MOSES LAKE – There have been a variety of cooperative games released in the past couple of years, including an indie game released last month, called “Peak,” made by Aggro Crab and Landfall Games. “Peak” presents players with both a challenging and rewarding gameplay loop and is worth a try for anyone interested in a unique take on the action-adventure genre. 

“Peak” was released on Steam for the PC. Gamers play as a scout whose plane crashed on a deserted island and the only way to be saved is by climbing to the peak of the island’s mountain. This adventure can either be done solo or with a group.  

While the premise of the game seems simple enough, the challenge of tackling the mountain is nothing to be scoffed at. As a scout, you and your team are constantly at odds with the elements and any misjudgment in your ascent could lead to your demise. 

The island features four different biomes that change layout every 24 hours, starting at the shore, followed by a jungle, a snowy glacier, a lava pool and the inside of a volcano, with each providing its own set of challenges. 

With each new island comes different items along the way that can either aid or hinder your team’s ability to make it safely. These items range from explosive plants to mythical items such as the one that has saved my life on multiple occasions, Pandora’s Lunchbox. 

Each step up the mountain provides players with an endless number of choices of how to proceed, and with every success or failure, players will also earn badges that unlock new cosmetics to customize their scout to their liking.  

While the game’s popularity surged from YouTubers and their friends utilizing the in-game proximity chat for comedic moments, I think the overall climbing mechanic is solid enough to make the game stand out on its own, even as a solo player. Those familiar with the climbing and overall survival strategy from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" will find this game very familiar.  

I’ve been running the game on a Dell XPS 8940, which is not a high-end computer, but this is also not a very graphically demanding game. The only issue I've seen so far is some minor online connectivity issues and the game by default opening on an operating system that does not exist on my computer, which were both easy fixes. 

The game also provides controller support, which is something I appreciate as someone who doesn’t like using a keyboard and mouse. While some features are a little harder to use on the controller, I feel the overall experience is more defined.  

Overall, “Peak” is a fun experience that I’d highly recommend, especially to those who have a good group to climb with. I’ve played the game for about seven hours now and while I can see the overall experience getting repetitive after some time, especially after reaching the peak, I’d say that the game provides enough challenge and achievements to make it worth the price and will have you striving to reach the summit once again. 

“Peak” is available for $7.99 on Steam. The game’s minimum requirements are a 64-bit processor and operating system, operating system of Windows 10, Intel Core i5 @2.5 GHz processor or equivalent, 8 GB of RAM, graphics of GTX 1060 or RX 6600 XT, Direct X version 12 and 4 GB of available hard drive space on the PC.