Risk of Rain review: rising tide
Risk of Rain is the ideal roguelike.
This less-and-less-obscure genre is known for incredible difficulty and the constant pain of restarting from the beginning after a single death. It sounds like something that would drive most audiences away. But in recent years, a growing number of indie developers have divined ways to emphasize the challenge and randomization that makes roguelikes compelling while simultaneously making them more approachable, less intimidating.
Hopoo Games’ Risk of Rain is the latest culmination of this trend, and it’s fantastic, even in light of a few rough patches. It builds skills smoothly without losing the sometimes masochistic difficulty, and it offers a sense of progression while maintaining permadeath. It’s the kind of roguelike I could recommend to almost anyone.