For the past decade, so many different big titles have been getting remastered and remade so much so that it has become a bit of a joke. That’s why it surprised me when I heard they were making a remake of the original Risk of Rain. It’s not very often you hear a remake for an indie game of all things and especially one you put a great deal of time into. A bit of a hot take but I was always one who preferred the original Risk of Rain to its sequel. I always felt the first one was built better for single-player and it also doesn’t have a final boss that I hate. This announcement turned into one of my most anticipated games of this last year.

Having finally gotten around to it and sinking around a dozen hours into it, I can confidently say that this is the definitive version of the original title. The graphical update is extremely pleasing while staying true to the simpler sprites of the original version. Also, the basic movement and combat feel more streamlined to match the fluidity of Risk of Rain 2. What really makes this version worth playing is the large amount of new content. The new characters are a blast to play as with their skills translating well into 2D. The Pilot especially is one I want to spend more time with as I really enjoyed learning their skills in the trial levels

Speaking of trials, the new Providence Trials are an incredibly inventive way to think about how you can use each character differently and it’s a way to unlock new skills and costume skins for each character. I wanted to try out each trial as soon as they unlocked to see what sort of creative spin on the game’s mechanics the developers would devise. Not all of these trials are extremely fun as some of them feel a little too needlessly difficult or confusing to figure out what you are even needing to do. For the most part, though, they are a fun set of levels that rewards you with skills that add added depth and customization to each of the characters which is the most stellar addition to the game.

While I did enjoy all the new additions, I was left wanting a little more from this remake. As someone who put countless hours into the original, this remake is just more of the same in a lot of ways which isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just not compelling me to come back to it as often. The lack of any updated music tracks was another reason this game initially felt like it was just a facelift. I absolutely still enjoyed my time with it though and am planning to go back and play some more soon, hopefully with some buddies. If you enjoyed the original Risk of Rain, you owe it to yourself to try out Returns as it is a stellar improvement. If you are someone who has only played Risk of Rain 2, I would still encourage trying this game as its different dimension of play does offer playstyles that are separate from the sequel.

Es mejor que Risk of Rain 2

¿Viste cuando pinta nostalgia y volves a un juego que jugaste hace muchos años y no se siente para nada como lo recordabas? Bueno, Risk of Rain Returns es lo mas cercano a revivir esa experiencia que recordabas. Destacable el trabajo hecho para que un producto del pasado se sienta como uno actual sin perder nada en el camino y ademas ganando sin que lo nuevo se sienta fuera de lugar.
El singleplayer es una bomba, los trials son una bomba, el multiplayer es una bomba (que te puede explotar en la mano si no se saben manejar en grupo), descubrir secretos es una bomba, los personajes son una bomba, la banda sonora es una bomba (nuclear), el arte es una bomba, parece que los devs tenian a bomberman en el sotano.
Seria de mis juegos favoritos si no fuera por la paja que da caminar el mapa muchas veces (mas al inicio cuando agarras al mul-t cara de verga y caes en el bosque del orto que es gigante), que cada tanto podes llegar a morir injustamente (si no sos horrible como yo pasa mucho menos pero aun asi las probabilidades nunca son 0) y alguna que otra boludez mas personal, me da la sensacion de que quizas un buen dlc es lo que le falta para subir en mi consideracion.

Before Risk of Rain blew up with its 3D incarnation there was it's cult hit 2D predecessor and if you never got the chance to dip into that version Returns truly goes back to its roots. For fans of the 2D version though this is very much an 'enhanced' re-release than a true 2D sequel.

If you own the first game you're going to be very familiar with Returns at first glance. Everything that was in the first 2D game is all here just with a healthy portion of new additions and upgraded sprites. It feels very much like they wanted to cash in on the new audience while giving those who didn't vibe with the 3D version a little something extra to justify the re-purchase.

Don't get me wrong, the new content is welcome. You have a variety of fun challenges for each class which unlock alternate abilities, and everything that there can be more of has more of it from player characters and bosses to maps, items, and monsters - though it feels like playing the base game with a bunch of packaged DLC being sold as a 'new' title.

Personally I really loved the first 2D Risk of Rain and never got into the hype for the 3D version so I'm happy for more of the same. The enhancements, additional content, rule and content customisation, game modes, and everything else make this a clear upgrade over the original but it doesn't do much to distinguish itself beyond the extras. Even so, I'm having a blast and will continue to chip away at this through the year. If you're looking for more rain it's here, but there's no risk of innovation.