PERISH Review

Courtesy of the lovely people at ITEM42 and HandyGames, We’ve been spending a little time with their Greek-mythology inspired FPS, Perish. This roguelite title is a fast-paced and violent adventure through the Greek underworld. We’re bringing you our full Perish review, as well as our common-sense parent’s guide and accessibility rating. Find the video review just below and keep reading for our extended written review.

The Basics – What is PERISH About?

In PERISH you’ll play as Amyetri, a now corporeal spirit who has been been condemned to walk the half-life of purgatory. By carving your way through the chthonic deities of Purgatory, you hope to gain access to Elysium, essentially the Greek version of Heaven.

PERISH sees you start with the simplest of weapons, a broken sword with a nub of a blade. Through fast-paced first-person gameplay you’ll get as far through Purgatory as you can. As you complete objectives and defeat enemies you’ll earn danake, and unlock new weapons and buffs. As a bonus, you can do all this with up to three friends, though you might end up arguing over kill stealing. [n.b. Huge thanks to Mr Craiggy for coming with us to check this one out – Ed].

PERISH brings some real DOOM-like vibes, with movement being a vital constant companion throughout your travels. Between levels, you’ll also need to decide whether to risk the currency you have earned so far and continue to unlock more available upgrades, or return to the Sanctuary to bank your danake and unlock and equip them.

As you upgrade, you’ll look to push further and further through the realms of Purgatory. As you do so, equipping new melee and ranged weapons, crowns, rings and Rites of Orpheus will give you a push to continue. PERISH does very well at hooking you in for “just one more go”, and while we’d like to see a greater variety in challenges and level areas, it has sucked up a lot of our time trying to squeeze just a little further along.

Is PERISH Safe for Children?

Rating:Caution Advised.

PERISH doesn’t currently have a PEGI or ESRB rating, and without releasing on console it’s unlikely to get one soon. It brings fast-paced blood-soaked gameplay through Greek Purgatory, and comes with all of the demons and violence which you might expect. Because of the slightly average visuals and some jerky animation, fear doesn’t play a huge part, but the action is inherently violent. Due to online features, it’s important to keep an eye on who young ones are playing with. Overall, we would say this one is suitable for those 16 years and older, and it’s picking up a rating of Caution Advised.

Is PERISH Accessible?

Rating:Tricky.

PERISH is not an easy title, and while it does come with easier difficulty options it defaults you on to tougher settings as as standard. The action is fast paced and while in each main area mostly unrelenting. You’ll need quick reactions to tackle this one, and it’s not going to be great if you have a hard time with fast gameplay and finger movement. Importantly, while it’s meant to be a bit of a slog, we have found the pacing of progress to be quite good, providing buffs and bonuses to help you.

The Run Down – Our Five-Point Rating for PERISH

Gameplay – 4: There are some real similarities with titles such as Doom and Dead Cells, with fast-paced and bloody gameplay throughout. There are a good number of weapons and upgrades, and we’ve found the pacing of progress to be really good. It does feel a little basic in areas, and I’d have like to see more variety in games and levels, but I’ve had fun with it and that’s the most important thing.

Visuals – 3: the visuals in PERISH are decent enough, but while there’s nothing which has really irritated me they are holding more on the good side of average. There are a few flickering parts within loading screens, and some awkward text with these tombs of the Greek underworld referred to as Airlocks (potentially hinting at a sci-fi future setting in a previous build, which would fit with the gunplay in the game). The visuals are certainly fairly basic, but there are parts which do shine through nicey among a sea of average.

Audio – 4: PERISH comes with a nice metal soundtrack which fits the gamepay well. Impressively, while it has to repeat itself a lot, the music never really feels repetitive. Voice acting in the title has also been decent and while scripts are a little wooden they’re well recorded and effects fit the title and narrative nicely.

Narrative – 3:There is a little narrative as you work your way through the title, all based within the realms of Greek mythology. As you expect from this kind of roguelite FPS title, it is in the background for the most part, with the action taking centre stage

Replay – 3: Replay is bolstered here with the multiplayer mode, and a good selection of weapons, boosts, accessories and collectables. As a roguelite it’s one which you need to be able to play over and over, and the title manages this well. Sadly, each area only comes with a predictable rotation of three or so challenges, and with no procedural generation each area layout is exactly the same every time. Luckily, the title also brings collectable codex entries which provide a little background flavour.

The Verdict – Is PERISH Worth It?

Pixel Bandits Herculade Level for PERISH is 7. While it’s not going to be the best game you play this year, PERISH is a fairly Herculean effort for a relatively small developer. The title feels like an FPS lovechild of Doom and Dead Cells and while it could certainly do with a polish it’s taken up a lot of our time so far.

Gunplay doesn’t seem like it should fit within the ancient Greek mythology, but PERISH manages to make it work. With some improvements to enemy animations, procedural generation and variety it could be even better but as it is, PERISH can already take a lot more of your time than you ever meant it to.

As ever, to provide this review and common-sense parent’s guide, we received two free copies of PERISH from the folks at HandyGames.