Responsive third-person shooting, fun four-player co-op, and the promise of attaining roguelike godhood with distinctly flavorful items make it dangerously easy to play “just one more game” of Risk of Rain 2. There’s a lot to do even now in early access, like chase down game-changing unlocks and Easter eggs across the continuity of multiple runs, even if there are a few rough edges like online stability. I’m enamored with what’s already here, and am left eagerly awaiting what comes next for one my favorite co-op surprises this year.
Risk of Rain 2’s basic formula is straightforward and instantly gratifying: you and a team of up to three others crash onto the surface of a planet’s pleasantly stylized environment and fight your way through an unending onslaught of ever-more-challenging enemies to earn loot. Some of the rarest items, like the Brilliant Behemoth that adds an explosion to every attack, provide transformative effects that can take a build from great to straight-up-busted, in the most satisfying way. And, since there’s no limit on how many of a given item you can collect, the absurdity of what you’re able to luck into is both ridiculous and supremely fun.
Source: IGN.com Risk of Rain 2 Early Access Review