Risk of Rain
2013 · Hopoo Games
Has it aged?Why ↓
Risk of Rain is a side-on action roguelite where you play a crash survivor on an alien planet, collecting random equipment and chaining attacks while hunting each level's teleporter. Enemies grow stronger as the clock runs: looking for one more item is a gamble, not a harmless detour.
Risk of Rain is an action platformer with roguelike elements. With permanent death as a primary feature, players will have to play their best to get as far as possible. Fight on a mysterious planet with randomly spawning enemies and bosses, either alone or with 3 friends in online co-op.
The publisher’s description, from its Steam store page.
What it looks like
the trailer, then the store's own shots
The verdict
Play it for the struggle between gathering equipment and escaping before the monsters outgrow you. Timing four character abilities gives the fighting more bite than its tiny sprites suggest, and random items keep upsetting your plans. The timer remains a brilliant idea; the crowded screen is harder to forgive. Once enemies and explosions bury your survivor, the pleasure shifts from choosing each attack to discovering whether your accumulated equipment can carry you through.
Play it if
You enjoy restarting with a different fighter and learning their tricks: the Bandit's killing headshot resets his ability cooldowns, making a wounded enemy an opportunity to unleash another combo. You like random equipment forcing you to improvise rather than complete a planned build.
Skip it if
You need to see your character clearly throughout a fight, or want to explore every corner without being punished for taking your time. Enemy crowds can obscure your survivor, and even an uneventful search for the teleporter lets the difficulty climb.
Common questions
- Why can't I leave after the teleporter finishes charging?
- Activating it summons a boss and starts a countdown with intensified enemy spawning. When the countdown ends, spawning stops, but you must kill every remaining enemy before the exit opens; an arrow helps you find them.
- How do I unlock survivors beyond the Commando?
- The original game has ten characters, with only the Commando available at the start. Check the achievements for clues to the conditions that unlock the others.
- Are the planet's levels randomly generated?
- Their platform layouts are fixed, but your starting point, teleporter position, enemies and objects vary. Learning the terrain helps, but it won't tell you exactly where this run's exit is.
What everyone else said
we link, we don't reprintHas it aged?
How does it hold up today? Based on recent reviews, how opinions have changed since launch, player activity and updates.
% positive each month, last 4 years.
Reviews via Steam ↗Peak: 1.9k in Nov 2013.
Player counts via SteamCharts ↗A little less liked than at launch, but still well liked.
The developer posts no update notes on Steam, so we can't tell.