Why ‘Risk Of Rain’ Dev Ditched Side-Scrolling Gameplay For 3D Sequel

Hopoo Games has announced that it is working on “Risk of Rain 2,” the sequel to its well-received rogue-like game. Find out more about the new title below.

While most sequels retain the gameplay of their predecessors, Hopoo Games is planning a different thing for its “Risk of Rain” sequel, which it simply named as “Risk of Rain 2.” The developer surprised fans of its previous works today when it revealed that it’s working on the second installment for its rogue-like game. More shocking is the fact that the development for the game has been ongoing for the past six months.

“We’ve been working on a new game for about 6 months, and we’ve been shooting ideas back and forth on ow the best way to announce it… Announcing the game is a delicate process,” the developer said in a blog post. “But… we really want to share with people what we’ve been working so hard on, and we really can’t keep our lips sealed much longer, so we’re just gonna throw it out there with a devblog. So here it is: DevBlog: #1 for ‘Risk of Rain 2.’”

Original vs. Sequel

The original “Risk of Rain” was well-received because of its addictive elements as a side-scrolling shooter, rogue-like game. The procedurally generated game kept players entertained and hooked because of the increasing difficulty of enemies the longer they (the players) were alive. Unfortunately for fans who were looking to enjoy the same elements with the sequel, Hopoo has decided to take the project to a new direction.

The developer is ditching 2D graphics of the original game for full 3D. Hopoo even proudly announced that “Risk of Rain 2” will be its first fully 3D project. Because of this, players shouldn’t expect the sequel to be side-scrolling anymore. The game will look and feel totally different since Hopoo has said that 3D technology would allow them to go for “much deeper design spaces and more possibilities for cool gameplay.” Hopoo also mentioned another good reason why “Risk of Rain 2” will be in 3D. According to the developer, the game “plays even better in 3D” as it won’t have crashing issues anymore.

Hopoo has included a couple of screenshots and GIFs to show fans what it is currently working on. However, it gave a caveat that the final product could look very different from what fans can see in the visual materials. “None of the systems, artstyles, assets or game design choices will necessarily translate to the final game.”

Based on the screenshots and GIFs however, it appears that the sequel will still feature the same spacesuit-clad main character. It’s also noticeable that Hopoo is going to retain the fast-paced bullet hell combat of the first game, as pointed out by IGN.

Release Date & Devblogs

There’s no mention of a release date yet, and this is understandable knowing that the game is still very early in development. Nonetheless, the Hopoo team promised that more information will be provided in the next few devblogs. The team also vowed that they are doing the best that they can to bring fans the “coolest game.”

The first “Risk of Rain” game was first launched on PC in 2013, before it made its way to the PS4 and PS Vita platforms in 2016.