I don’t think I ever came close to defining an enemy in a video game as my “nemesis” as much as “Risk of Rain” boss Magma Worm. “Who is supposed to enjoy this?”, I bursted out in anger back when the original game from Hoppo Games came out in 2013. With “Risk of Rain Returns”, I can understand why was — and still is — beloved by many. I am one of those who partially skipped “Risk of Rain” in favor of “Risk of Rain 2”. I wasn’t that good at platformers in 2013. The idea of doing runs after runs just to unlock something new wasn’t enticing to me. Besides, my brain works better within a 3D space (I also play racing games in first person because I have better spatial awareness, so don’t ask me how my brain works).
As soon as I started playing “Risk of Rain Returns”, the memories came flooding back. Me trying to grab on ropes and falling to my death, and the goddamn Magma Worm. To my “luck”, it was the first boss I encountered. I dispatched it easily. I was floored. Did I become better at “Risk of Rain”? Did “Risk of Rain Returns” tweak the enemy values? I was so confused that even my partner asked me what was wrong. It was almost like I had seen a ghost. I then explained to her what “Risk of Rain” was about, to which I promptly got a reply of “Why do you suffer through these kinds of games”? I mean, I love punishment, so much so that I love “Lords of the Fallen” (insert my previous review link here please), so it should come as no surprise that “Risk of Rain Returns” fits exactly into my masochistic desires.
As to the matter of “Risk of Rain Returns” tweaked values? In some ways, yes, in some, don’t. If you’re thinking this is “Risk of Rain” with some of the sequel mechanics sparkled in, along with more characters with unique play styles for more variety and an easier time, you’re in for a rude awakening. The game is still extremely hard as its 2013 debut, with some enemies even more dangerous than before. Lemurians — the most basic of enemies — now can climb ropes; flying enemies having more hit points and being more hostile. If you thought “that’s what I want” after the last sentence, you’re in for a great time. What “Risk of Rain Returns” does better is tweaking its controls to resemble Risk of Rain 2 style, better progression and a massive improvement in the art department. The last, both a good and a bad thing, more on that later.
Back again to the question: “Why did I kill the Magma Worm with such ease this time?” Because I spent 10 years getting better at platformer games. I grew up with a PC and CRPGs. I was awful at platformers. By the time the original Risk of Rain came out, I would die to the most basic of enemies. Now I had the experience and the basic mechanics of the game down to, at the very least, not die in my first attempt. I knew the next attempts wouldn’t be anywhere near as easy. In other words, “Risk of Rain Returns” is essentially like going back in time 10 years. In a decade where “remasters” and “remakes” are the new hotness, Hoppo Games looking at their previous work and saying “you know what, we’ll improve what think it needs improvement, we will not touch the basic gameplay loop” speaks volumes about how much they believe in their own work and stick to their guts. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I say this because deep down, nothing comes close to what “Risk of Rain” offers. Sure, the “roguelite” genre grew, titles became even more accessible and blew up in popularity. Look at “Hades” as a great example. Does it have a satisfying loop? However, once I finished the “main plot,” I had no interest in starting another playthrough. The story didn’t grab me and I wasn’t going to “farm” for presents to unlock more story. Now, “Risk of Rain Returns”? I had to force myself out of it just to write about it. I would die after a 70 minute run, get up, stretch, grab a glass of water and say to myself “Ok, again”. I met people who have this with “Spelunky”, others with “Slay the Spire”. Hoppo Games formula is what I needed even if I was under the weather. That’s because although it sticks to the original formula, Hoppo Games added some accessibility options — something I noticed to use more as I become older. Do you want to increase your damage and lower the enemy values? There’s an option for that. Do you want new items or just stick to what you knew as a “Risk of Rain” veteran? It’s a simple toggle. Not to mention artifacts that completely change the gameplay — such as making every enemy explode — a staple in the series at this point.
It would be irresponsible of me not to talk about the incredible new “Providence Trials”. The mode provides an alternate option to unlock new skills for characters and test the abilities of those already hardened by many runs. Although I’m still stuck in a couple, I’m sure that I’ll overcome them in due time. It shouldn’t surprise me, therefore, that “Risk of Rain Returns” became “that one game I will play when I want a challenge, or I want to relax, or maybe I want to listen to a podcast”. And, if you consider I reserved that spot for “Diablo 2”, and “Diablo 2” only, that’s an impressive accomplishment. Another massive accomplishment is how Hoppo Games maintained their style and also improved it with better animations and visual cues. Some Attack patterns also changed, such as the “Spitter” not, well, spitting anymore and now having a stronger melee attack. Calling it “controversial” is being very kind.
One of the biggest downsides of “Risk of Rain Returns” is the new art for enemy attacks. Instead of only improving on the original, they revamped some enemies to either better integrate the biome they live in or to provide a better learning curve. It works in my first couple of runs, but the more I played it, the more loops I did before tackling the final boss, the more apparent the issues became. Sadly, “Risk of Rain Returns” has a similar issue that has “plagued” “Risk of Rain 2” ever since its early access days. Once you hit a threshold of difficulty, it becomes too hectic for its own good. An issue the original game didn’t have as much.
The Magma Worm? Ha, once you’re 2hrs into a run, you’re not even worrying about it that much. You’re probably fighting two of them at the same time, along with other two bosses and an army of enemies. “Wait, where am I, where’s my character, where’s my robot? Oh, I died”, it was par for the course. Too many particles, too many things on screen and not a good way to parse that information to the player. I know it sounds nitpicky. After all, if I survived for two hours, more than enough to watch “Lost in Translation” — one of my favorite movies of all time — I am in the minority.
The same minority that might be asking “Is it worth picking up Risk of Rain Returns if I already have the original Risk of Rain?”. To that extent, I can say, “Yes, it’s a must have”. It’s the best kind of mix of remaster and remake that I can imagine. If you’ve been around the Risk of Rain community, you know that people created mods (some of them even with the help of Hoppo Games), added new features. None of that is going away for the original game. If anything, it makes the 2013 version ever more special because of its moddable nature.
“Risk of Rain Returns” has its own flavor while staying true to what made the original special. I might not agree with the chaotic nature that longer playthroughs become, but with so many positives, so many hours already pumped into it — and many to come —, it’s hard not to fall in love with it. If you manage to fall in love, I recommend checking the original game if you haven’t and its sequel. But, a fair warning: I won’t be responsible for the hours you might spend in each game. Whether this goes to the dozens or to the hundreds. What I can say is: buckle up, it will be one hell of a ride, and one I’m happy that it exists. I’m happy that “Risk of Rain” is “back”, I’m happy that I’m having a great time with it. I hope you will too.
A Steam code was provided in advance by the publisher for review purposes
