Bop your head to the demise of your enemies in Rift of the NecroDancer! Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.

Rift of the NecroDancer Review Overview

What is Rift of the NecroDancer?

Rift of the NecroDancer is a rhythm game developed by Brace Yourself Games and Tic Toc Games, and published by Klei Publishing. It was released on PC on February 5, 2025, with a Nintendo Switch release later in the year. It features a new soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky, Josie Brechner, and other artists, with over 35 tracks at launch.

A spin-off within the NecroDancer series, Rift of the NecroDancer sees Cadence, the protagonist of 2015’s Crypt of the NecroDancer, pulled into the modern world, where she must confront monsters emerging from encroaching Rifts. Using the power of rhythm, players will battle these adversaries to seal the Rifts and restore order.

The game departs from the dungeon-crawling setting of Crypt of the NecroDancer, instead of top-down dungeon exploration with rhythm-based movement and combat, it adopts a rhythm game format reminiscent of games like Guitar Hero. Players engage in Rhythm Rifts, where they must hit notes in time with the music to defeat enemies. Each enemy has unique behaviors, and players must adapt to their rhythmic input.

Rift of the NecroDancer features:
　⚫︎　Contains 30+ Original Tracks From Various Artists
　⚫︎　Offers Remix Mode to Test Sight-Reading Abilities
　⚫︎　Supports Custom Music and Beatmaps Made by Other Players
　⚫︎　Includes a Variety of Minigames

For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Rift of the NecroDancer’s gameplay and story.

Steam			Nintendo
$19.99			Wishlist Only

Rift of the NecroDancer Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Unique and Addictive Rhythm Game Mechanics High-Energy Soundtrack Expressive Character Art	The Plot is Barely There Minigames Can Disrupt Flow

Rift of the NecroDancer Overall Score - 88/100

Rift of the NecroDancer hits all the right notes in the best possible way. It takes the classic rhythm game formula and breathes new life into it with creative twists that keep you on edge. From clever enemy mechanics to complex beatmaps, the game constantly demands more than just good timing—it forces you to think, react, and adapt in ways that make every "Perfect" feel earned. The story may be light on depth, but its charming characters and humorous moments add a fun touch. Combine this with stunning visuals and a killer soundtrack, and you’ll find yourself bopping your head and screaming "just one more song" until your fingers beg for mercy.

Rift of the NecroDancer Story - 7/10

Rift of the NecroDancer’s story is a quirky excuse to dive into its gameplay. It doesn’t take itself too seriously—and it’s better for it. Cadence is yanked out of Crypt of the NecroDancer and dropped into our world. She stumbles through everyday life like a fish out of water, with plenty of goofy moments along the way. The plot is flimsy, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome, lasting for only about ten hours or less. The real charm lies in its cast, though. The characters are pure, unfiltered fun, each bringing their own zany quirks to the table. It’s just a shame that you barely spend any time with them at all.

Rift of the NecroDancer Gameplay - 9/10

Rift of the NecroDancer’s gameplay is so addictive! You’ll find yourself tapping your toes and breaking a sweat as it throws wave after wave of enemies, traps, and intricate patterns your way. It demands a level of finger dexterity you probably didn’t even know you had. While it might seem easy to pick up at first, the difficulty quickly escalates and forces you to think fast and react in the blink of an eye. Every beat becomes a new challenge as you’re confronted with fresh threats. However, while the core gameplay loop will get you hooked, the minigames scattered throughout the chapters feel a little jarring. They’re a fun distraction for a moment, but only for a moment; their novelty quickly wears off, and they only leave you eager to jump back into the game’s standard levels.

Rift of the NecroDancer Visuals - 8/10

The game is a treat to look at, with expressive characters and helpful little nudges that warn you when you’re about to mess up a section. I especially love how Cadence’s face subtly shows she’s cringing for you when you miss a note—it’s a small touch, but it adds a surprising amount of personality. However, as gorgeous as the game is, it can sometimes feel too much. When enemies and notes are flying at you from every direction, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose focus. Those off-beat enemies, in particular, are tricky to spot. While you can simply feel the rhythm to anticipate their moves, the shadow beneath them—one of the visual cues that they’re out of sync with the beat—can be really hard to spot, especially when the tempo speeds up on tougher levels. Though not that big of an issue, this can sometimes make it a real challenge to keep track of everything that’s happening.

Rift of the NecroDancer Audio - 10/10

The music of Rift of the NecroDancer is its heart and soul, and it's easy to see why with the incredible talent behind it—Danny Baranowsky, Jules Conroy, and Alex Moulaka, among others. They each bring their own style, resulting in a diverse and infectious 35-track library. And if that wasn't enough, the custom mode lets players explore an ever-expanding library of community-made beatmaps! I've only scratched the surface, but what I've experienced is seriously impressive. Each track will have you feeling the beat, getting lost in the music, and coming back for more.

