From Press Release:
FRISCO, Texas – March 25, 2021 – Hopoo Games and Gearbox Publishing today released the Anniversary Update for Risk of Rain 2 as a free download on Steam. The classic survivor Bandit returns from the original Risk of Rain. Also included is the legendary boss Grandparent, more items, additional skill variants for the other survivors, a huge drop of lore entries, and much more. The update is a “thank you” to fans for supporting the game since its Steam Early Access debut two years ago, coming soon for consoles and Google Stadia. Risk of Rain 2 has more than four million copies sold on Steam alone and received ‘Overwhelmingly Positive’ from over 137,000 Steam Reviews alongside an 85% on Metacritic. The update also kicks off a temporary sale on Steam, discounted by 25% from $24.99 to $18.74 through March 29 (9:59 AM Pacific Time).
Here’s what’s new:
- Bandit and a New Boss! The fan-favorite classic returns from the first Risk of Rain with a new bag of tricks! Armed with a shotgun, dagger and smoke bombs, the Bandit stabs, blasts and slashes with the best of them – but can they withstand the might of the legendary Grandparent?
- Character and Stage Updates: More skill variants mean that every character now sports three variant skills, with additional gameplay enhancements for Commando, MUL-T, REX, Captain, Loader, and Mercenary. !SPOILER WARNING! The final stage has also been redone from the ground up, including new objectives, challenges, and a new Lunar Chimera monster type !SPOILER WARNING!
- New Stackable Items: Constantly cut nearby enemies with a slow spinning ball of death, or take an egg and receive healing when you’re attacked – just two of the latest additions in the game’s arsenal of more than 115 items. New challenges and unlockable skill variants add new strategic potential, while new lore entries flesh out the universe of Risk of Rain 2.
- Largest Logbook Update Ever: Browse past runs and lifetime player stats – like favorite survivors, progress to completion, and favorite equipment – in the Logbook alongside 88 new lore entries.
- Quality of Life Improvements: New items, new challenges, bug fixes, performance optimizations, improved AI pathing, and more!
Hopoo Games shared more about the new update, their journey, and the future expansion in a new Dev Thoughts #20 post.
“This Anniversary Update is a huge ‘thanks’ for our fans who have been with us since the beginning, an opportunity to revisit a lot of the things we couldn’t finish up for the official launch,” said Paul Morse and Duncan Drummond, co-founders of Hopoo Games. “We’re now looking ahead to achieving console parity and finishing up the first major expansion later this year. The forecast is looking sunny for those updates, so stay tuned!”
Risk of Rain 2 is a fast-paced, co-op roguelike shooter developed by Hopoo Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. Players can team with up to three other friends, play as 10 unique Survivors, and trek through more than a dozen stages to escape the alien planet. With unlockable alternate abilities, tons of items to discover on runs, and equippable Artifacts to shake up gameplay, no two runs are ever the same.
Risk of Rain 2 is available on Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Nintendo Switch™ and Google Stadia. Stay tuned to Risk of Rain 2 on Twitter for announcements for the upcoming Anniversary Update for console platforms.
Complete patch notes can be found on the Risk of Rain 2 Steam hub.