A new game from the developers of “Crypt of the NecroDancer” turns classic rhythm games into chaotic, monster-slaying battles.
“Rift of the NecroDancer,” the latest endeavor from Brace Yourself Games, features more traditional rhythm gameplay, the notes visualized on a ‘road’ of sorts.
However, this style is innovated on by the fact that these notes take the form of dozens of different monsters, each with their own behaviors and quirks.
Zombies will jump between tiles as they move towards the player, skeletons will run away when the player hits them and swordmasters will dash at the player from huge distances. This, along with various traps that change the battlefield even further, turns each song into a mad dash for survival.
These monsters also give a lot of personality to the tracks — each has crispy sound effects that sync with the songs, and the way they bump down the screen on beat makes it very easy to bob your head along with the music.
On the topic of the music, the soundtrack boasts over 30 original playable tracks and 48 total songs. The composers come from all over, with past projects ranging from “The Binding of Isaac” to “EXTREME MEATPUNKS FOREVER.”
Each song also has four custom-made difficulties: easy, medium, hard, and impossible. Levels can get difficult quickly, but they’re ordered in a way that gives a surprisingly smooth experience.
The game has plenty of quality-of-life options, such as adjusting for audio and video delays, button remapping and accessibility settings.
For players who want a more structured playthrough, the game also offers a story mode, with short cutscenes, boss battles and “Rhythm Heaven” inspired minigames.
If that isn’t enough to satisfy the player, though, “Rift of the NecroDancer” comes with a built-in section for community-made tracks.
In the month since the game was released, there have been over 1,500 custom songs made by the community, including everything from “MEGALOVANIA” [Undertale] to “Not Like Us” [Kendrick Lamar]. These songs vary wildly in difficulty, placed on an “intensity” scale from one to 30.
The game itself is also more difficult than most rhythm games but in a fair and rewarding way. Having to remember and react to the unique monsters adds a new dimension to an otherwise static, muscle memory-based genre.
For every level, the player has 10 health — don’t be fooled, though, because health can dissipate as quickly as the beat comes.
However, if the player already has a combo going, their first missed note won’t hurt them, acting like a temporary shield. On top of that, extra health comes to them by way of miscellaneous food items on the field.
This mix of both challenge and leniency makes for some intense moments; oftentimes the player will be surviving on one health for a long time just to finally get some food and barely scrape through the level.
All of this combined with a stellar art direction makes for a stylish, vibrant and fun time.
Characters bob with the beat, make exaggerated expressions and call out taunts from the sidelines. Even menu options will bump along with the music.
Overall, “Rift of the NecroDancer” makes for a challenging but exciting rhythm game, one well worth its $20 cost, and the community will make sure that there’s plenty of content for years to come.