Mmmm coconut
I absolutely adore PEAK. I was gifted this game from a friend and I've made my money's worth from it. I reviewed this game on Steam, but that was in part to complete community quests for a profile badge.
Climbing is both fun and rewarding, but also deadly and stressful. And this game manages to capture that aspect very well with its design, mechanics, items, and lore. A friend gifted me this game and I have played a lot of it on my own when I've not had much to do. But it is very replayable and highly enjoyable, especially with the new update.
Overall, 9/10! I recommend you give it a play as it has definitely been worth my time!
Without spoiling the game, I can say that my review still holds up. I've played a lot on my own and with friends and I've almost completed the game however, I am still missing 2 badges. After this point, I will be talking about the game, so if you have not completed the game or do not wish to see spoilers, you can pause here. If you hover over a spoiler, it will reveal itself. (If you're on mobile, you might need to tap on it.)
Potential for more
I'm not going to say the "no game is perfect" line because that's not why I gave PEAK a 9. This game took me by surprise and I've enjoyed experimenting with the gameplay. Playing with friends and completing the badges made me change strategies and tactics for how to focus on the climbing. However, now that I am essentially at the end of the game, there is not a lot to do now.
In the review, I suggested that a "custom ascent" could be an interesting concept for expert players and those wanting to learn items. If you've played Ultimate Chicken Horse, you'll know that you can customise the items that are given in the party box at the start of the game. You can change the chances of items spawning, or remove them completely from the item pool. If you want to go crazy and make beehives more frequent, you can do it. This is exactly the idea that I was describing with the custom ascent.
Letting the player choose which rules or item chances are possible in the lobby would allow for a practice mode or challenge mode depending on how you look at it. It would be interesting to mix certain ascent level conditions, such as having the night be cold but hunger remains the same as a normal PEAK ascent. Letting the player adjust rules would also be interesting. Like "does the lava rise in The Kiln" or "does the Scoutmaster spawn" could add further training and challenges for beginners and experts. If there was slightly more customisation, I would probably give this game a solid 10.