Rift of the NecroDancer on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
The NecroDancer's back in an all-new rhythm game! Dragged into a strange new world, Cadence must engage in musical combat with monsters surging through the Rift! Face pulse-pounding Rhythm Rifts where every beat is a battle, all set to an original soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky & friends.
Rift of the NecroDancer is a rhythm, minigames and female protagonist game
developed by Brace Yourself Games and Tic Toc Games
and published by Klei Publishing.
Released on February 05th 2025 is available only on Windows
in 12 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America and Traditional Chinese.
It has received 2,698 reviews of which 2,584 were positive and 114 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.2 out of 10. đ
The game is currently priced at 17.55⏠on Steam and has a 10% discount.
The Steam community has classified Rift of the NecroDancer into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Rift of the NecroDancer through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i3-2100 or AMD FX-4100, 6GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or AMD Radeon R7 240, 1GB VRAM
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The game starts really strong. The first two bosses and minigames are fun, and rifts are really good. But as the game goes on cracks starts to appear, questionable boss fights, story beats and rifts appear. At the end they completely drop the ball. In the end the game leaves a bad taste in my mouth but I can't not recommend it. The foundation is really good, and the first part of this game already worth the price imo. Most of the rifts are quite enjoyable and the art style is good. Also don't be fooled by the "colorblind accessibility" options, the options are lackluster at best. The bosses rely on colors for nearly all of their attacks, and whatever colorscheme I use at the rifts it's still hard to distinguish the slimes, the bats and other monsters. Without a color picker the options that are given are a bandaid fix at best.
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Crypt of the Necrodancer broke the boundaries of what a rhythm game could look and function like, Rift of the Necrodancer puts everything created outside of those boundaries back inside of them and it's fantastic. The notes being enemies that all have different behaviors makes sightreading a chart infinitely more interesting as a concept, while also adding a layer to regular rhythm gameplay that isn't usually there. Memorizing charts becomes easier as "parts" of a song become instantly recognizable by what enemies are there, only strengthened through a really good practice mode. Not to mention that the charts themselves are some of the best I've had the joy of playing across rhythm games. Music and song selection-wise the game was always going to be fantastic given all the recognizable names credited for it, but the fact that it launched with workshop support and thus custom charts really rockets this game into the stratosphere for me. What a delightful experience, 100% worth your time and money. Please play Rift of the Necrodancer.
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Easiest recommendation to any rhythm game fan. What looks like a 3-key mania-style game becomes so much more when you play it. Similar to Crypt of the Necrodancer, you are memorizing mob dance patterns in-rhythm. Now that's all good, but unlike Crypt -- the monsters keep coming, and they don't stop until the song's over. Now, suddenly, your brain starts deep frying with a side of slug sauce as you try your hardest to survive a barrage of knowledge checks while keeping the rhythm. It's incredible. However, with complexity this dense, Rift ends up frontloading this information fairly inelegantly in a three-step tutorial. This game shines because of how difficult it is, but the onboarding could scare a lot of folks off after seeing how many monster-types there are. And there's so many! It's a minor complaint, but the game could use a compendium of monster attacks in a menu for easier access to this information (there's a bestiary in the main menu under 'extras', but you have to load into a level for each monster pattern; a menu of looping gifs would feel a lot faster to grasp) But after all that nitpicking -- this game is such a steal at this price. 30 songs with a passable story and VERY CUTE RHYTHM HEAVEN-style mini-games; it's a certified banger if you love rhythm games. (Alex Moukala you're so handsome and talented; I love every single track you did for this game)
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I've reached chapter 3 on Hard as of this writing I have completed the main story on hard It's essentially three rhythm games in one. First, we have the main content: the Rift stages, which is essentially 3-button Guitar Hero. The gimmick here is that each "note" has various health and their own way to move about on the track. It's an interesting way to do beat maps, and you have to decipher the notes on the fly as they run down. In this regard, it's somewhat similar to what made CotND fun, where you have to use your noggin' while stay on beat. The stages shined better on Hard, where you can't rely on visual alone. As someone who greatly enjoyed CotND for the reason above, the first time around for these stages were fun as I had to learn to read the beat map. But as I "solve" the pattern underneath, it transitioned to a more traditional rhythm game, where it became muscle memory and perfectionism. This is where REMIX MODE came in and saved the day. Press R while in play menu to switch to a mode where the tracks are randomly generated with roughly the same timing as the original. Second, we have minigames. They're Rhythm Heaven -like games, of which there are five total. I'd put the difficulty similar to the later stages in Rhythm Heaven. On the other hand the timing is quite lenient. It's a simple and effective design, and I wish there are more games in here, both for more Rhythm Heaven minigames and cute slice-of-life animations of the gang. Finally, the boss fights. It's Punch-out but on a rhythm (not that Punch-out didn't have rhythm segments). You memorize the attack patterns from the animation prompts, dodge accordingly and attack. A novel concept, though I have to say it's still mostly Punch-out, where the rhythm game part is only kind of relevant on longer dodge sequences, and on the whole it didn't elevate the concept as much as I hoped. I strongly recommend to play these stages on HARD, because on normal difficulty they straight up show you when to hit which button on the screen, which makes you ignore the gorgeous animations and pattern recognition aspects, thus vastly reduce the enjoyment of these fights. All the songs are certified bangers, Most of them are remixes of songs from CotND (shout out to Jules, your guitar rules!) plus some new ones. If you like metal, I think at least a few of these songs will be on your playlist. I will rock the whole album on my personal playlist for sure.
