Repair the rifts between us
The next Necrodancer game is getting shown off today, through a new trailer and screenshots. Rift of the Necrodancer is Brace Yourself’s next rhythm journey, with some serious Rhythm Heaven vibes.
Brace Yourself Games teased this news a few weeks ago, alongside the release of its massive Synchrony DLC for rhythm-roguelite Crypt of the Necrodancer. Today, the studio showed off more of Rift of the Necrodancer, which it’s developing alongside Tic Toc Games.
According to the Steam store page, Rift of the Necrodancer sees Crypt protagonist Cadence navigating the perils of modern life. She needs to repair the rifts that tore the world apart, and do so via rhythmic battles and minigames.
Rift Mode sees monsters pouring out of the Rift, with Cadence stopping them Guitar Hero style. Mini Game Mode, meanwhile, has Cadence trying to do modern activities like yoga to the beat. And Boss Battles look like a sort-of rhythm-based Punch-Out!!
We can see all of these in the trailer, and it looks like a gathering of several different rhythm game concepts under one banner. The soundtrack sees Danny Baranowsky return, alongside some collaborators. Rift of the Necrodancer will also have mod support and online leaderboards.
Dance ’til you’re dead
No release date has been set yet for Rift of the Necrodancer. Right now, it’s just a “TBD” date on the store page.
But considering the track record Brace Yourself has with both Crypt of the Necrodancer and the Legend of Zelda spinoff Cadence of Hyrule, Rift could be pretty excellent. I really dig the different styles of rhythmic interaction we see.
I’m also a big fan of seeing Cadence adapting to modern life through segments like the yoga shown in the trailer. It’s lighthearted and fun, and might even add some more to the characters of the Necrodancer universe, judging by the dialogue sections shown in screenshots. Looks like we’re not done with the Necrodancer universe just yet.
