Risk of Rain (2013)

94%
Game Brain Score Based on 21,126 reviews
  • music
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Risk of Rain (2013) Game Cover
Risk of Rain is a great blend of difficulty and approachability
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"Risk of Rain" is a fantasy hack and slash game that combines elements of roguelike and action platformer genres. With permanent death as a key feature, players must survive on a mysterious planet with randomly spawning enemies and bosses. The game offers single-player and multiplayer options for up to 4 players in online co-op, creating a unique and challenging experience every time.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
  • Tablet
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

94%
Audience ScoreBased on 21,126 reviews
music1,840 positive mentions
stability297 negative mentions
  • music2,744 mentions

    The music in "Risk of Rain" is widely praised for its exceptional quality, with many reviewers highlighting it as one of the game's standout features. Composed by Chris Christodoulou, the soundtrack is described as atmospheric, immersive, and perfectly suited to the game's intense gameplay, enhancing the overall experience. Players often express a desire to purchase the soundtrack separately, indicating its lasting impact and appeal beyond the game itself.

    • “Featuring probably the single best soundtrack to ever be put into a video game, Risk of Rain is a must-have for any indie game fan.”
    • “The soundtrack is outstanding.”
    • “The music adds to the immersion and kind of feels like Terraria.”
    • “The music and sounds are loud as hell and generic.”
    • “The base sound effects are ear-bleedingly loud when compared to the music.”
    • “The music gets repetitive.”
  • gameplay2,530 mentions

    The gameplay of "Risk of Rain" is characterized by its simple yet engaging mechanics, where players navigate through increasingly difficult levels as time progresses, creating a sense of urgency. Each character offers unique abilities, enhancing replayability through diverse playstyles, while a wide array of items and artifacts allows for varied strategies in combat. Despite some criticisms regarding its difficulty and occasional repetitiveness, the game is praised for its addictive nature, solid controls, and an excellent soundtrack that complements the frantic action.

    • “The gameplay is a frantic mix of running, gunning, and praying you find a decent power-up before you’re reduced to a pile of pixels.”
    • “The gameplay is fast-paced, challenging, and even punishing at times - and it's exactly what's missing in so many games today.”
    • “The gameplay loop is super addictive, moment to moment gunplay feels good for the most part, and the soundtrack rocks.”
    • “The gameplay is extremely repetitive.”
    • “The gameplay is boring and repetitive.”
    • “The gameplay is solid, but the mechanics can feel dull and unengaging.”
  • graphics1,409 mentions

    The graphics of "Risk of Rain" are characterized by a charming pixel art style that evokes nostalgia, though opinions vary on its appeal. While some players appreciate the simplicity and retro aesthetic, others find the graphics dated and challenging to navigate, especially during chaotic gameplay moments. Overall, the visuals are seen as functional and fitting for the game's mechanics, contributing to its unique atmosphere despite not being graphically intensive.

    • “The graphics are pixel-perfect, with a retro charm that’s as addictive as it is nostalgic.”
    • “Risk of Rain's adoption of a side-scrolling action game was unique for the time, especially as a sci-fi roguelite, with its unique pixelated art style, ethereal soundtrack, and truly alien environments giving it a style and aesthetic that truly stood out.”
    • “The pixel art style is great and the levels look really nice, and the bestiary lets you look at enemies in more detail and with some lore.”
    • “The developer lacked the talent/budget to use contemporary graphics, so they rely on lazy retro pixel 'art' to try to cover up this shortcoming, resulting in a very poor, ugly-looking game.”
    • “The graphics are so simplistic they genuinely hurt your eyes; the camera is so zoomed out that you can barely make anything out even with the max zoom-in setting.”
    • “The graphics are extremely charming, but the gameplay is fun and controls are nice; however, you can rebind them so if you don't like the layout you can change.”
  • replayability1,267 mentions

    The game "Risk of Rain" is widely praised for its high replayability, attributed to its diverse characters, numerous unlockable items, and procedurally generated levels that ensure each playthrough feels unique. Players appreciate the variety of gameplay styles and challenges, although some note that the core level designs can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of randomization, character diversity, and cooperative multiplayer enhances the game's replay value significantly, making it a favorite among roguelike enthusiasts.

