Review – Rift of the NecroDancer

I love to review games that are a perfect fit for the console I’m playing them on, as if they were made with the console in mind. Rift of The NecroDancer is one such game. I first saw it revealed as a Nintendo Switch release, so I have always thought of it as a Switch game. When the Steam version got released before the Switch version I was admittedly dumbfounded. However, Nintendo clearly had their own clever plan. Shadow-dropping Rift of The NecroDancer in the same Direct that a new Rhythm Heaven was revealed is a big brain move, especially because Rift absolutely appeals to the same audience. It even adds to Rhythm Heaven’s formula. More on that in a bit. 

I am admittedly not well-versed in my NecroDancer lore. I have Crypt thanks to an eShop sale that saw it priced at a generous $2 and I’ve played the Cadence of Hyrule demo. Neither game landed with me, but I’m glad I tried them out because I think Rift of The NecroDancer makes a much better case for its concept. Take the protagonist and enemies from Crypt, create a Harmonix-esque note highway that sees you defeating the enemies as if hitting notes with the correct timing, and add Rhythm Heaven-style minigames to flesh out the wackiness of the story. A story that I am not in any way savvy to but enjoyed due to the gameplay. This was my experience with Rift of the NecroDancer and it is a damn fine dance with the devil in the pale moonlight. 

 

 

Variety is Rift’s biggest strength. A Story mode sees you pairing up with various characters from Crypt, continuing on its tale. There is dialogue and light voice acting, all thankfully unobtrusive for the most part. These lead into Rifts, which are your different songs that see you defeating enemies Guitar Hero style with correct timing or minigames that throw you into a yoga class, burger diner, or other wacky rhythm minigames. Clearing these eventually brings you to an Elite Beat Agents meets Punch Out!! style boss fight in which you dodge attacks and land hits to deplete the boss’ meter. All of these are great fun, short enough to be pick-up-and-play fare and satisfying enough to keep you entertained. The diversity in achieving the same end goal is what makes this game a hit. None of the gameplay styles wear out their welcome. There is of course a ranking system that grades you on your timing and success rate which rewards you with diamonds and a letter grade. This provides for some great replay value. 

 

 

Speaking of replay value, Rifts, minigames, and bosses are all playable in their own separate modes. Minigames have multiple difficulties which change up the goals a little bit. It’s the Rifts that are most fleshed out, however, thanks to their Remix variants. Remixes are more difficult, randomly-generated note highways that are different each time. Because of this, memorizing them is impossible but that makes for a more challenging time. This also allows for Daily Challenge note patterns. There’s a surprising amount to do in this game and it doesn’t really get stale. I can’t tell you how much I have wished for this in a rhythm game for quite awhile. Rift nails it. 

The tunes are not so much rockin’ as they are groovy and funky. It surprisingly fits the defeat of slimes, bats, skeletons, and ghosts just fine. Maybe that’s my Depeche Mode fandom talking (look up Black Moonlight for reference), but the unlicensed original tracks in this game are spooky, danceable, and fun to crush the skulls of your enemies to. The enemy patterns are what make this game and its music so fun. Bats take two to three hits to clear because they move one lane across for each hit taken, and there are three lanes. Skeletons take two staggered hits. Ninjas appear further down the highway before rushing at you. Memorizing the numerous enemy patterns and how they’ll interact with you can feel like a lot to take on, but thankfully Rift of The NecroDancer is one of the most training friendly games I’ve ever seen. You can practice against each individual enemy to get accustomed to their patterns in an enemy encyclopedia. This is so useful. After doing this, you can also practice any song. 

 

 

The final thing I want to praise this game for is its flexibility in controls. If the face buttons were the only options for hitting notes, I could probably make do. But allowing the control pad to be used not just optionally but in combination with the face buttons saved my ass in several difficult songs. Seriously, this one decision makes Rift feel so good to play. This is a pretty difficult game that at times can feel like a puzzle to figure out. The many options and accessibility features such as the audio/visual timing that can be adjusted at any time are so appreciated, making this game an even easier sell. 

So what is there to not like about Rift of The NecroDancer? Surely not its great character designs and animations or its spooky, existential presentation. Its fun tunes and well-adjusted take on the rhythm game genre are also not under fire here. One of the best replay values I’ve ever seen in a game in this genre doesn’t have me hating either. And the fact that the story mode can be played in spaced out singular intervals via menu selections or continuously without returning to menus is too handy to dislike. So really, I guess the only thing I don’t like is that the Switch just didn’t get many rhythm games that come close to rivaling this one. But that’s not so much a problem as it is an explanation that Rift of the NecroDancer is the best rhythm game on the Nintendo Switch. It will age well with the incoming new Rhythm Heaven entry too. How’s that for good company?

 

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