Can humour make you stick around in this difficult arcade shooter?
RIVE is a twin-stick, side-scrolling shooter/platformer hybrid with hacking and humour thrown in. It sounds like a lot to take in at first and while that’s true and the difficulty will put off a lot of players, there’s those who enjoy a challenge and this one comes with comedy too.
First things first, you will die a lot in RIVE. You need super quick reflexes and skills to overcome what is going to come your way, it’s one hell of a game when it comes to difficulty. Think Ikaruga meets Dark Souls in terms of challenge and you’ll know whether to accept it or run away. The game handles well, so any mistakes made will be by your own lack of concentration or discipline. RIVE is relentless, so don’t let your guard down or prepare to die. Simple as that.
The visual style is like a combination of retro and modern, which is a nice touch. The humour works well and makes it a game that you want to keep on playing, despite it’s brutal difficulty. The soundtrack isn’t too shabby either.
The Verdict
RIVE will swallow you up, chew you up and spit you out…if you let it. But if you knuckle down with full concentration, you may overcome it’s harsh nature. It may be off-putting to modern gamers, but those who like a challenge will certainly find one here.