Perish

Perish is a game that can accomplish its objectives but requires a lot more polishing. The game offers a great way for up to four players to enjoy a shooter experience in which you can face off against several hellish creatures cooperatively. While those are definite pluses, the aforementioned issues can take players away from the experience.

I would hate to discourage you from buying Perish because of the online community, or obvious lack thereof. It is an enjoyable, although slightly repetitive shooter that doesn’t rely on other players, but it definitely elevates the experience.

I guess I can imagine a group of friends spending a few moments — and even fewer brain cells — blasting through a few levels of Perish. I can’t conceive of a solo player doing anything but bouncing off the game’s repetitive and unsatisfying combat. Aside from some sharp visuals and a nonsensical blend of mythologies, Perish is just too rooted in outdated FPS tropes and bland design to spend much time with.

Perish is a two-sided coin: while on the one hand we find an excellent mixture of genres, on the other hand the not entirely in-depth exploration of roguelike themes leads it to be a good but not memorable title. A pity, since the technical and concept component rests on really solid and promising foundations.

Certainly quite entertaining with friends, "Perish" is only recommended to a limited extent for single players. While the combat usually feels good, the random rewards, repetitive levels and objectives, and lack of hit feedback quickly become frustrating. Stylistically, the game can score thanks to a unique soundtrack and the many influences of different mythologies, but unfortunately it doesn't make up for the obvious shortcomings.

Perish is a fast-paced and dynamic shooter that falls short of other titles in the same genre due to minor flaws. The Greek mythology on which the game is based is well implemented. The enemy animations are a bit odd, but that’s not something that would cost Perish any points. More problematic are the repetitive tasks and the fact that demons respawn in the same locations. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting game, and you can enjoy the overall experience with up to three other players.

Overall, Perish is a game that achieves conceptual brilliance and incorporates it down to the finest detail in many areas. Unfortunately, it stumbles when it comes to the execution. Some poor gameplay decisions hold it back, notably enemy design and spawn rates. It's entirely possible that with future updates, the game will heal its scars, but for now, they run deep, blemishing the gameplay; yet, the aesthetics remain immaculate.

Despite all these complaints, the boys and I found ourselves playing the game non-stop until 3 in the morning. There’s something oddly satisfying in the gameplay loop that makes you return for more. Most of the game’s shortcomings can be easily fixed by patches and content updates. Speaking about patches, the fourth one just dropped as I was writing this review. The patch increases enemy spawns, made an enemy less spongy and introduced a slew of bugfixes. So yeah, I see Perish becoming a sleeper hit among the co-op crowd if this keeps up. Plus, the reasonable price-point is also a boon. But… I’m not sure if I can recommend the game at its current state wholeheartedly. There’s fun to be had with friends, but your mileage will vary significantly. A safe bet would be to keep an eye on this one.

Perish doesn't do much to separate itself from the crowd of 4-player co-op FPS titles, but it does offer a great take on the genre for fans. Just don't go into this one expecting to have a good time on your own.

Perish could’ve brought Hexen and Heretic’s medieval boomer shooter vibes kicking and screaming into the 21st century to the tune of howling metal riffs, topped off with a roguelite twist. However, it offers little to incentivise you to go back for replays. Every death feels like starting the whole game over from scratch, with so little changing that each run turns into a chore. The striking set-pieces, like the twisted Herculean monster, with a cage of heads for a, well… head, crumbling the moon just to beat you, are fantastic, but they’re too few and far between to justify Perish making you start from scratch and slogging through shallow mechanics to reach those exciting moments.