The 2013 action-platforming roguelike Risk of Rain will return in 2023 with a new remake, developer Hopoo Games and Gearbox Publishing announced Tuesday. Risk of Rain Returns will boast new high-definition pixel art, new music, balance changes, and other new features, the developers said.
Risk of Rain Returns is rebuilt from the ground up, the developer said, and implements features from Risk of Rain 2, Hopoo’s 2020 sequel that brought the franchise into 3D. (Data from the original Risk of Rain won’t be compatible with its remake, the developer said, noting the “reworked codebase” of Returns.) Revamped multiplayer will make it “easier than ever to play with friends,” the studio said.
“As we chart our future as developers, it was important to us that we look back on our early work,” said Duncan Drummond, co-founder of Hopoo Games, in a news release. “Risk of Rain Returns is a small token of our appreciation to this incredible community.”
The original Risk of Rain was created by a small team of student developers and was crowdfunded through Kickstarter. Risk of Rain was published by Chucklefish on Windows PC in 2013, and went on to win the Best Student Game award at the 2014 Independent Games Festival. The game was later ported to Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One.
In Polygon’s review of the original Risk of Rain, we praised the game for its ability to blend difficulty and approachability. “It mixes together the challenge, randomness and discovery that make roguelikes so endlessly replayable, but in a form that also feels more welcoming,” we said. The 3D sequel Risk of Rain 2 was likewise lauded as “the Mario 64 of roguelikes.”
Risk of Rain Returns will be released on Nintendo Switch and Windows PC via Steam sometime next year.