Rift of the NecroDancer Value for Money - 10/10

Rift of the NecroDancer might only set you back $20, but it overdelivers. 30+ unique tracks right out of the gate is a great start, but that’s just the tip. There are minigames to dive into, daily challenges to test your skills against other players, boss battles to conquer, and, perhaps best of all, a growing library of custom beatmaps created by the community. As the player base expands, that library is only going to get bigger and better. Sure, the story mode might be a relatively short experience, clocking in at just a couple of hours. But with everything else packed into this gem, you could easily be playing it for a lifetime.

Rift of the NecroDancer Review: Hits All the Right Notes

I’ve always had a special place in my heart for rhythm games. There’s something about the sheer joy of tapping, strumming, or swiping to the beat that feels like a language only the most ardent fans can understand. I’m not particularly great at them—far from it, really. I fumble, I miss notes, my fingers betray me at the worst possible moments, but none of it matters. They have this undeniable pull that keeps me coming back.

Guitar Hero on the Wii was where it all began for me, and it spiraled into a collection of titles that range from the familiar to the unexpected: Rock Band, Rhythm Heaven, Cytus, Phigros—heck, I even indulged in the Persona Dancing games just to satisfy my occasional craving for that addictive feeling of pressing the right button at the right moment, bopping my head in sync with the miniature orchestra of clicks and clacks.

Then I stumbled upon Rift of the NecroDancer, a spin-off of 2015’s Crypt of the NecroDancer, and suddenly, rhythm games felt new again. Calling it just another note-highway game would be a disservice—it’s one of the smartest rhythm games I’ve played in years.

Gimmicks That Keep You on Your Toes

Most rhythm games operate on a straightforward principle: press buttons in time with the music. Rift of the NecroDancer, however, flips the script and dares players to rethink everything they knew about timing and rhythm. At first glance, it may seem like any other rhythm game—a note highway, the familiar pattern of inputs, the urgency to hit the right beat—but it actually forces you to think beyond reflex.

Anyone who has ever gripped a plastic, stringless guitar, hammering out notes to the likes of Through the Fire and Flames in Guitar Hero will recognize the DNA in Rift of the NecroDancer’s standard mode: Rhythm Rifts. Enemies descend down three lanes, each mapped to a directional input, and every beat inches them closer to your mark. Your job, then, is to strike them in time with the music before they reach the bottom. Sounds simple, yes? At first, maybe. But its simplicity is a clever disguise, and before long, you realize just how much the game asks of you.

It may only have three lanes instead of Guitar Hero’s five or even the full-body chaos of something like Dance Dance Revolution, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less demanding. In fact, I found myself overwhelmed in ways I hadn’t anticipated. My smugness after completing the game’s early levels on Hard difficulty quickly dissipated as the game introduced more and more new enemies, whereupon it became more of a matter of staying alive than anything else. I’m not ashamed to admit I mostly stuck with Medium difficulty. Hard was exhilarating, but Impossible? That mode lived up to its name. After a while, I could barely get through a single song without swallowing my pride and lowering the difficulty setting.

The difficulty ramps up due to its many gimmicks. Hitting notes isn’t enough. Enemies have their own behaviors and attack patterns. Green slimes? A single hit and they’re gone. Blue slimes demand two, yellow ones three. Then there are the trickier enemies—bats that change lanes when struck, harpies that cover twice the distance, skull heads that explode when struck and release two skeletons. Its beatmaps are more about sight-reading, as each enemy type is a new challenge to commit to memory. And when they all decide to show up at once, especially when the tempo cranks up a notch, your fingers turn into a tangled mess, and you’re just praying you’re hitting the right buttons in the right order.

And just when you think you’ve wrapped your head around the enemy patterns, Rift of the NecroDancer throws in traps. These hazards force you to widen your focus, keeping an eye not just on what’s barreling toward you but on the entire beatmap. A single trap can be the difference between a perfectly executed combo and utter disaster. Some speed up enemies, forcing you to react faster. Others cloak them, so if you haven’t memorized the level layout, you’ll be left guessing and probably mashing buttons in panic.

They are gimmicks, sure, but it’s the kind that doesn’t just add difficulty for the sake of it but deepens the gameplay so that every success feels hard-earned. There’s an addictive quality to it, a kind of masochistic satisfaction in mastering each new wrench the game throws at you. Every failure just makes you want to try again, to get it right next time.

Fortunately, you’re not entirely at the mercy of the game’s tempo. Cadence, the series’ protagonist, can take up to ten consecutive hits before going down, which gives you some breathing room—but only just. Most songs will toss you a lifeline in the form of food, so you can recover mid-song if you can strike it in time. And then there’s Vibe Power. String together a long enough combo, and you’ll fill up a meter that lets you activate temporary invincibility. It’s a safety net, but using it wisely is a skill in itself, as it doesn’t last that long.

The Story is Thin, But It Does the Trick

When it comes to the reason why you’re even fighting these enemies in the first place, let’s just say that the story doesn’t exactly aim to win literary awards. Cadence finds herself yanked from the dungeons of Crypt of the NecroDancer and plopped into our own world. This offers some delightfully absurd moments, with Cadence and her companions bumbling through the quirks of daily life like tourists in their own skin. The story is fun, quirky, but that’s not its real purpose. The narrative gives just enough to keep you invested. It provides a flimsy yet functional framework for what ultimately serves as an excuse to dive headfirst into Rift of the NecroDancer’s 35-song tracklist and Rhythm Rifts.

