certainly pan out.

Pro Tip: How to Play Risk of Rain 2 with More than Four Players (PC)

For those on the PC looking for a way to add even more than four players, here is a short guide to add up to eight players (hypothetically, not fully tested.) However, be warned this will affect enemy scaling and gameplay and could have adverse effects so use it at your own risk (pun unintended).