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ComparisonRisk of Rain 2 vs Risk of Rain Returns:
Aiming, Positioning and Escape Routes
Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain ReturnsImages: Steam store (Risk of Rain 2, Risk of Rain Returns)
Shared item combinations do not make Risk of Rain 2 and Risk of Rain Returns interchangeable: finding a firing position and an escape route works differently.
We compare aiming, terrain, when to stop exploring and how you use the power you find, then look at Eclipse and Providence Trials as reasons to keep playing.
Which one is for you
Risk of Rain 2 is for you if…A good fit if you want to plan firing angles and movement routes together while deciding which items to give up at a Scrapper.It also suits players who want to try a survivor’s skills and refine their approach as Eclipse adds restrictions.
Risk of Rain Returns is for you if…A good fit if you want to combine horizontal aiming with platform movement and master abilities such as Toxic Bubble that serve both combat and traversal.It also suits players who want to select challenges outside regular runs and test abilities in Providence Trials while unlocking alternatives.Screenshots
Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain Returns
Steam data side by side
| Risk of Rain 2 | Risk of Rain Returns | |
|---|---|---|
| 93%Very Positive242,478 reviews · all languages | Positive reviews | 89%Very Positive24,859 reviews · all languages |
| US$24.99 | Price (United States) | US$14.99 |
| 80.5 hours | Playtime at review | 20.5 hours |
| Playable | Steam Deck | Verified |
| Aug 11, 2020 | Release date | Nov 9, 2023 |
| Hopoo Games | Developer | Hopoo Games |
| Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean | Languages | Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean |
What each game is
Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 uses a third-person view and three-dimensional terrain, so finding a position to hit an enemy differs from horizontal aiming in Risk of Rain Returns.
Enemies grow stronger with time, putting detours for loot and movement toward the next stage on the same clock.
A Scrapper turns chosen items into Scrap that printers consume first, letting you keep an effect now or give it up in preparation for a later exchange.
Engineer’s Bubble Shield blocks explosions from outside it, making your position relative to the shield another consideration alongside aiming at enemies.
Artifacts can change item selection, letting you switch between adapting to what drops and trying a chosen build.
You can head toward the final boss and escape or keep looping, changing the goal you are building toward.
Risk of Rain Returns
Combat in Risk of Rain Returns takes place across side-view platforms, using horizontal spacing and height to find attacking positions rather than circling through three-dimensional terrain.
With horizontal mouse aiming, the side you place the cursor on determines whether you fire left or right.
Enemies also strengthen over time here, tying platform traversal for items to the decision to advance.
Acrid’s alternate Toxic Bubble can poison enemies, be struck to move it, and serve as a bouncing platform for allies, making the same ability useful for attacking and traversal.
Drifter gathers scrap from defeated enemies to produce temporary items, choosing whether to use them herself or help teammates.
You can also select alternate survivor abilities before a run, giving you another way to change your approach alongside items found along the way.
For experienced players
Risk of Rain 2
In Eclipse, wins with each survivor add restrictions, prompting you to rethink how you play even a familiar character.
One restriction shrinks the teleporter’s radius, making where you keep fighting a concern alongside moving to evade attacks.
Risk of Rain Returns
Providence Trials use dedicated stages and specified survivors and abilities to test movement or combat outside regular runs.
Alternate abilities unlocked there can be used in the main game, turning a trial’s techniques into options for a later run.
Consider whether you want to learn its platform combat rather than expect the same escape routes as in Risk of Rain 2.
How they play differently
Where to aim and where to retreat
You can change firing angles through three-dimensional terrain and use Engineer’s Bubble Shield to fight from a position protected against external explosions.
Horizontal mouse aiming chooses left or right, while Toxic Bubble can double as a platform, separating the choice of firing direction from how you gain height.
When to stop looking for loot and move on
Explore three-dimensional terrain for loot while enemies strengthen over time, deciding whether to keep searching or move on.
Cross platforms in search of items while enemies strengthen over time, deciding whether to keep searching or advance to the next stage.
How to use the power you gain
A Scrapper sacrifices current item effects for Scrap that printers consume first, asking whether you can accept being weaker until the exchange.
Drifter produces temporary items, asking whether to use that power herself or pass it to a teammate.
What to practise after learning the basics
Eclipse adds restrictions per survivor, asking you to refine regular runs around changes such as a smaller teleporter radius.
Providence Trials offer dedicated movement and combat challenges, with alternate abilities to unlock for the main game.
What reviews praise
Risk of Rain 2
- Reviewers enjoy playing runs with friends.
- Combining items and watching attacks grow stronger is a rewarding part of building a run.
- Players like switching survivors to try different abilities and fighting styles.
- Unlocking characters, items and alternate skills gives players goals for the next run.
- Artifacts are appreciated for letting players revisit familiar runs under different rules.
- Players enjoy using their growing knowledge of exploration and items to decide how to spend their time.
Risk of Rain Returns
- Trying another survivor’s abilities and fighting style is part of the appeal.
- Providence Trials are appreciated as challenges to work on outside regular runs.
- Players familiar with the original appreciate the refreshed pixel art for retaining its original feel.
- Players familiar with the original appreciate enjoying its familiar music again.
- Reviewers describe enjoying co-op runs with family or friends.
- Players find satisfaction in more deliberate positioning when the side-view format changes how they escape being surrounded.
What reviews flag
Risk of Rain 2
- Getting stuck searching for the teleporter has made exploration frustrating.
- Reviews describe co-op becoming less enjoyable when teammates compete for chests and loot.
- Runs can lose their freshness for players who start to find progression or builds too familiar.
Risk of Rain Returns
- The difficulty and repeated tasks in Providence Trials have felt more burdensome than enjoyable to players.
- Reviews describe confusion over whether to loop again or proceed toward the final boss.
- Players report being unable to start online co-op because they could not create a lobby or connect to a teammate.
Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain Returns
If you're still deciding
If you want to change firing angles across open terrain and reshape your inventory along the way, revisit the Risk of Rain 2 sections on aiming and the Scrapper.
If you want to work with horizontal spacing and platforms, then test abilities in dedicated challenges, look back at Toxic Bubble and Providence Trials in Risk of Rain Returns.
About the data and reviews
Table values are public Steam data; prices are from the United States store. Review points come from the 100 most helpful reviews of the past year for each game, and only points raised in at least three reviews are included. They do not represent every buyer's opinion.
These comments come from the review samples read for each game. They are player impressions, not specifications or a verdict representing every buyer.