Risk of Rain 2 review: Roguelikes’ Super Mario 64

impossible to talk about Rain Risk 2 without thinking about it first Rain Risk.

Few sequels have so successfully cemented the strengths of their predecessors, and in the case of developer Hopoo Games, few studios have so firmly grasped what made their previous work great. Rain Risk 2 muffled, clever and overly strange more. It is also exciting and remarkable – not only because it improves upon what has gone before, but also because it recontextualizes an initially excellent formula.

Rain Risk Released in 2013, a roguelike renaissance this would lead to the ubiquity of the breed today. with games like Isaac’s Binding and original ungodly legacy, Rain RiskWhile the main loop focuses on replays of procedurally generated levels, players can unlock permanent items and characters for future runs. But unlike its contemporaries, many of whom are more concerned with skill and power, Hopoo Games wisdom.

Rain RiskAfter all, the signature mechanic is in the name itself. In this side-scrolling action platformer, you’ll battle through 2D levels in search of the Teleporter that will take you to the next area. catch? For the teleporter to work, you must first defeat a boss. Second catch? The difficulty increases gradually throughout the run. You can stay in each area as long as you want, exploring every platform and claw for weapons and upgrades, knowing that every second brings you closer to the next tier of enemies with bigger health bars and more varied attacks.

Image: Hopoo Games via Polygon

Rain Risk 2 asks the same question as its predecessor: Are you really ready for the next encounter? Joyful certainly?

Because yes, you did find a shoulder-mounted mortar, and yes, that teddy bear’s damage resistance will keep a few more bullets away. But meanwhile, giant flaming golems have started spawning, and these floating jellyfish have much more health than they did before you spent 25 seconds reaching that cliffside chest. If you’ve ever played a sport or an instrument, you’re probably familiar with the paradigm that Hopoo games are based on: You may be practicing, but so are everyone else. And getting better means gaining the wisdom to know if you are fully prepared.

With Rain Risk 2The Hopoo has literally changed his perspective. It’s no longer a 2D side-scroller, but a third-person shooter set in 3D arenas. Released in early access in 2019, before the full version is released in August 2020. I’ve been playing constantly since then, messing around every time Hopoo adds a new character or biome. I’ve always walked away impressed, even though I wasn’t completely impressed by everything I saw.

Recently, however, I’ve been really immersed in the game with the Survivors of the Void update. And maybe it’s because I spent the break period wearing myself out too much. gorgeous 2 and Fraudulent Legacy 2 — Games that nearly perfected the art of 2D action platformers — but suddenly, Rain Risk 2Adding a z-axis was clicked. Three years ago it seemed fraudulent to me, but now I admire how it gives me more control while simultaneously giving me more control. sat down There is more to worry about. What’s more, I play enough to unlock more characters, and I’m amazed at how Hopoo has adapted his skills to work in so many more open spaces. The loader is a singular delight – his Jaw Fist lets me fly through the air, I marvel at the verticality and depth Hopoo squeezes out of the first game’s formula just before punching a Magma Worm in his stupid face.

Image: Hopoo Games/Gearbox Publishing via Polygon

to imprison myself Rain Risk 2 It reminds me of those early days when there was a simple change in perspective with my family’s new Nintendo 64. everything. I was no longer looking at Link from an Invisible roof – I was actually entering the Deku Tree’s wooden entryway and was sensing the excess upstairs. In Bowser’s Castle, I wasn’t just jumping through a lava-filled void – I was aiming for a platform and missing. just to the leftbefore I kick my ass and jump into the air with a chance to dictate where I land. Clearlymy childish brain told me, There are whole butt-burning universes we haven’t discovered yet.

Here I realized that I was crying poetically. But like Ocarina of Time and Super Mario 64 Long time ago Rain Risk 2 showed me how a simple, elegant idea can be blown up to create something even more elegant. Mario’s first Nintendo 64 outing in particular was proof that we never know what’s going to happen next, and that the simple act of jumping can take on a whole new meaning only if the designers tilt their heads to see it from a different angle.

chopping Rain Risk 2 had an impact Mario 64? Of course not. Its scope is certainly narrow, and its ambitions are limited to a small world focused on frenzied combat in a simple, never-ending gameplay loop. But he did Rain Risk 2 Reframing a game that I still think is close to perfect? Definitely. Should Hopoo ever do it? Rain Risk 3I’m having a hard time imagining what it would look like – my imagination swimming in the thought of universes the studio has yet to show me.