Risk of Rain 2 + Risk of Rain 1

Genre: Compilation / Roguelike / Third-Person Shooter / Action-Platformer

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local), 2-4 Co-Op (Online)

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Review:

Risk of Rain 2 + Risk of Rain 1 is a physical-only Compilation released on Nintendo Switch in 2019. It includes the two named games, with this specific compilation available only in physical form. Risk of Rain is an Action-Platformer with Roguelike elements originally released on PC in 2013 and gradually ported to other platforms, making its way to Nintendo Switch in 2018. Its sequel, Risk of Rain 2, is a Third-Person Shooter with Roguelike elements first released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2019 and ported to PC in 2020.

Here is what I thought of both of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Risk of Rain	Action-Platformer / Roguelike	1-2 Co-Op (Local, Online)	C+
tl;dr Risk of Rain is an Action-Platformer with Roguelike elements that has some interesting ideas it brings to the genre, but ultimately it doesn’t quite meet its potential thanks to its poor AI and bullet sponge enemies.
Risk of Rain 2	Third-Person Shooter / Roguelike	1-4 Co-Op (Online)	B
tl;dr Risk of Rain 2 is a Third-Person Shooter with Roguelike elements that’s faithful to the first game while bringing its formula into the world of 3D. Overall I’d say this game is a marked improvement over the first game, with some really good action, although again I’m frustrated by the bullet sponge enemies.

Playing one game after the other, it’s fascinating seeing this series brought into the realm of 3D and even changing the genre while still maintaining the same basic gameplay elements and making it recognizable as a true continuation from one to the other. I think that both games are enjoyable in their own right, but the first game suffers from dumb AI and both games have bullet sponge enemies that can sap some of the fun out of what are otherwise solid games. Still, despite their flaws, both of these games are well worth playing.

However, the really extraordinary thing this Compilation does is when you look at its value. Now, I cannot claim to know that this will stay the case, but as of this writing, you can easily find this compilation for $20, which puts this pair of games at a price that’s $5 under the cost of buying the digital version of Risk of Rain 2 on its own. Even the high price I’m seeing, $30, is still $5 less expensive than buying the two games separately. Oh, and for those wondering, the physical version of this game does include both games on the cartridge, for those looking to save memory space on their Nintendo Switch.

As such, I feel I need to take the extraordinary step of giving this Compilation a higher grade than either of its two included games. The games themselves are both good Roguelike action games, but being able to get both of them for such a low price is a real bargain, and unless you absolutely insist on getting your games in digital form, I can think of no reason to get the digital versions of either game instead of this Risk of Rain 2 + Risk of Rain 1 Compilation.

tl;dr – Risk of Rain 2 + Risk of Rain 1 is a Compilation available only in physical form containing the two named games, both included on the cartridge. The first game is an Action-Platformer with Roguelike elements, while the second game brings the formula of the first game into 3D as a Third-Person Shooter. These games aren’t without their issues (particularly bullet sponge enemies), but they’re solid action games, and this Compilation is such a good bargain that I would argue that unless you insist on getting your games in digital form, you should absolutely get this package instead of buying either game separately.

Grade: B+

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