Peak's new update gives you the keys to the climb with a suite of custom settings, including the option to turn on 'Grapple Mode (Stupid)'

PEAK: The Play It Your Way Update | OUT NOW! - YouTube

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Here's my problem with Peak: I love the climb as much as the next person, but I don't have the patience for waiting out the snow storm or hiding until the wind settles. Reaching the top of the mountain is hard enough without the elements themselves fighting you. And that's why I'll be turning those off in Peak's new "Play It Your Way Update".

Nothing is off the table when it comes to the custom settings the developers of Peak have delivered in today's update. Dangers such as fall damage, spiders, and even hunger can simply be turned off. Don't trust your friends? Remove the blowgun from the item pool entirely by unchecking the box. Trust your friends a little too much? Leave the blowgun as the only item available and see which one of you isn't invited to the next hangout.

These custom expeditions live separate from the normal mode, which is to say they're purely for fun and don't reward you with any badges. That is probably why one of the options is just called "Grapple Mode (Stupid)" where each of you are given a rescue claw with unlimited uses. No mods needed: The tools to break the game are in everyone's hands now.

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I don't know what the actual peak of Peak looks like because my friends and I are adults who have to go to bed at a reasonable time, but thankfully developers Aggro Crab and Landfall made a mode for boring people like us called a mini run. Instead of braving all six biomes in succession, mini runs let you sample just one of them and pretend you beat the game. Now, nobody has to know you skipped the desert because you can't be trusted around cacti.

I could be persuaded to take on a full climb now that campfires save your progress as long as you return before the daily map changes, though. Some biomes are especially arduous and have me sweating all the way until the end. The Dark Souls fan in me appreciates having the opportunity to rest for a while before facing the horrors again.

Like most Peak updates, Aggro Crab and Landfall say there are "a few fun surprises" along with all the known changes. It also says more updates to the custom expedition menu are coming in the future, and now I'm curious how wild it's going to get with it. One of the most popular mods already breaks the four player limit by allowing up to 20 players, but maybe Aggro Crab can go even higher. It would also be neat to see a Call of Duty-style zombies mode become possible by having the option to spawn hordes of them while you climb. Or just give me a free-for-all mode where everyone rushes to the top as the deadly fog rises like it's Fall Guys.

Peak continues to earn its $8 price—or I should say five bucks, because eight bucks is basically five bucks, much like twelve bucks is ten bucks… or whatever Peak co-creator Nick Kaman said in January.

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