PERISH
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for PERISH
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.
Perish is a solid FPS roguelike with tons of replayability, often giving off a DOOM-vibe that pushes you to the limits of your own sanity.
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.
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 Aside from some sharp visuals and a nonsensical blend of mythologies, Perish is just too rooted in outdated FPS tropes and bland design to spend much time with.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 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.
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 offers a great world to explore and a surprising amount of graphical prowess for an indie roguelike. The setting is intriguing and the combat varied and engaging enough. The game stumbles with framerate drops and a gameplay loop that may not have been finetuned to perfection, though if you have a crew to play with, Perish still offers a good amount of fun that's worth your time.
Perish has the potential to be a decent title in the saturated cooperative first-person shooter space. Unfortunately, its lack of polish prevents it from being a worthwhile consideration. It simply is an inferior version of other more famous titles without offering anything unique.