    • “Risk of Rain is an amazing rogue-like that provides tons of replay value, a unique art style and character perspective, and a good mix of challenges and power-ups.”
    • “The replayability is enormous: each play feels different because the number of items you can find is so vast, and they combine in interesting ways.”
    • “The game has a huge amount of replayability due to items, great level designs, unlockable characters with different skill sets, huge enemy variety, and boss variety.”
    • “Replayability is repetitive and boring (1 run is enough to know the game, nothing interesting after)”
    • “The game is (obviously) replayable due to its nature, though it gets repetitive quickly, even for a rogue-lite.”
    • “My only problem with this game would be the replayability, as the maps are virtually the same, even though they switch up the chest/store placements.”
  • story519 mentions

    The story in "Risk of Rain" is minimal and often described as vague, focusing primarily on survival after a crash landing on a hostile planet. Players uncover bits of lore through item descriptions and monster logs, which provide a deeper context to the gameplay, but many reviewers note that the narrative takes a backseat to the action and mechanics. While some appreciate the atmospheric storytelling, others feel the lack of a cohesive plot detracts from the overall experience.

    • “The narrative is open to interpretation, allowing players to piece together the backstory of their stranded survivors and the enigmatic world they're trying to escape.”
    • “The little snippets of story, the dozens of items, alien enemies, and large scale combine for the most fun I've had repeatedly starting a game over from the beginning.”
    • “Maybe my only gripe is how the story and setting feel pretty thin.”
    • “The story is intentionally vague but it seems like we are an astronaut who has crash-landed on a strange planet and our purpose in life is to defeat a boss called Providence.”
    • “Story is eh, very barebones, but it's serviceable for enabling gameplay.”
  • stability307 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and freezing issues, particularly on Linux and during multiplayer sessions. Players frequently experience game-breaking glitches, especially when using specific items like the spikestrip, leading to frustration and a recommendation to avoid the game until significant patches are released. Despite its fun gameplay, the persistent instability detracts from the overall experience, making it challenging to recommend for those seeking a smooth gaming experience.

    • “Note for the deck: runs great, 360 binds by default.”
    • “Fun game, good mechanics, runs great on Linux.”
    • “Excellent game, nice graphics, not buggy.”
    • “The game is a complete and utter buggy mess.”
    • “I'm amazed that, after ten years and what seems like an active dev team, this game is still such a linear buggy mess.”
    • “The multiplayer is tricky to set up and a bit buggy, but it can be a lot of fun if you have friends who also play the game.”
  • atmosphere248 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, driven by a combination of retro-style graphics, a captivating soundtrack, and procedurally generated environments that evoke feelings of isolation and tension. Players appreciate how the music enhances the overall experience, creating a unique blend of eerie and engaging elements that keep them coming back for more. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered one of its standout features, contributing significantly to its replayability and emotional impact.

    • “The game's levels are procedurally generated and filled with diverse environments, each teeming with perilous enemies and atmospheric lighting.”
    • “Creating an atmosphere/environment unlike any other, along with the music track, evokes this unsettling eerie yet attractive theme persistent throughout every level.”
    • “The atmosphere of the world hit the right notes of both beautiful and oppressive.”
    • “Other than that, gameplay is solid, but this game tries too hard for a dark, unforgiving, unrelenting, and disheartening atmosphere, without the one thing that lets those types of games work.”
    • “The atmosphere this game provides is chilling, the way it blends in to the sound of the strange alien landscapes and accents every quirk included in the lore behind this game.”
    • “The atmosphere seems rather generic, and poorly designed.”
  • grinding239 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is a significant point of contention among players, with many describing it as tedious and time-consuming. While some enjoy the challenge of balancing item farming with the increasing difficulty over time, others find the repetitive nature of grinding and the slow pace of gameplay frustrating. Overall, the game offers a mix of rewarding progression and frustrating grind, appealing primarily to those who appreciate challenging roguelike mechanics.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Challenge yourself by rushing and not farming items.”
    • “Core gameplay is kind of similar to MapleStory, except good, with no grinding involved at all.”
    • “Levels are huge, which gives the feeling of grandeur, but backtracking, overall slowness, and enemies that grow in HP over time just makes it very, very tedious.”
    • “The game is tedious as hell.”
    • “The longer you take to clear the level, the stronger enemies get, which means you have to balance farming for items with the rising difficulty.”
  • humor175 mentions

    The humor in "Risk of Rain" is a standout feature, characterized by its absurdity and dark wit, often leading players to laugh at their own misfortunes and the chaotic gameplay. Players appreciate the clever item descriptions, funny death messages, and the hilariously challenging nature of the game, which creates memorable moments, especially in multiplayer settings. Overall, the game combines intense action with a lighthearted tone, making it both entertaining and amusing.

