I began working on RISE in 2021…
By 2023 I was burned out and unsure if a first-person co-op climbing game would appeal to anyone. After the success of PEAK in 2025, I felt reassured that it was worth finishing. I’m proud to share this mix of my favourite things - co-op games, climbing, and megastructures.
Today we’re kicking off the very first playtest for RISE!
This playtest is for the demo that we’ll be submitting to Steam Next Fest, so it’s still super early and only has a slice of what the game will eventually include.
Right now, here’s what you can do:
Load into a lobby with your friends
Travel to the first map, Eldercrag
Climb about halfway up the mountain (not the summit yet)
Use climbing axes, the camera, binoculars, and the walkie-talkie
Try out balancing, long jumps, and checkpoints
Mess around with a couple of other items (though some are only half-working)
And here’s what’s not in the demo yet (just so you know what to expect):
You can’t reach the top of the mountain
No other maps or alternate climbing routes yet
No climbing rope or player-to-player interactions
Most items don’t work yet (or are half implemented)
Lots of animations missing/incomplete
Some audio and music missing or placeholder
No tutorials, no character customization, no player list/vote kick
Physics are janky in places
Parkour has some bugs
First-person item positions need polish
No Steam integration complete yet
No keybind remapping
No controller support
No translations
Basically, this build is very limited.
There are plenty of rough edges - but that’s exactly why we’re playtesting. It’ll help me iron out bugs and see what’s fun (and what isn’t). You can tell me about any bugs you find and your experience with the game in general in our Discord - https://discord.gg/kgdtDNRS29 .
Thanks so much if you jump in and give it a go. Your feedback will be a huge help in shaping the game.
– Joe