Risk of Rain 2 will ditch 2D for 3D

Developer Hopoo Games has confirmed that a sequel to Risk of Rain is now in development.

The 2D roguelike, which started as a student project before being backed by a successful Kickstarter, sees players struggling to survive on an alien planet. It is perhaps best known for its gradually elevating difficulty level, which puts players in the position of choosing between taking the time to scavenge for early loot or racing through the game as fast as possible with few supplies.

It was first released on Windows in 2013 and hit PS4 just over a year ago.

We’ve been working on a new game for about six months, and we’ve been shooting ideas back and forth on how the best way to announce it is,” Hoboo said. I reaaaaally want to stress this: the game is still very VERY early in development. None of the systems, artstyles, assets, or game design choices will necessarily translate to the final game. We’re learning as we go along

Risk of Rain 2 is our first fully 3D project! We think that 3D allows for much deeper design spaces and more possibilities for cool gameplay. Feelings of scale and atmosphere are also much stronger. We are really happy with the core of Risk of Rain – and we’re finding it plays even better in 3D.”

The PC version of the first game scored 77 per cent on Metacritic. The later PS4 release fared even better, gaining an 81 per cent rating.

It mixes together the challenge, randomness and discovery that make roguelikes so endlessly replayable, but in a form that also feels more welcoming,” Polygon said in its review.

Even with over 15 hours under my belt, I’ve still got classes left to unlock, items left to find and plenty of meta-game strategy to master. I’ve been scared off by similar games, but Risk of Rain is worth the struggle.”