{"id":16552,"date":"2025-04-30T16:15:43","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T13:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/?p=16552"},"modified":"2025-04-30T16:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T13:15:43","slug":"this-beats-got-a-kick-rift-of-the-necrodancer-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/this-beats-got-a-kick-rift-of-the-necrodancer-review\/","title":{"rendered":"This beat\u2019s got a kick! Rift of the Necrodancer Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rift of the Necrodancer<\/em> is the newest rhythm game created by Brace Yourself Games. As the name suggests, it is a follow up to their debut title Crypt of the Necrodancer<\/em>, released back in 2015. If you\u2019ve played classic rhythm games like Guitar Hero<\/em> or Rock Band<\/em>, you\u2019re going to tread familiar ground here \u2013 there\u2019s a track with three lanes where notes travel down towards you, and you have to hit the corresponding button when the note reaches the end of its lane. Standard rhythm game stuff, right? So, what\u2019s different? Well, the Necrodancer<\/em> twist here is that the notes you\u2019re hitting are actually the dungeon-delving baddies seen in Crypt<\/em>, everything from slimes, skeletons, bats and dragons.<\/p>\n

The return of these miscreants isn\u2019t just for aesthetics though, because each enemy behaves differently and can have a different rhythm to them as they bop menacingly towards you. For example, bats need to be hit multiple times, but they will switch to an adjacent lane after they\u2019ve been hit. There are also traps which can appear randomly in the lanes and change how the monsters behave even further, creating a chaotic crescendo that\u2019s sure to trip you up. These elements end up creating a lot of visual clutter on the screen that is designed to deliberately confuse you into making mistakes. This results in a gameplay experience that felt overall very challenging, even for a self-proclaimed rhythm game aficionado like myself. Previous experience with other rhythm games may end up being a detriment to you, since it remixes traditional mechanics of the rhythm game genre. So, if you come in with any assumptions about how to play this game, you\u2019ll need to retrain yourself and learn to follow the beat of the Necrodancer\u2019s new drum.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s also a story mode included which follows the main character of the series, Cadence, as she\u2019s been transported to the modern world through a rift (there it is<\/em>) and is trying to find her way back home. The story isn\u2019t that deep, and you don\u2019t need to know any plot from of the previous games. There are some pre-established relationships with Cadence and other supporting characters like Dove, but you\u2019ll be able to understand their dynamic within seconds of seeing them on screen. Also, let\u2019s be completely honest: the story mode\u2019s purpose is not to wow us with any deep storytelling (we\u2019re not dealing with T\u00e1r<\/em> or Whiplash<\/em> here), but to act as an extended tutorial mode to gradually introduce the new mechanics to the player and help increase their skill over time.<\/p>\n

Visually, this game is incredibly well-polished and has a very vibrant and bouncy colour palette. The whole aesthetic feels akin to a Saturday morning cartoon. There are also some minigames which serve as a nice palate cleanser between songs in the story mode. They go along with the quirky gimmick of the Necrodancer<\/em> cast doing everyday activities and adding to the fish-out-of-water goofiness, such as participating in a Yoga class lead by Dove or assembling burgers with the titular Necrodancer himself. From archnemesis to burger flipper, how the mighty have fallen.<\/p>\n

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I haven\u2019t even touched on the soundtrack yet, which is unsurprisingly fantastic. It\u2019s filled with chiptune, electronica that the Necrodancer brand is known for. The pitch perfect quality of the songs stays strong through the game\u2019s runtime. But if you\u2019re still craving more tunes after exhausting the game\u2019s library, don\u2019t fret. Because there are heaps of custom-made charts for popular songs made by the community that you can download directly from the Steam Workshop. You can even have a go at charting your own favourite songs. Just a few days after its release, there\u2019s already hundreds of tracks available to download. Although be warned, those who are dedicated enough to make these charts are usually rhythm game experts. And as such these charts can be quite difficult, even on the lower difficulties. I\u2019d recommend building up your skills in the story mode first before moving to these custom tracks. But if you feel so inclined to jump straight into trying to master \u201cMegalovania\u201d from Undertale<\/em> or songs from Scott the Woz, then by all means, go ahead.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s also worth noting that Rift of the Necrodancer<\/em> can be played entirely with just a few buttons, even its menus. This control decision can make the game much more accessible, especially if you need to remap these inputs to any alternative controllers you may have. Having to only remap a few button inputs is significantly easier when you don\u2019t have any mouse or cursor inputs to worry about.<\/p>\n

Rift of the Necrodancer<\/em> provides a wonderfully polished experience that feels best to play in short bursts. It can feel overwhelming and all consuming if you play it for too long. When you get into the rhythm of it, a hazy-eyed flow state can wash over you, as you\u2019re entranced by the bopping baddies dancing towards you. If you want an immediate feeling of what flow feels like in games, you\u2019ll get it immediately from playing this game. It\u2019s the classic definition of easy to play, difficult to master. But much like learning a musical instrument, the payoff for your perseverance is worth it.<\/p>\n

Basic Information:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Developer:<\/strong> Brace Yourself Games<\/p>\n

Publisher:<\/strong> Klei Publishing<\/p>\n

Release date:<\/strong> 5\/02\/2025<\/p>\n

Platforms:<\/strong> PC, Nintendo Switch<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Rhythm Game<\/p>\n

PEGI:<\/strong> 3<\/p>\n

Photos:\u00a0<\/strong>promotional pictures from Rift of the Necrodancer<\/em> (Brace Yourself Games). https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2073250\/Rift_of_the_NecroDancer\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rift of the Necrodancer takes tried and true gameplay of the rhythm game classics, and remixes into an experience that both celebrates the genre and pushes it forward with its experimentation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":16558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[225,2177],"class_list":["post-16552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews","tag-indie","tag-rhythm","entry","has-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/244"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16552"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16564,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16552\/revisions\/16564"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}