Rift of the NecroDancer

To put it bluntly, the game is awesome. It's 3 lanes and on-beat focused gameplay differ it from other games in its genre. Given the simplistic approach, they had the idea to make it so there are different types of monsters which each have their own quirks instead of "1 monster = 1 note = 1 tap" approach. And it works phenomenally. The game does come with a story mode, which is serviceable at best, but it's more of a way to introduce the player to the world and the mechanics. Each track in order is curated to gradually introduce you to the concepts of the game and different monsters you can encounter them. If still feeling overwhelmed, it is possible to choose one of the lower difficulties amongst the offered four (EASY, MEDIUM, HARD, IMPOSSIBLE). Each difficulty offering different levels of challenges one can find by playing the same track. As you get better at the game, you will start aiming for the higher difficulties, maybe even challenging yourself to clear the tracks without breaking your combo, and maybe just even play the tracks with one of the two modifiers: [list] [*]Remix Mode allows you to play the same track but with different, randomized monster layout. [*]Coda Mode where only perfects counts and single mistake is fatal. [/list] Alongside the track you will most likely spend the majority of the time on, the game offers also Rhythm-Heaven-like mini-games and boss battles which you can encounter in the story mode, and additional Shopkeeper challenges where the goal is to play parts of the now familiar tracks with special modifiers (all enemies are question marks, only perfects counts, you cannot see last 2 rows, etc.) And, to top it all off, the game offers the ability to create and play custom tracks via the Steam Workshop. The quality of things you can find in the Workshop varies, of course, you should be able to find more than plenty of stuff to play (especially if you're into anime and J-Pop). In the end, why not try creating your own tracks? DLCs, however, are a different story and I do not recommend them unless you want to support the developers. Vastly overpriced compared to the base game, and the quality of the DLC tracks matches those you can easily find in the Workshop (which is free, by the way). All in all, an amazing game worth playing.

The first rhythm game I've clicked with, as it's not a genre I'm deep into.

This is perhaps my favorite rhythm game and one of my overall favorite games of all time. While it's easier to pick up than the original Crypt of the Necrodancer, it is so much harder to master. The skill ceiling is so high that after a year and a half of near daily play, I'm still somehow managing to improve my personal records consistently. Some would call it a Guitar Hero clone, but it's so much more than that. What sets Rift apart from other rhythm games is that you literally have to think several steps ahead. It's not just about rhythm, it's about predicting WHERE the notes will be when you hit them. In that sense, it's almost as much a puzzle game as it is a rhythm game, and it really scratches a certain itch in my brain. There are few things I can think of that are more satisfying than finally cracking a song after you've struggled with it for hours, and when you really get a good combo going, it feels amazing. The base game's alright on its own, but the true beauty is in the workshop. That's what keeps me coming back every day. If today the workshop suddenly stopped in its tracks, you'd still have literal thousands of songs to play, and a lot of it is just as well-charted as the official content! It's quite possible that we may never run out of content for this game, and it is super fun to work your way up the leaderboards, or even just go for all S-ranks. If you like music and you want a game that makes you think and that you can strive to constantly improve at, you owe it to yourself to play Rift of the Necrodancer.