When you first look at Risk of Rain Returns, you might think “hey this doesn’t look that much different than the original.” That’s what I foolishly thought when I first laid eyes on the game last week. Turns out, this is a wonderful, lavish remake, and it truly does that magical remake thing of presenting this ten year old game as you think you remember it.
I’m not at all a Risk of Rain expert. I had barely encountered the first game many years ago, though it was popular among some of my friends. I spent a little bit of time playing and enjoying the second one when it first launched on Stadia, of all things, and I immediately understood why the franchise was so huge. I resolved in that moment to actually go back and try the first game, which had languished on my Steam wishlist for years at that point. Then I forgot about it.
Well, I’m kind of glad I waited, because this new remake is easily the best way to experience the game. It’s available for fifteen bucks on Switch and PC, and I picked it up over on Steam. It’s still based on the same core rogue-like gameplay foundation as the 2D original Risk of Rain, but the visuals, sound, encounter design, and controls have all been upgraded based on cues taken from the wildly popular sequel. I…
