What’s new in Risk of Rain Returns? All new content in Risk of Rain Returns
What’s old is new again.
Mitchell Demorest 
Image via Gearbox YouTube
In recent years, Risk of Rain 2 may have stolen the limelight from its 2D predecessor. But an announcement from developer Hopoo Games indicates that the first Risk of Rain will get an encore of its own with a remake titled Risk of Rain Returns, arriving sometime in 2023. But with a gap of 14 years between Risk of Rain and this remake, what kind of overhauls and additions can we expect to see?
Related: Risk of Rain Returns reimagines the classic roguelike from Hopoo Games and Gearbox
New Survivors and abilities
Risk of Rain Returns will feature a total of 15 playable Survivors to unlock and use. This means the game will have three more when compared to the original Risk of Rain, but one of those seems to be a returning character from Risk of Rain 2, as the Steam page states that Risk of Rain Returns will feature “two entirely new Survivors.” Neither of the new Survivors has been revealed yet, but if it’s anything like new characters arriving in Risk of Rain 2, we should expect to see them teased a bit before release. All of the game’s Survivors, new and old, will also be receiving new, unlockable abilities.
Visual and audio overhauls
Hopoo’s announcement trailer of Returns was entirely a cinematic trailer that didn’t give a good look at proper gameplay. However, the game’s new Steam page does have a few screenshots showing off a fresh coat of paint that retains the original’s pixelated style, but with a more airy, layered aesthetic that should add some texture to the areas you’ll be exploring. The game will also receive new SFX, as well as some brand-new music tracks.
New ways to play
One point about “new ways to play” is the most general (and most overlooked) tidbit that the Steam page and accompanying dev announcement mentioned in regard to Returns. We do at least know that the game will receive a bunch of new enemies and items, some of which are returning from Risk of Rain 2. It will also get some new stage variants, although what exactly that entails is still up in the air.
Multiplayer update
The heart of Risk of Rain has always been its co-op mode. This mode was fun, but also a bit of a shame — while local multiplayer for the original was fairly straightforward, online co-op was a hassle that involved using third-party software to emulate a LAN connection. Thankfully, Risk of Rain Returns is addressing this issue by finally fully integrating online multiplayer, meaning it’ll be easier than ever to experience the game the way it was always meant to be played: together.
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