Risk of Rain 2 (40$/20$)
This is something I drew
I think it’s not bad at all
So far Risk of Rain 2 is the best 20$ I have spent this year: 40$/20$. Indie developer Hopoo games pulled out all of the stops when creating the sequel to their 2D indie hit. They did something that very few games have tried and even fewer have pulled off. They changed from a 2D format to a 3D format and they did it masterfully. The concept of the game is simple. You and your friends are dropped off in an alien realm filled with monsters and chests. You kill the monsters to get money to buy chests to gain loot to kill monsters. To beat a level you activate a teleporter that summons the boss monster of that map. You kill that with your friends and go to the next realm. Rinse and repeat 8 times and you beat the game. The variance comes with the classes and the items. The items are distributed randomly and are all positive for your character no matter which class you play. Also no two classes play alike in this game, and all of the classes feel original yet pull some of the best gameplay ideas from other classic heroes we know and love as gamers. This is the game and it is no bullshit one of the best I have played.
See in most games when a character gets an item or ability that enhances their skills it normally changes the stats of that character in some way. Sometimes it will give a healing effect or increase damage. Regardless of what you get, it has a direct and noticeable impact on gameplay that forces you to play each run differently even if you are playing as the same character. That is what makes a basic game engaging for 30 plus hours of repeating the same gameplay loop nonstop. But not only do the items keep the game fresh, but they are incredibly satisfying to collect as each item gets added onto the physical model of the character you are playing, and the effect of the item is also something you can see in combat. When you get an item that shocks enemies if they attack you, you see the lighting jump from you to them. When you get an item that summons a fire storm on hit you can see the fire storm after your attacks. When you get a shield generator the shield wraps a blue glow around your character that disappears as the shields do. It is those little acts of care that makes Risk of Rain 2 amazing to play.
The only criticism would be lack of content. Online always has a lobby available, but the game is honestly best with friends alibet much harder. If you don’t have friends who can buy this game, then maybe wait and get it for them as a present or something because if you don’t have friends to play with this 40$/20$ game quickly drops to 15$/20$. Solo is still fun though. You become a god with all of the items and you will always be unlocking characters, abilities, outfits, and modifiers that will give you a real goal with a real reward. Yet, unless you are a completionist you will drop it after a few hours regardless of how much there is to do. The benefit of the game being early access is the developers don’t suck and will add more to the game with time.
All and all the game is great. You can jump into a game with your friends in just a few clicks and you will be so locked into your computer for at least the next 35 minutes to the point you would rather pee your pants instead of lose the run. The way the dopamine hits as you unlock a chest and see you got a red rare item will keep you coming back for more. Then seeing that item on your beast of a character as you bring the pain to swarms of aliens that want you and your friends dead is a blast and worth every penny. (40$/20$ with friends)