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This Game Might Frustrate Veteran Music Rhythm Gamers Rift of The Necrodancer by Brace Yourself Games is a music rhythm game unlike any you may have played before. For some, it represents a fresh new take on the genre; for others, it will be a frustration unlike anything theyâve ever felt. Itâs a game that makes you feel like youâre playing a rhythm game for the first time again. Some will appreciate that nostalgia, while others may feel as if all their years of experience in the genre have been rendered meaningless. This is an extremely fun game, and having met the developers personally at PAX, I feel a special connection to it. Iâd hate to see an influx of negative reviews simply because a particular type of rhythm game playerâthose constantly seeking the next game to perfect and masterâpicks it up, fails miserably, and blames the game instead of recognizing its uniqueness. This game might not be for them, and Iâd like to explain why. The Rhythm Game Niche and What Makes Rift of The Necrodancer Different The rhythm game genre is a niche space, often appealing to gamers who also have a background in musicâwhether that means playing in a high school band or being a current musician. Mainstream entries like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are well-known, but the genre has a vast library across console, mobile, and PC platforms. Typically, rhythm games have a track where notes fly toward a judgment line, and players must press buttons in time with the beat. Some games demand extreme precision, with only milliseconds of margin for error. Veteran rhythm game players develop transferable skillsâonce you understand timing in one game, you can apply that knowledge to many others. The fun comes from discovering new games that introduce unique mechanics while maintaining the core experience of hitting notes in time. Rift of The Necrodancer takes a wildly different approach. Instead of traditional note charts, it replaces them with monsters that have unique behaviors. Some require multiple hits, some disappear, and some move unpredictably. While you must still hit notes on the beat, the challenge lies in recognizing monster types and reacting accordingly. The Core Issue: Strategy vs. Flow And hereâs where my main issue with the game lies. It doesnât feel like a pure music rhythm gameâit feels more like a music-driven combat puzzle . The experience is less about timing and execution and more about learning enemy behaviors. This fits the gameâs loreâthe main character is isekaiâd into a world of monsters and music, forced to fight enemies emerging from the rifts. But for me, this additional strategic layer takes away from the core reason I play rhythm games: to experience the bliss of flow. In traditional rhythm games, there comes a point where you become so immersed that the line between you and the music ceases to exist. You start hitting complex patterns instinctively. Your keyboard or controller becomes an extension of your will, and for a few minutes, everything else fades away. Itâs an indescribable euphoria. But in Rift of The Necrodancer, just as youâre vibing, you get yanked out of that state because a zombie moved right instead of left. Itâs not about your ability to keep time; itâs about whether youâve memorized monster behaviors. That can feel frustrating, especially when the mistake you make is still in time with the musicâyou know your rhythm skills are solid, but thatâs not what the game is testing. Supporting Evidence and Minigames Iâm not alone in this sentiment. Discussions on the Steam forums echo similar frustrations. My point is reinforced by the gameâs minigames, which adhere to traditional rhythm mechanicsâno monsters, just pure pattern recognition and timing. I found these sections far more enjoyable because they allowed me to engage with the music without the extra layer of cognitive processing. Who Is This Game For? This isnât to say Rift of The Necrodancer is a bad game. Far from it. But it requires you to suspend your ego and approach it as if youâve never played a rhythm game before. Because in my opinion, this isnât a pure rhythm gameâitâs a rhythm-strategy hybrid. Itâs like calling Metal: Hellsinger just a first-person shooterâyou can play it that way, but you wonât get the full experience. The same applies here. You have to embrace the strategic elements and learn this new notation system rather than relying solely on your rhythm game instincts. If youâre a veteran rhythm game player looking for a pure timing-based experience, this game may not be for you. You will have to practice patterns, memorize monster types, and accept frequent failure. It will be frustrating, especially if youâre used to immediately jumping to the hardest difficulty in new rhythm games. However, if youâre interested in a new kind of challenge, one that brings back the rewarding feeling of overcoming an entirely new system, Rift of The Necrodancer is an innovative and worthwhile experience. It doesnât just add another entry to the genreâit creates something entirely new. And with time, patience, and practice, I know Iâll conquer it too. Final Thoughts I donât rate games out of ten, and I wonât tell you how to spend your money. But for $17 on sale (or even the full $19), this game is a solid investment if youâre open to learning a new way to engage with rhythm-based mechanics. If you love rhythm games for their immersive, flow-inducing qualities, Rift of The Necrodancer might challenge your expectations. But if youâre looking for a music-driven combat puzzle that shakes up the formula, youâll find something truly unique here.
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Last Updates| Steam data | 31 March 2025 00:39 |
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| SteamSpy data | 31 March 2025 12:24 |
| Steam price | 04 April 2025 04:29 |
| Steam reviews | 02 April 2025 11:45 |
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- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Rift of the NecroDancer
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- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Rift of the NecroDancer compatibility
Online players
332
Developer
Brace Yourself Games,
Tic Toc Games
Publisher
Klei Publishing
Release
05 Feb 2025
Platforms