It felt gimmicky three years ago, but now I’m enamored by how it simultaneously grants me more control, while also giving me so much more to worry about. And maybe it’s because I spent the interim wearing myself out with so much Spelunky 2 and Rogue Legacy 2 - games that all but perfected the art of 2D action-platforming - but suddenly, Risk of Rain 2’s addition of a z-axis clicked. ![]() I always came away impressed, if not fully hooked, by everything I saw.īut recently, with the Survivors of the Void update, I truly dove in. I’ve been playing it on and off since then, dabbling each time Hopoo added a new character or biome. It was released in early access in 2019, before its full version was released in August 2020. It’s no longer a 2D side-scroller, but a third-person shooter set in 3D arenas. With Risk of Rain 2, Hopoo literally shifted perspective. And getting better means gaining the wisdom to know whether you’re fully prepared. If you’ve ever played a sport or instrument, you’re probably familiar with the paradigm Hopoo’s games are built around: You may be practicing, but so is everyone else. But in the meantime, giant flaming golems have started spawning, and those floating jellyfish have far more health than they did before you spent 25 seconds getting to the crate on that cliff. Risk of Rain 2 asks the same question as its predecessor: Are you really ready for the next encounter? Are you sure?īecause yes, you found a shoulder-mounted mortar, and yes, that teddy bear’s damage resistance will keep a few more bullets at bay. I died shortly after taking this screenshot Image: Hopoo Games via Polygon You can remain in each area as long as you want, scouring every platform and cranny for weapons and upgrades, all the while knowing that every second brings you closer to the next tier of enemies, with larger health bars and more varied attacks. The second catch? The difficulty gradually increases throughout the run. The catch? You need to defeat a boss before the Teleporter can function. ![]() In this side-scrolling action-platformer, you battle your way across 2D levels in search of the Teleporter that will bring you to the next area. Risk of Rain’s signature mechanic, after all, is in the name itself. But unlike its contemporaries - most of which were more concerned with the accrual of skill and power - Hopoo Games seemed fascinated by the accumulation of wisdom. Alongside games like The Binding of Isaac and the original Rogue Legacy, Risk of Rain’s core loop focused on the repetition of procedurally generated levels, while players could unlock permanent items and characters for future runs. Risk of Rain was released in 2013, toward the beginning of a roguelike renaissance that would lead to the genre’s mainstream ubiquity today. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. ![]() When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.
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