Risk of Rain 2

About Risk of Rain 2

Risk of Rain 2 arrived on August 11, 2020 as a three-dimensional evolution of the original roguelike shooter from Hopoo Games. Gearbox Publishing handled distribution across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and Stadia. You play as one of several survivors stranded on Petrichor V, a planet where time itself acts as an enemy. The core loop involves surviving endless waves of monsters while collecting items that exponentially increase your power. Each run scrambles the map layout, enemy spawns, and loot tables so no two sessions feel identical. This sequel keeps the frantic pace of its predecessor but adds verticality and depth to every fight.

Gameplay

You pick a survivor like the Artificer or Commando and drop into a level with three teleporters. Your goal is simple: hit them all before time kills you. Every minute that passes, enemy health and damage scale up significantly. You spend your time dodging projectiles, managing cooldowns, and grabbing items that grant new abilities or passive bonuses. Combat feels fast because you can move constantly while firing in any direction. Multiplayer modes let you queue with friends for co-op runs where everyone scales together. Items often trigger chaotic combos, so you need to think quickly about which synergies to build. Death sends you back to the start with a new character and a fresh set of random modifiers.

What Players Think

Players have responded strongly to this title, giving it an 82 on Metacritic and 85.4 out of 100 on IGDB based on 242 ratings. The community values the replayability since 171 achievements exist with a low average unlock rate of just 23%. The rarest achievement, "Rex: Accept and Decompile," sits at a mere 0.90% unlock rate, showing how deep the challenge goes. Most players log significant hours because the difficulty curve demands practice rather than luck. Current community sentiment reflects a mix of frustration and triumph as people chase those elusive unlocks. Many users note that the game costs $5.74 on Green Man Gaming right now, making it an accessible entry point for new survivors.

PlayPile's Take

This game works best if you enjoy high-stakes action where one mistake ends your run immediately. The $5.74 price point makes the 171 achievements feel like a worthwhile long-term goal despite their difficulty. You should play this if you want a shooter that changes every time you boot it up. Avoid it if you need a relaxing experience or prefer static maps. The scaling system ensures the final boss fight feels completely different from the first ten minutes of gameplay. Hopoo Games built something here that demands respect for your time and skill.

Storyline

Risk of Rain 2 follows the crew of UES: Safe Travels as they try to find UES: Contact Light and any survivors along their path. They have to try and survive the hostile wildlife and environment as difficulty increases over time, navigating Petrichor V via the teleporters strewn across the entire planet. The crew loop endlessly through many distinct environments, but end upon the moon to defeat the final boss. With each run, you’ll learn the patterns of your foes, and even the longest odds can be overcome with enough skill. A unique scaling system means both you and your foes limitlessly increase in power over the course of a game–what once was a bossfight will in time become a common enemy. Myriad survivors, items, enemies, and bosses return to Risk 2, and many new ones are joining the fight. Brand new survivors like the Artificer and MUL-T debut alongside classic survivors such as the Engineer, Huntress, and–of course–the Commando. With over 75 items to unlock and exploit, each run will keep you cleverly strategizing your way out of sticky situations.