Rift of the NecroDancer Review: Let’s Rock This Rift
Cadence is back! Unfortunately, so is the NecroDancer. Don’t be put off by his beard net.
Rift of the NecroDancer from Developers Brace Yourself Games and Tic Toc Games is a rhythm game reminiscent of classics like Guitar Hero or Rock Bank and it is the sequel to 2015’s Crypt of the NecroDancer. You play as Cadence who has been transported through a mysterious rift along with all manner of baddies. With multiple rifts showing up all over this world, some of Cadence’s friends have been transported too. With the power of music, Cadence and her friends are able to send these monsters back, but it’s up to you to find out where these rifts are coming from, stop future rifts from opening and find a way to get everyone back home.
After three tutorial levels you’re given free reign to move on and choose what game mode you’d like to start with. Regular play allows you to try your skills at any of the songs available in the game. You can choose your difficulty level and try it normally, in Practice Mode (where you cannot fail the song) or in Shopkeeper Mode. Shopkeeper mode is still a bit of a mystery to me, but seems to be mostly the same as normal but you are partnered up with the shopkeeper who sings along with the music in a stunning operatic voice.
Challenge mode has you playing songs with certain modifiers that increase the difficulty of the song. Some challenges have you playing the song with only one life or not being able to see notes until they’re very close to the bottom of the screen. It’s just an extra way to have a little bit of fun if you find regular play or Story Mode doesn't challenge you in the way you might like. You can also go into the “custom music” section where you can play songs that other players in the community have created or even make your own songs if the inspiration strikes. There are also Daily Challenges that allow you to take on songs with new and unique rules each day.
Outside of those game modes, you can of course dive into the story where players will discover what’s going on with the rifts in this world and help some of Cadence’s friends who have also found themselves trapped there. In between moments of dialogue and regular rhythm rifts, Story Mode features mini-games that will likely remind players of the DS classic Rhythm Heaven where you have to do activities in time with the music. The mini-games will have you taking a yoga class, practicing your breathing, helping a friend out with their part time job, and more. They’re a great little palette cleanser between each rhythm rift. There are also boss battles which mostly consist of quick time events where you must hit buttons quickly as they appear on the screen in order to do damage to the boss. While bosses are definitely a fun addition, not many of them are anywhere near as difficult as a regular rhythm rift.
While Rift of the NecroDancer looks like the classics, it plays pretty differently from your average rhythm game. Notes move from back to front down the board which is split into three lanes. Each lane corresponds to each arrow key on the keyboard (or the corresponding button on your game controller if you choose to play that way.) “Notes” in this case refer to enemies that are all different from one another. Slimes, zombies, skeletons - you name it, and it’s probably going to come pouring out of the rift. Each enemy must be hit in a particular way. For example, green slimes are your standard one hit note but blue slimes must be hit twice once they reach the bottom of the board. For worms, you have to hold down the arrow key that corresponds to it. So far all of this isn’t too difficult to learn, but as you progress and more creatures come out of the rift, things start to get incredibly challenging.
Green zombies move at a diagonal across the board until they reach the bottom. Harpies skip beats moving forward much more quickly then a normal enemy. Large skulls when hit will break into skeletons that then also need to be hit and so on and so forth with the large variety of enemies that you’ll see when you play through the tutorial. Later on, even more obstacles like traps are added. Traps can light enemies on fire making them speed forward towards the bottom of the board or send enemies to different lanes via buttons. Players familiar with 2015’s Crypt of the NecroDancer may pick up on all of the rules and mechanics quickly, but I found even the tutorial to be quite overwhelming having never played the first game myself.
It was hard at times to tell whether Rift of the NecroDancer was satisfyingly difficult or frustratingly difficult. I love rhythm games and over the years I’ve gotten very good at them, so finding that I could barely play through these levels on the easiest difficulty, was a tough pill to swallow. Even after a lot of practice tries I was really struggling to finish even the easiest songs on medium, but if you’re someone that’s good at following and learning patterns, you may pick up on things a lot faster than me. After a lot of failures, I decided to complete the story on easy to avoid unnecessary frustration. It’s completely fine for a game to be very difficult, especially when it’s not a secret that it will be, but I think it’s important to note that the average player, even someone that thinks they’re pretty good at rhythm games, may have a similar experience to me. With four difficulty options, I don’t see myself going back to try levels at harder difficulties when it was hard enough for me on easy, but players that love a great challenge, definitely won’t be left wanting for more ways to test their skills.
I couldn’t complete my review of Rift of the NecroDancer without mentioning the large number of accessibility options they have available. We try to always mention accessibility in our reviews in the breakdown section at the end, but the options here are pretty extensive so I wanted to mention just a few to give players an idea of how many ways they can adjust the game settings. I’ll also include the full list in the breakdown below. Some accessibility options include: Colorblind adjustments, background animation adjustments, static monsters, an accuracy bar, reduced rift vfx and reduced combo and score vfx. Brace Yourself Games and Tic Toc Games have clearly put a lot of time and effort into making sure that anyone can rock out with these rifts.
Danny Baranowsky, Jules Conroy, Alex Moukala, Josie Brechner, Sam Webster, Nick Nausbaum and more make up the huge roster of incredible musicians that have contributed to Rift of the NecroDancer’s epic soundtrack. You won’t be bored for a second as you play songs across different genres. You’ll find yourself bobbing your head along with the characters as they take down enemy after enemy in the game’s epic battles.
Rift of the NecroDancer is a sequel that players have waited a long time for. It is absolutely gorgeous and has an incredible soundtrack that you’ll want to listen to loudly again and again. It should also be praised for its impressive list of accessibility options that make it welcoming for any type of gamer though the difficulty itself might turn some away. If you don’t mind playing through the game on easy or putting in a lot of practice to master it, you’ll have a really great time.
Breakdown
Game: Rift of the NecroDancer
Developer: Brace Yourself Games, Tic Toc Games
Publisher: Klei Publishing
Availability: PC, Nintendo Switch
Game Length: Story Mode, 3-6 hours
Accessibility Options:
Colorblind adjustments
Background animation adjustments
Static monsters
Early/late hits
Accuracy bar
Remove guitar strings
Static portraits
Reduced rift vfx
Reduced combo and score vfx
Remove checkerboard animation
Reviewed on PC
Final Thoughts
Rift of the NecroDancer is a great sequel for players that fell in love with Crypt of the NecroDancer ten years ago. While its unique concept is really cool, it is incredibly challenging and the average player may struggle to master it without a lot of practice. Even so, it’s well worth diving into for its gorgeous art style, incredible soundtrack and fun story.
Review by Becca Smith