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Perish surprised me with its weapons and gameplay loop. I'm just not sure if it was a pleasant one. Here is our review for Perish, a dive into its gameplay and story.
Perish is a first-person roguelite game. It is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG. Console releases are available later this year.
PERISH Review
PERISH Overview
The first-person genre is one of my favorite genres of games. The same goes for roguelite games. That's why when I first saw Perish, a first-person roguelite game, I was very much excited to try it out. That's why when I got my copy of the game, I looked forward to what the game had in store for me. Sadly, I think I may have hyped the game for myself a little too much. To understand why this is the case, let's first go through Perish's gameplay.
PERISH Gameplay
Let's start off with the gameplay. Although slightly clunky, the game has some pretty good gameplay. The melee weapon ranges may take some getting used to, especially if you're switching from one weapon type to another. However, it still feels good when you get to hit your enemies with them. The weapon skills are also a nice addition, letting you cover for some of your weaknesses. For example, it may be difficult to take down flying enemies with your axe. However, your skill allows you to throw it, making quick work of those pesky out-of-reach enemies.
What piqued my interest, however, were some of the other weapons. To be specific, it was the guns. I was surprised that a game that really went all out in showing off an Ancient Greek aesthetic chose to include revolvers, shotguns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles into the game. Granted, they were heavily stylized to somewhat fit into the theme, but that still didn't stop me from saying “Ah yes, my favorite Ancient Greek weapon: The Revolver” to my friends while we were playing it. I was surprised at the addition of guns, but I'm not so sure if it was a nice and pleasant surprise.
The guns became an obvious choice after a while. Why would you risk getting close to enemies when you can just keep your distance and shoot enemies from afar? Why would you risk using weapons with ranged skills, when you can use a gun that always has ranged capabilities? Not only does it break the immersion, it also trivializes a lot of the game's many challenges.
Speaking of challenges, let's talk about the game's innate difficulty. While playing solo is possible, I do not recommend it. The enemy's endless spawning, partnered with the game's first-person perspective, makes it possible for enemies to spawn right behind you. I have lost count of how many times I thought I was holding the enemies off properly before receiving an attack from behind from an enemy that wasn't there before. The sheer amount of enemies you have to contend with makes it very difficult to cover all angles. Thanks to this, it's highly recommended, if not outright required, that you play with a friend when playing this game. There are just too many blindspots to take care of, and having an extra set of eyes and weapons really helps. Thankfully, the developers have fixed the spawning problem.
One thing I like about the PERISH's gameplay is the fact that every run is different. Then again, that's somewhat required for roguelite and roguelike games. Players can get tired easily if the game doesn't change what it does in the game. Although the levels repeat, the player's objectives change every time. For example, the first level has me either lighting up braziers, taking down a certain number of enemies, or defeating a particularly strong opponent. These little changes in the level help in making each run different, albeit not by much. However, this serves a second purpose, as the different objectives each have their own story.
PERISH Story
Although PERISH is mostly a roguelite game, it still has some semblance of the story. You play as an Amyetri, a spirit stuck in Purgatory, To escape, you must initiate the Rites of Orpheus, and “defeat the chthonic deities” that are blocking your path. The premise is very simple and, to be honest, very basic. You must escape Purgatory, and that's really it. The game does have deeper lore, which you get bits and pieces from. From the item descriptions to the background that the narrator mentions at the start of each level. Players can slowly piece together what the world of PERISH is like. However, I personally find it hard to when I'm too focused on trying to survive. It's pretty hard to try and appreciate a game's spoken lore when I'm too busy shooting down enemies trying to kill me.
PERISH Review Summary
Overall, I only recommend this game if you and your friends have some money and time to kill. It's definitely a multiplayer game and should be treated as such. Don't focus too much on the PERISH's story, and just have fun with your friends. If things get too boring, try to change things up by using other weapons, anything other than guns. I still believe that guns are too much for this game.
Score: 6/10
Editor's Note: ClutchPoints received a PC review copy of PERISH to allow us to cover the game. This copy did not, in any way, affect this PERISH Review's verdict.