    • “It's the kind of game where you'll start with dreams of conquering the alien hordes and end up laughing at the absurdity of your perilous predicament.”
    • “To those contemplating a rainy adventure: embrace the chaos, accept that death is a way of life, and remember that in Risk of Rain, it's not about surviving forever; it's about the epic battles and hilarious mishaps along the way.”
    • “The game also manages to throw a bit of humor into everything, from wacky item descriptions and references, to death messages like, 'your family will never know how you died.'”
    • “The humor in this game falls flat and feels forced.”
    • “I expected a lot more laughs, but the jokes just didn't land.”
    • “The attempts at humor are cringeworthy and detract from the overall experience.”
  • optimization79 mentions

    The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on lower-end devices and has seen improvements in recent updates, many players report significant performance issues, particularly in multiplayer and during late-game scenarios with numerous enemies and items on screen. Some users have experienced crashes and lag, especially if their hardware does not meet recommended specifications, indicating that further optimization is needed. Overall, while the game is enjoyable, its performance can be inconsistent, particularly in demanding situations.

    • “Runs smoothly on any device, very challenging but also intuitive and easy to pick up.”
    • “Overall, the game played beautifully and is optimized with no lag or screen tearing on my ThinkPad T420.”
    • “This game is well worth its price, runs smoothly on any machine, and has some fantastic pixel art and one of the best soundtracks out there.”
    • “The game is poorly optimized: later levels will probably cause you to lag.”
    • “The game is very poorly optimized and while this will rarely be an issue, many people have problems with halved (30 instead of 60) framerate on the last level, which means the game runs at half speed.”
    • “As icing on the cake, the game is pretty poorly optimized, and chugs on systems it has no business chugging on.”
  • emotional40 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is profoundly impactful, with many players expressing feelings of joy, sadness, and nostalgia throughout their experiences. The combination of challenging gameplay and a touching soundtrack evokes strong emotional responses, often leading to tears of both frustration and triumph. Players report developing a deep emotional attachment to the game, highlighting its ability to resonate on a personal level and create memorable moments that linger long after playing.

    • “This might sound a bit stupid, but the first time I heard this track in-game while just shredding everything in my way, it almost made me cry.”
    • “I cried, then died, cried again.”
    • “Put gaming conventions aside, go in with no expectations other than this is something new and massively good-looking, and you'll be rewarded with a unique experience that lurches between genius and madness, manages to be genuinely emotional, and that you'll be bursting to talk about with your friends.”
  • character development21 mentions

    Character development in the game is primarily expressed through its unique and imaginative character designs, which are complemented by a captivating pixel art style and an engaging soundtrack. While many players appreciate the aesthetic and lore, some feel that the game lacks depth in storytelling and meaningful character progression. Overall, the character design is celebrated for its creativity and variety, enhancing the overall gaming experience despite some gameplay shortcomings.

    • “The game has a wonderful pixel art style with interesting character design, all backed with possibly one of the best original soundtracks I've heard in a game.”
    • “And the character design is amazing; each character feels so alive and real.”
    • “The character design is fun and imaginative, and the music follows suit.”
    • “Now, for kiting enemies... this just leads into horrible character design.”
    • “The character design.”
    • “Love the music, love the character design, and the dialogue and lore is really neat too.”
  • monetization8 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing frustration over perceived cash grabs and a lack of transparency in advertising. While the game offers purchasable items that enhance gameplay, concerns about the honesty of its marketing and the overall online experience have been raised. Despite these issues, many players still find value in the game's low cost and enjoyable co-op features.

    • “In fact, there's a monetization system in this game that permits you to buy new items that will greatly benefit your character; then there's the experience which, predictably, will give us a level up that'll boost our stats.”
    • “You're close to making something perfect here, Hopoo, but my god... one of the elements of this game's advertisement I found most appealing was the biggest letdown, and you have some pretty serious work still to do on the online elements of Risk of Rain, given you made the co-op experience three years ago.”
    • “+ In fact, there's a monetization system in this game that permits you to buy new items that will greatly benefit your character; then there's the experience which, predictably, will give us a level up that'll boost our stats.”
    • “This wasn't advertised as an 'early access game', I expect a little more honesty in the advertising.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

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Play time

24hMedian play time
44hAverage play time
9-60hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 112 analyzed playthroughs

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