And let’s be honest, the game’s characters are where the real charm shines through. Sure, the plot might feel like it’s mostly filling in the blanks, but the colorful cast of characters more than makes up for the game’s lack of substance. The art plays a huge part in this, with every character’s design popping with colors and details that gives them life. Each one has a distinct personality, as exaggerated and quirky as the gameplay itself, and their antics provide an infectious energy that you can’t help but enjoy. I particularly love what they did with Octavian, the Necrodancer himself. Now stuck at a dead-end fast food job, he’s left scrambling to make ends meet, a far cry from his days in Crypt. This not only humanizes him but also provides an unexpected dynamic with Cadence, as the two reluctantly team up to find their way back home.

Bigger Beats, Badder Bosses

These chapters are punctuated with a boss fight, which offers a fun diversion from the standard levels. Visually, these battles are a treat. The animation is smooth, and each fight is paired with a fantastic track that gets your heart pounding. These boss fights incorporate circles that appear across the screen, each with a ring closing around them. You’ll need to press the corresponding button just as the ring hits the edge of the circle, or you’ll risk losing precious time—or worse, taking damage.

On lower difficulties, these battles may feel too easy. Purple circles are your cue to dodge an incoming attack, while gold circles provide a chance to strike back. As the difficulty ramps up, so does the challenge. On Hard and Impossible, it’s less about timing and more about memorizing the attack patterns. Perfect hits are still important, but now, success hinges on pattern recognition as much as timing. Each boss has its own cycle, and learning when and how to strike makes all the difference in defeating them quickly.

Minigames That are Short and Sweet

In between these story segments and Rhythm Rifts, Rift of the NecroDancer sprinkles in a few minigames that bring to mind the charm of Warioware and Rhythm Heaven. They’re fun for a moment—delivering the same "press the button at the right time" challenge in a slightly different packaging—but they don’t quite hold a candle to the main game. Sure, they’re amusing; they accomplish what they set out to do: offer short bursts of fun. But after a few rounds, I found myself itching to skip ahead and dive back into the core gameplay.

When the Music is Too Good to Stop Playing

Any great rhythm game lives or dies by its music, and Rift of the NecroDancer is no exception. Thankfully, this game absolutely nails it on this front, and it’s no surprise given the powerhouse team behind it. Danny Baranowsky returns from Crypt of the NecroDancer and once again delivers a funky, infectious blend of rock and electronic beats that elevate every note you hit. Alongside him are talented composers like Jules Conroy from FamilyJules and Alex Moulaka who add their own flair to the mix.

There are 35 tracks at launch, and each song hooks you in from start to finish and gets stuck in your head long after you’ve put the game down. But for those craving even more variety, Rift of the NecroDancer offers a custom mode where you can dive into community-made beatmaps. This is where the game’s fanbase shows off just how creative they can get—seriously, I’ve only played a few, and they’re nothing short of impressive. Megalovania alone was a wild ride, and had me pressing "retry" more times than I can count.

Is Rift of the NecroDancer Worth It?

Yes, and You’ll Be Begging for an Encore

Seven hours. That’s how long it took me to stumble, fumble, and finally conquer Rift of the NecroDancer’s story mode in Medium Difficulty. And that’s including all the times I failed a level. While the story itself might be relatively short, there’s a lot more to keep you hooked beyond this mode. Sure, you’ve got the usual rhythm game challenge of aiming for a perfect score on Impossible difficulty, but the game goes further. Daily challenges pit you against other players on a leaderboard, and if that wasn’t enough, the community-created beatmaps offer a virtually endless supply of content.

For just $20, you’ll find plenty of replay value, and if Crypt of the NecroDancer is anything to go by, this spin-off could see more DLCs down the road that will keep you tapping your feet—and your wallet—without ever skipping a beat.

Steam			Nintendo
$19.99			Wishlist Only

Rift of the NecroDancer FAQ

When will Rift of the NecroDancer be released on Nintendo Switch?

According to the game’s Nintendo eShop listing, Rift of the NecroDancer is planned for a 2025 release on Nintendo Switch, though a specific date has not yet been announced.

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Rift of the NecroDancer Product Information

Title	RIFT OF THE NECRODANCER
Release Date	PC February 5, 2025 Nintendo Switch 2025
Developer	Brace Yourself Games Tic Toc Games
Publisher	Klei Publishing
Supported Platforms	PC (via Steam) Nintendo Switch
Genre	Music
Number of Players	Single-Player (1)
ESRB Rating	ESRB E10+
Official Website	Official Website for Rift of the NecroDancer

L A R Opalec

Lloyd grew up bonding with his big brother over video games. While RPGs like Disco Elysium and Final Fantasy IX hold a special place in his heart, he's always up to try new genres.