My brother and I enjoyed playing the first game so much that we had to try the sequel, and even though it has a whole extra dimension it was just as much fun!

Risk of Rain was a roguelike side-on action platformer with a low-res pixel art aesthetic that I really dug. The sequel is instead 3D but manages to translate much of the content and feeling into quite a different style of gameplay. It’s still a roguelike (you build your character’s power over a single run until death, with randomised elements such as enemy spawns and item drops, and in this case the levels are still mostly predetermined) but now it’s a third person behind-the-back-view shooter, which requires more complex control and movement.

The characters all feel nicely distinct, and naturally will suit different temperaments. I disliked melee range characters or the Artificer, who suits a mouse/keyboard setup and doesn’t really work on controller. My favourites were the Huntress and Engineer who are effective at range but don’t need to be so precise with aiming; MUL-T I also found versatile and fun. Alternate fire modes can be unlocked, incentivising repeat runs with something to work towards, and of course the items you find will shape your build and playstyle.

I find that so much of what I said in the ROR1 review still applies: building momentum on a run is so thrilling, the randomness and potential sudden loss can be maddening. The balance of managing the chaos. Working towards your next unlock. Learning the levels, or trying to (they’re big and confusing)! Discovering the mysteries and secrets. It’s something I love sharing with my bro.

I must emphasise how impressive I found it that so many of the character concepts, monsters, items, etc. (not to mention so much fundamental game design) were reworked into 3D and still… work. It’s not a simple task! For a sequel to be so faithful but at the same time such a huge shift from the previous game… I’m still wrapping my head around how they achieved it. At the same time it’s got plenty of new stuff in those categories as well as new mechanics and kinds of secrets, so there’s a lot to get used to.

The big thing that didn’t make the transition was that minimalist pixel art that I loved. But it’s been replaced with a slightly low-poly and cel-shaded look that I am just as much a fan of; it’s moody and communicates clearly even when things get chaotic. Also, a fun detail is that items you find are visually represented on your character model, so long runs will end with a multitude of trinkets and baubles hanging off you (or at least they will if you diversify like I do).

My brother bought the game as soon as he could thanks to our positive feelings on Hopoo’s first effort, but we didn’t start playing until it left early access and became 1.0 (and until he gifted me his old PC to actually play it on). Since then more updates and new content have rolled out so we look forward to continuing sessions with it every now and then. That final boss can eat my entire butt though.