I’m not here to talk to you about “friendslop” or about the success story of a game for a Game Jam. I just want to talk about why I like the game.

Let’s talk about Peak.

PROS:

• Simple concept with near-perfect execution.
  • climbing can be wonky at times, but it works a majority of the time.
  • Damage and hunger are integral to the gameplay loop, and I imagine that without them the game would be pretty dull.
• The game has a level of charm, visually, that no game has ever achieved before.
  • This is coupled with the animations. The ragdoll is perfect for a game like this.
• The biomes are simple, but that one single gameplay modifier makes it all the more intense.
  • The mesa is FOR SURE the most difficult biome.
    • those fucking scorpions.
      • And the fucking dynamite.
• The update to the caldera makes the final climb way more fun and stressful than it should be.
• The map changing every couple of days adds borderline infinite replay value.
• Obligatory: The game is super fun with friends.
  • The number of players though is not relative to the amount of fun that can be had.
    • I’ve been playing with another friend and we were having just as much fun as if we were playing with 4 people.
• Badges and customization options are huge for players who love that stuff.

CONS:

• Sometimes the climbing can be ass. Getting caught on flat platforms, but you are still climbing ends runs.
• Sometimes mountain randomizations makes the difficulty make a sharp turn upwards.
• I want to see the scout master more often.

Peak, a game that has been talked about for its success in the “friendslop” genre, is more than that. It is a well put-together game. The gameplay loop is fun, with borderline no feel bad moments. There is no need for a story when the story is the journey you make with your friends. Peak is an adorable-looking video game with charm everywhere.

Games don’t need to be complex to be good. They can just put all their chips in the fun factor and still come out being a really good game(not saying that people have said this, but just reinforcing the point).

Therefore, Peak is a really good video game.

9/10