Rift of the Necrodancer review: this Guitar Hero riff seriously rocks

digitaltrends.com:

Rift of the Necrodancer MSRP $19.99 Score Details Pros

• Ingenious rhythm hook
• Excellent soundtrack
• Tons of content at launch
• Full modding support

• Overwhelming learning curve
• Anticlimactic story mode

I’m not sure that any rhythm game has so accurately captured what it feels like to play an instrument as well as Rift of the Necrodancer. Sure,Rock Band may be a perfect music simulation thanks to its plastic instruments, but it doesn’t quite capture the full psychology of the craft. As glamorous as live music can look on a stage, actually getting to that point can be a battle.

As I slayed slimes and skeletons to the beat of the Crypt of the Necrodancer follow-up’s head-bobbing soundtrack, I flashed back to the long hours I’ve spent throughout my life recording music. I vividly remember days where I’d sit in front of a laptop recording take after take to get a guitar lick down. A flubbed note. Take two. Too slow. Take three. Wrong key. Take four, five, six, seven. It’s a patient — and often frustrating — process that requires the musician to learn through failure until they can lock in and commit everything to muscle memory. Each note is a monster to be vanquished.

• The best Oculus Rift games

Rift of the Necrodancer deconstructs the challenges of music performance and ingeniously reshapes them into the best Guitar Hero riff I’ve ever played. It’s the rare rhythm game that’s not just about matching beats, but finding ways to visualize and remember patterns. This is what your favorite guitarist sees when they look down at their fretboard.

Let’s rock

Despite being set in the same universe as 2015’sCrypt of the Necrodancer, developer Brace Yourself Games’ latest is a total departure from its breakthrough hit. The first Necrodancer game, and its excellent Zelda-themed spinoff, was a top-down adventure game with a twist: every movement had to take place