Rift of the NecroDancer is an upcoming Rhythm Game developed by Brace Yourself Games and published by Klei Entertainment for PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch. It is the third entry in the NecroDancer series, following Crypt of the NecroDancer and Cadence of Hyrule. The game is currently scheduled for a 2024 release.
Now in the modern world, players once again take up the mantle of Cadence, as she seeks to rescue her friends and close the titular Rifts that are causing chaos. Unlike the previous installments, which blended together the rhythm game genre with Roguelite dungeon-crawling and turn-based combat, Rift is predominately a rhythm game that takes inspiration from various titles in the genre, with the players engaging in everything from bashing enemies to the beat as they ride down a Guitar Hero-esque track in Rift Mode to challenging bosses to one-on-one Punch-Out!!-style battles.
Danny Baranowsky and Jules Conroy both return as composers, alongside Josie Brechner (Blossom Tales: The Sleeping King), Sam Webster and Nick Nausbaum, and Alex Moukala (Stray Gods). A five song EP of the soundtrack was released via Spotify
, Apple Music, and YouTube on August 29, 2023, several months ahead of the game's release.
Trailers: Reveal Trailer, Nintendo Switch Announcement Trailer.
This game features examples of:
- Art Evolution: While the previous two games made use of pixel art for gameplay, both trailers and demo footage showcase that Rift uses vibrant and cartoony 2D artwork for its gameplay segments.
- Belated Happy Ending: Nocturna from Crypt's Amplified DLC is revealed to have gotten one. Her campaign in Amplified ended with her falling under the Golden Lute's control and heavily implied she was ultimately hunted down and killed by Octavian for the Lute. However, in this game not only is Nocturna alive and well, she's established as one of the friends Cadence is trying to save.
- Costume Evolution: Given that the game is set in modern times, the trailers depict all the returning characters in new outfits more befitting of the updated setting. For example, Cadence herself has traded in her old-style full-body suit and apron for a jacket, a belted skirt, and tights.
- Genre Shift: As noted in the trailer and press materials, Rift shifts from being a mixture of roguelite and rhythm game like Crypt and Cadence of Hyrule to instead be a more traditional rhythm game, with some of its minigames referencing other entries in the genre.
- Musical Assassin: In the boss battle footage in the reveal trailer, Cadence strums an electric guitar to shoot lightning bolts at her foe.
