Peak is a simple yet incredibly addictive indie game focused on scaling all kinds of hills and mountains in a goofy way. It features colorful, stylized visuals and a relaxing atmosphere, with a bit of light humor and wobbly physics on top of that.
Peak can be played solo, which may be a great way to practice and get the hang of the basics without fear of embarrassment, but it starts to truly shine in co-op multiplayer, so if you have friends who would be interested in having some silly party together, definitely give it a go.
It’s worth noting that it’s not an easy game, and it can get frustrating, especially when you make a mistake that sends you back all the way down, forcing you to retry a section of a stage. Don’t lose hope, though; with our tips, you’ll have a much better chance of surviving and getting to the top in one piece.
Down below, you’ll find a handful of useful tips on how to play the Peak video game!
1. Why Peak is a Challenge Worth Climbing
A unique blend of cooperation, survival, and vertical traversal makes Peak a standout and demanding experience.
The first general tip is: don’t get discouraged if you’re struggling at the beginning. The game can be difficult at times, and controls can be confusing for a beginner, but it’s a fair challenge that rewards those who are willing to learn how to play. The more you play, the easier it will be to climb efficiently. Once you get the grasp of how Peak works, you’ll be glad you kept going and haven’t given up after facing some major obstacles. Peak has a lot to offer, but only if you push through the difficult parts, you’ll be able to appreciate it fully.
2. Understand the Terrain
Each day brings a new procedural island with four deadly biomes and no forgiving paths.
Peak features four vastly different biomes: shore, tropics, alpine, and caldera. It’s important to familiarize yourself with each of them, as the differences are not limited to visuals. Each biome has its own hazards and environmental gimmicks you need to be aware of.
Shore is relatively easy and has coconuts that you can cook.
Tropics have heavy rainfalls that will make surfaces more slippery. It’s also easy to get poisoned here.
Alpine is a domain ruled by treacherous cold; use the terrain to protect yourself from blizzards.
Caldera is filled with fire and lava; this kind of damage can’t be easily mitigated, so you’ll have to focus on avoiding it completely.
3. Prepare Before the First Climb
Gear up, manage your loadout, and learn the core mechanics before setting foot on the mountain.
Once you start a new adventure and land on the shore, you’ll find a guidebook on the ground at your starting position. Give it a read, as it provides a basic tutorial and covers topics such as controls, stamina, hunger, and more.
As you play, you’ll find a lot of useful items. To survive in Peak, you’ll have to learn how to manage your inventory because even though having more items may sound useful, it will also slow you down. The heavier your backpack, the less stamina you’ll have; managing stamina is extremely important in this game, so you’ll have to make some tough decisions and decide on the fly what to pick and what to leave.
And remember to eat regularly.
4. Multiplayer Tips
Survival hinges on coordination – share items, revive teammates, and plan your climbs together.
Peak shines in multiplayer and has some new, useful interactions when played in co-op that should make the climbing a bit easier. You can revive friends, share items with them, give them a helping hand, and brainstorm to find the most optimal routes quickly.
Don’t play around with a Banana Peel as it can make other players trip and fall down.
And whatever you do, remember to stick to the group. If you separate by either going in different directions or leaving someone behind, you’ll get haunted by a deadly Scoutmaster for disobeying the rules of climbing.
5. Item Mechanics 101
Master tools like the rope cannon and chain launcher to bypass obstacles and gain elevation effectively.
In Peak, there are a number of cool items to find and utilize during play. It will take you a while to learn everything about them, but there’s no rush. Just keep playing and experimenting, and you’ll master all item mechanics eventually.
Cook the food for more potent restorative effects and use healing items to offset the damage caused by explosive chests. Try new foods on a safe, flat ground, so you don’t fall down if it’s poisonous. Also, try to save chain launchers for the final biome, as they’ll be super useful there due to difficult terrain.
6. Know the Danger Signs
If it looks dangerous, it probably is – learn to recognize hazards before they send you tumbling.
There are numerous dangers in Peak that aren’t obvious at first, but you can quickly learn how to recognize them. For example, in the shore biome, you’ll find wooden bridges. Usually, they’re safe, but sometimes you’ll hear cracking noises – that’s a sign that the bridge is about to collapse. Tread carefully and make sure the bridge is solid before you go too far.
7. Route Strategy
Sometimes, down is the way forward – explore all directions to find safer or smarter paths.
Even though the game is focused on climbing, you don’t necessarily have to go up at any cost. Always look around and plan ahead; what appears to be obviously a better path at the moment may turn into a subpar choice in the long run. You have to consider not only what’s best now but also what options you’ll have when you take a certain route. For example, taking a detour may be worth it if there’s a chest or food source waiting there. You should always analyze the surroundings and plan a few steps ahead.
8. Recovery and Comebacks
Use ancient statues for revives and build fallback zones with campfires and shared supplies.
If you’re playing in co-op with friends, you can revive others by various means, but the most useful one is undoubtedly the ancient statue, which can be found at the top of each biome. By interacting with it, you’ll revive everyone in your team.
For this reason, it’s often not worth the effort to go back and help someone if they fall and find themselves in a downed state. If they went too far down, just leave them be and focus on climbing; you’ll help them more if you manage to make it to the statue.
9. Level Up Your Climb
Earn badges, discover new paths daily, and challenge yourself with replayed climbs to improve.
Peak features a lot of challenges for players to complete, and a new random map every day. If you’re serious about the game, try to complete all objectives. It won’t only make you a better and more experienced player but will also reward you with access to new customization options for your character.
10. From Tenderfoot to Trailblazer
Build skills and confidence with every climb – your journey to the Peak is one step at a time.
Peak is a game that’s easy to learn but a bit harder to master. Experience will come with time, so keep playing and, most importantly, have fun. You’ll gradually improve and invent your own strategies that work best for you and your personal playstyle. The more you play, the more you’ll build your instincts on how to play, which items to pick up, when to eat, and what decisions to make.
Conclusion
Peak can be quite challenging if you’re new to the game. Even though it’s fun to keep experimenting and discovering all the mechanics and interactions on your own, don’t hesitate to use guides to learn more and improve quicker.