On June 16, a ragtag group of developers released a game that quickly became more than your average indie game: PEAK. For what it lacks in flashiness, it more than makes up for it with a creative and charming game chock-full of entertainment value.
The premise is simple: after surviving a plane crash on an abandoned island, you and up to four friends (or more, with modding) must scale to the mountain’s peak, fighting your way through five drastically different biomes, each filled with its own unique hazards and surprises.
Tools like ropes and energy drinks help to enhance your climbing capacity, but one wrong move can spell your doom, especially if you have to deal with time constraints in the form of a slowly encroaching fog, hunger limiting the amount of stamina you have to climb with, and fall damage working against you.
Solo play is a possibility, but where PEAK truly shines is multiplayer. If I had to define my experience playing with my friends in a single sentence, “grab my hand” would be it. PEAK is all about helping your pals progress, no matter what. It’s Rule Zero in the tutorial handbook, after all!
You can boost your friends up by either working as a footstool or pulling them up cliffsides. You can even carry your friends when they fall unconscious to revive them at each checkpoint along the way. Plus, you can customize your scouts (avatars) with various outfits and sashes — the achievements you collect over time even appear like patches on them!
This game’s been referred to as “Friendslop” for the habit of prioritizing multiplayer gameplay, and honestly, I don’t see the problem — this game is best enjoyed with company. I’ve beaten it with and without help, but the friends you share the gameplay with make it the best experience to have — people to tend to your wounds, or maybe make lighthearted jokes at your expense, truly a spectrum.
If I had to give a complaint about the game, it would be the odd sense of irony this game has at my expense.
I can count the times I’ve gotten blown up by opening a chest to be met with a lit cluster of dynamite on one hand. There’s also a small amount of technical errors, though the development team tries its best to stay on top of the bugs with regular patches.
With the maps resetting on a daily basis, no two climbs are the same. And, at $7.99, PEAK offers a ridiculous amount of content for a small price. If you’re looking for a challenge, a good time, or even a reason to shout, “Don’t let go!” to your friends, PEAK delivers.
