PEAK Review: A Simple Idea Executed Perfectly

When two small but very talented studios combined their skills, PEAK was created. Aggro Crab is the studio behind Another Crab’s Treasure, a well-made soulslike indie game with a unique style that unfortunately did not make the impact the studio wanted. They partnered with Landfall, which is famous for making physics games, and recently, the very famous co-op game called Content Warning.

The product these two studios made proves that it is about the journey and not the destination. Whether you reached the finish or got lost along the way, you had fun with your friends. As of the time this article is written, PEAK has sold over 10 million copies, proving that budget is not as important as putting your soul into a project.

TL;DR

PEAK is easily one of the best co-op games of the year because it lets the player use their own creativity to solve the puzzle of climbing a challenging mountain. It succeeds in making your party laugh and creating special moments with each other while, at the same time, embracing the use of strategy via the different tools at the player’s disposal to use as they want.

Story, Concept – Trying to Reach the Peak

After the plane the player boarded with their scout team crashed into a mysterious island, the only way out of there is to climb to the top of the mountain with the rest of the survivors, your friends, to signal for help. Reaching the peak is no simple task. Go too fast and risk falling and dying, go too slow and a cloud of mist will appear, making you cold and unable to see clearly. The mountain is divided into five distinct maps – biomes. Each biome has its own difficulties and beauty.

Now, with the addition of MESA, the new biome that resembles the canyons of the West, PEAK has some variety that keeps it fresh. I personally think they need to add more maps in the near future in order to secure the audience’s interest.

At the shore where you begin, you will find a guidebook. You also find scattered notes at each checkpoint. All these were written by the Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster is a former leader of the scouts who also crashed on the island with his former team, but never made it out alive. His notes contain useful tips to survive, such as which food on the island can be eaten, what specific items do, and most importantly, a warning to never leave your friends behind. Legends say that if you ignore the warning, you will face the wrath of the Scoutmaster.

Somewhere along the journey, you may lose a companion due to the harsh conditions of the map – there is no need to worry, though, as the mysterious island is holding some dark secret. Once you reach the smaller peaks, to load the next biome, there are some statues there that, once you break them, your teammates respawn. In case you made it all alive, the statue offers you some ancient relic items that will come in handy along the way.

Gameplay – Simple but Addictive

Stamina Equals Health

The stamina bar in PEAK is also the health bar in a way. As you keep stepping into poisonous, exploding mushrooms or being burned by the blistering sun, your stamina bar will get reduced. When the player can no longer regenerate stamina, they fall into a coma, and if they are not saved in time, they die. Thankfully, while climbing, you can find multiple lost baggage containing useful items.

A Game that Is Easily Replayable

Every twenty-four hours, PEAK generates a new layout of each biome that exists inside it. Because of its randomness, each map can vary in difficulty, adding to the excitement of exploring a new island daily. But, in case you cannot wait for the island to refresh, there are other ways to alter your experience. The wonderful community of this game has made a large number of mods that can personalise your experience.

Graphics and Sound – Simple but Surprisingly Cute

 The graphics of the game are really simple. Simple textures combined with colourful terrain and flora, surprisingly creating a convincing, alive world. I personally caught myself taking a moment to admire the beautiful view I was seeing at the top of a cliff, looking down at the progress I had made. It may not be realistic views, but they sure are beautiful.

Moving on to the sound system, I am in conflict. PEAK has very weak sound design. Each time you climb, the same sound keeps repeating, but I found it really addictive to hear, especially when your stamina comes very close to ending, but luckily, you come on top. On top of that, I found the soundtrack really bland and basic, not really touching the feel of the game. In short, the game lacks in this sector, but it is not something that will throw you off the game in general.

Items Change the Playing Field

Items in PEAK are split into four categories: Healing, stamina effects, food, and traversing items. You can keep up to four items in your inventory at the cost of stamina, depending on the weight of the object you pick up.

There is also a backpack in PEAK, which allows you to have four more items, with the disadvantage that it needs to be dropped on the floor to access its contents. Deciding how many and which things you are gonna take with you is crucial. I found myself falling from the mountain more than once because I had no food, and I was carrying a lot of weight.

The items may be simplistic, but I want to focus on the food and the traversal options because it is very well thought out and designed. Wrapped food from the plane straight up replenishes your hunger by a lot, but is hard to find, while some plants from the island can kill you in seconds. There is another category of food you can find on the island that puts you in a dilemma because they replenish your hunger, but at the cost of some stamina.

Traversing options can save you hours while climbing. You can use a rope to help your friend climb a ledge, a chain launcher to reach across a huge gap, a rope gun to climb upwards, and when you have no other choice, the cannon can be your Hail Mary. So, make sure to keep some of this gear when you are close to the end, it will come in handy.

Climb with Friends or Alone

This is where the game really shines. Playing PEAK with friends was the most fun experience I had in a while. The game features a proximity voice chat system combined with  3D directional audio. This allows the player to feel immersed while also creating fun situations. Imagine hearing your friend in an echo, screaming as they are falling from a cliff inside a cave, right before you reach the peak. PEAK was more fun playing with friends than AAA titles like Gotham Knights, which repeat themselves in a grindy and boring manner.

If you are a solo explorer, there are things the game offers you to keep you hooked. Your personal character can be customized with different faces, colors, and clothing that you unlock by playing the game with extra difficulties, such as more fall damage or less stamina. Moreover, you can earn badges by completing achievements and wear them on your badge sash.

Conclusion – Should You Invest Your Time?

The whole experience of the game is all the different moments and situations you will encounter with your close ones, and this is why you should not pass up the opportunity to try this game along with your friends.

The simplistic gameplay makes it easy to pick up and learn, but at the same time, the daily generated maps will have you playing multiple hours trying to master the mountain. Playing alone may not be the same as with friends, but it can keep you entertained if you want something relaxing while watching a show or listening to a podcast.