Rift Adventure is a weird combination between genres; it combines 2D action adventuring (like Jack Jazz Rabbit) with RPG-style gameplay to educate the player on making choices (and taxes). Sounds weird enough for you? Let’s dive in.
Rift Adventure
Like most games in the <10 euro price range, Rift Adventure is divided into ‘stages’ instead of an overworld like Shovel Knight. After completing the said stage (1-1, etc.), the player is taken to his city to rest, heal, interact with NPC citizens, and buy items and resources with the money obtained in his adventures. Thus, what looks like your typical shop and upgrade system, defines the gameplay for Rift Adventure (and is also the one thing that makes the game different from the rest of the fun).
Storytime!
But first talk story; the game takes place in a medieval fantasy universe where all characters are animalized. The protagonist is an adventurer who seeks treasure and excitement but sees his best friend and adventure partner being possessed and kidnapped by a powerful and evil being from the underworld. Sounds like your run-of-the-mill adventure, no? Well, there’s a catch…
When completing a level and buying stuff, your actions start to count – and not only for you but for the whole city. What is the actual function of the built-in tax on products we buy? Making a cheaper and more immediate decision only affects me, and is it really interesting in the long run? The answers to these questions that the player will find on their own, in a natural and meaningful way, throughout the game. And since I don’t want to spoil – it’s worth it to find out on your own. Trust me!
Damage!
Rift Adventure offers a challenge, and you’ll often die to the hazards the game has to offer. Damage output by your character is decent, but the enemies hit harder than one would expect. You can utilize unique skills, like a dash-move, to circumvent certain enemies, but you get slower when using it in the water. These mechanics keep the game fresh and buy you some more time with Rift Adventure in the process. With the tax mechanic in place, the strategy you’ll use or feel comfortable with might change depending on the choices you make – so be sure to experiment as much as you can.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, Rift Adventure is a lovely little platformer game, not overly complicated, not extremely easy, not too long, not too short, but just right. The retro pixel art is well done, and combined with its soundtrack, it feels right at home at the Nintendo Switch. Also, as I mentioned before, the city tax/improvement mechanism is unique and may cause you to adapt your strategy throughout the game. So, if you like platformers and pixel art games, I say you should give this one a try.
