We could almost see it. That PEAK we’ve been dreaming of. But there’s a voice inside my head saying we’ll never reach it. Every step we’re taking, every move we make, feels lost with no direction. Our faith was shaken. But we gotta keep trying. We gotta keep our heads held high. We all know there’s gonna be another mountain. We’re always gonna wanna make it move. There will always be an uphill battle. Sometimes, we’re going to have to lose. It isn’t about how fast we get there. It isn’t about what’s waiting on the other side. No, that’s not the point of PEAK. It’s the climb. That’s what matters at the end of the day. We made it happen, and it was an utterly brilliant time. I can’t wait to make it happen again.
PSA: Don’t Touch The Exploding Spores in The Tropics in ‘PEAK’
Our run of PEAK started exactly as it did countless times before. Crash landed, abandoned at the base of an ever-changing mountain. Our ragtag group of scouts gathered up everything we could. Bugles were played. Bing Bong was grabbed and stuffed into a backpack. With that, we set out on our typical adventure once again. The first mountain? Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. As it should be, to be fair. There were a few struggles, as one of our scouts kept losing connection to the server, but we got that sussed out eventually. But the Tropics. The Tropics had some tragedy waiting for us.
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Our group consisted of me, donning my best Donald Duck cosplay. Coatsie, with his perpetual scowl and blue-tinged skin clashing against his brightly-colored Hawaiian shirt. Tails, looking a bit like Sailor Venus, but wearing an aviator cap to keep up his high-flying roots. And the newbie to the group, donning his signature pink skin to match his Flamingo-inspired name. We made it to the Tropics without much issue, but if you’ve ever played PEAK before, you know that no issues means something big is about to happen. Splitting apart into groups of two, I follow my blue pal as we expertly dodge the exploding spores and urchins that line the mountains.
Or So, We Thought We Were Expertly Dodging the Exploding Spores in ‘PEAK’
The echoing voices of Tails and the Flamingo ring in my ear from my left cup. They’re making good progress, just as we are. But we know we need to keep up. Gripping onto the mountain, we start to progress across a perilous gap, with Coatsie leading the way. But then, suddenly, the muffled puff of an exploding spore rings out. I hear my blue-tinged buddy let out a scream, as we know our time on this Earth is slowly approaching its end.
We tried so hard. And got so far. But in the end, it didn’t even matter. In a moment of rage, I scream out “YOU PIECE OF SHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT”, my voice likely doppler-effecting in his headset as we ricochette off of rocks on our ever-hastening descent toward the bottom of the mountain. Tails and Flamingo are too far up to save us, so we must become ghosts and hope that they can survive.
First off, to Coatsie. I apologize for my momentary lapse in judgment. You proved yourself, multiple times, not to be what I claimed you were in my death scream. Rather, you saved my bacon multiple times, and I’m more than happy to post a public Notes App apology, now that we’ve officially hit the peak of PEAK. Secondly, Tails and Flamingo made their way to the top of the Tropics, bringing us back to life with ease.
The Kiln Almost Made Us Meet Our Makers Once Again
Our hunger was slowly getting the best of us. Fatigue was hitting quickly. Knees were weak, arms were heavy. Should have packed something, perhaps a bit of Mom’s Spaghetti, or something similar. But we knew we could make it if we tried our best. Coatsie, Tails, and I had made it to the Kiln once before, but it proved to be a little too much for us to handle that first time around. But adding our Flamingo friend added to the crew? We had just enough to finally tackle this summit and lay our claim to the highest point of the mountain.
Our fight to the top wasn’t without its struggles, however. My life, in particular, almost came to an end after a risky jump for some luggage almost resulted in my doom. As I jumped, sliding toward the underside of this rock formation, I had just enough stamina to make it to the top. Was the luggage worth it? Absolutely not. A sports drink and some bandages almost caused me to lose my life near the top of the mountain. We had an effigy if something were to go wrong, but I also didn’t want to have someone resurrect me if I could prevent it.
But finally, after roughly an hour and a half of some of the most harrowing experiences of our lives, we made it. We broke out from the Kiln and ran toward the light. The beauty of the mountain was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life before this point. Our dwindling stamina, the sweat and tears we experienced over this time, had finally culminated in one of the most rewarding finishes ever.
We Conquered the Mountain of ‘PEAK’, and It Was Exactly as Its Name Stated. But We Need To Do It Again.
We each grab a flare and ignite it. We did it. The top of the mountain has been reached, and we made our escape. New badges adorn our sashes, and we return to the lobby, exhausted and excited about what we just did. But seeing as PEAK changes its mountain every day? We need to do it again. Bigger, better, and bolder than ever before. We challenged the ice, lava, the tropics, and the Kiln and escaped unscathed. Truly PEAK gameplay and an amazing experience all in all.
PEAK has solidified its spot in our seemingly monthly rotation of ‘friendslop’ titles. Lethal Company, Lockdown Protocol, R.E.P.O., and even Content Warning have provided us with some astonishingly good gaming memories. But PEAK may have taken the crown after this run.
