PEAK, the cooperative climbing survival game collaboratively released by Aggrocrab (also known for Another Crab’s Treasure) and Landfall (also known for Totally Accurate Battle Simulator), has received a content update today called The Roots Update. The update features a new biome, items, and achievements for players to strive for either solo or with three other friends. This is the second ever major update for PEAK, which was released this last summer in June, and to promote this occasion, the developers released a small trailer showcasing a group of players in what seems to be actual gameplay of the new environment provided in the update: I mention the “actual gameplay” aspect of the trailer to focus on what the developers of PEAK market their game as: which is primarily a vehicle for you and your friends to have fun failing and stumbling upwards a mountain that at all costs doesn’t want you to climb it. This isn’t to say that the game is in and of itself not enjoyable, but more to recognize that PEAK strives to give players a good time regardless of their skill level. And while The Roots Update doesn’t seem to make any radical changes, it does look to deliver on more of this style of gameplay, as the patch notes confirm:
You know the drill! New Biome, New Items, New Badges, New Outfits! It’s PEAK!!!
That last little bit at the end of that quote serves as a double entendre that players would likely agree with, as the game sits at over 90% on Steam and has inspired many content creators to attempt a summit of PEAK’s semi-procedurally-generated mountain. Thanks to the game’s randomized run-based format, challenging movement mechanics, proximity chat, and goofy physics hazards–e.g. exploding plants that hurtle you off whatever precarious ridge you find yourself on–there’s loads of moments that makes PEAK a stand-out title in the dubiously named “friend slop” genre of co-op games it inhabits.
Details about the content added in this new update may spoil the fun of the game, as the developers warn to “Avoid it if you want to go in blind,” so read no further if you wish to discover it yourself. Exclusively in the new Roots biome shown in the trailer–which players should note will completely replace the old tropics biome until November 17th–there’s several items you can scavenge, including the Shroomberry, which gives players a random effect when consumed. In all of PEAK’s eight biomes, there are now two new traversal items you can find, as well as an additional “mystical” item, which tend to be powerful boons for runs. And finally, along with some adjustments to the game’s cooking mechanics and quality of life improvements, there are eleven more badges and accompanying cosmetic rewards you can try to reach for. But be warned, although the badges look really cool as actual, physical representations of your achievements displayed on the boyscout-inspired sash of your character, some of the challenges required to get these can feel just as hard as climbing a 13er in real life.