Taking Outer Space Survival to the Third Dimension

Introduction

One of the hardest jumps the gaming world ever made was from 2D side scrollers to 3D worlds. Plenty of beloved franchises died off in the attempt, and that legacy can be seen in the huge number of indie games that have stayed safely put back in the 2D world. Risk of Rain 2 definitely comes from the latter lineage, but it's made a big leap forward into a fully 3D world. Whether that pays off, though, depends on the player.

Upgrading a Classic

Risk of Rain was a fairly well-loved indie rogue like. It was a nice 2D affair that could scratch the usual survival itch, giving players something to play around with until the next big thing showed up. Risk of Rain 2 is, at its heart, just a visual upgrade of that same concept.

There's nothing wrong with keeping what works, though. Conceptually, this is still a game about surviving as long as you can and growing in strength as you take out more enemies. The big difference is that the game has shifted from 2D to 3D, which brings a whole host of new complications to the task of survival.

Style and Substance

While the original Risk of Rain was decidedly indie in its 8-bit presentation, the new iteration of the game is a little more advanced. The cel-shaded design is not only pretty to look at, but it fits well with the hectic atmosphere of the game. The various bio-mes all look unique, and there never feels like there's a shortage of enemy designs for you to take in just before you have to worry about killing them.

...excellent example of a visual update done right.

The audio, unfortunately, isn't anything special. It does a good job of building an atmosphere, but you aren't going to be humming new tunes after you're finished with the game. There's nothing terrible about having supportive audio like this, but it'd be nice to see a little more creativity in this part of the game.

More Fun with Friends

Risk of Rain 2 is a game that is, at its heart, about surviving. You show up on a planet and stick around only as long as it takes for you to get a teleport-er back up and running. The shooting mechanics are fine in the game, of course, as are all the combat bits - but the real magic happens when you bring in another player.

Risk of Rain 2 is not a game you should play alone.

While the game is undoubtedly competently made and you could play it by yourself, the real fun comes when you bring in another player. Once the second player has joined, you're going to see a huge uptick in your ability to survive and the general chaos of the game. Working together with a friend to kill enemies, get loot, and find ways to survive is an incredibly joyful experience.

A Multiplayer Survival Experience

Risk of Rain 2 isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it accomplishes absolutely everything that it sets out to do. It is not only a fantastic update of an older concept, but it's also a game that stands up well for those who have never played the original. If you have friends who love rogue like games and you're not worried about the mechanics being a little rough around the edges, this game is definitely for you.

TL/DR

Risk of Rain 2 is a fun new take on a classic game.