Rift of the NecroDancer

Rift of the NecroDancer is a clever rhythm game that innovates on some of the genre’s best ideas.

With Rift of the Necrodancer, Brace Yourself Games has picked up the rhythm genre and, well, riffed on it. This is a smart, stylish remix of what rhythm games can be. By swapping prescriptive note charts for more involved pattern reading, it cracks open a whole new dimension of challenge – one where you will feel both cool and overwhelmed at the same time.

It’s a clever core concept that doesn’t wear out its welcome with additional complications or gimmicks, opting instead to deliver the best experience possible based on that core.

Rift of the Necrodancer captures the true essence of music by creatively visualizing rhythm.

Cadence and friends return in Rift of the NecroDancer, a full-fledged rhythm game that uses Crypt of the NecroDancer's specialties to its advantage.

All in all, Rift of the Necrodancer is an absolute blast, even if I’m a tone deaf dud at it. It’s colorful, has some creatively funny writing, and the sheer creativity at play when it comes to its challenges is simply insane. It’s no surprise Brace Yourself Games ended up being called by Nintendo to develop a game based on Zelda. They are on another level of creativity that only grows greater with each new release. I at the same time am anxious and dread what they will come up with next. The only assurance is that I’ll probably suck at playing it but am likely to love it.

Rift of the NecroDancer is one of the biggest indie surprises of the last few years, taking a genre where innovation is difficult and bringing something new, but that at the same time, is clearly a great homage to the other franchises that inspired it, creating an experience that might be one of the best of its kind. With flashy visuals, extremely addictive gameplay, excellent music from a wide range of great composers, and a big variety of modes and gameplay styles, it is a complete package for anyone who is interested in rhythm games, even if they are not particularly good at them.

Rift of the NecroDancer features some interesting ideas and a great story mode, which shows how well the concepts from Crypt of the NecroDancer work in a new genre.

In taking a step back and adhering to more classical rhythm games I think that Rift lost a bit of the appeal of what made the original game special for a lot of players. While the cast and characters do retain their appeal and made me more curious about playing the original, I think that my retention with Rift of the Necrodancer will fade quickly. I'm hopeful that future instalments can find a balance between innovation and keeping the appeal of this world and characters and it won't need a Necrodancer for itself in the future.

An absolute banger of a rhythm game that stands out from the crowd, but with a difficulty level that can be intimidating