RIVE (PC) Review

RIVE is packed with personality; from the sarcastic banter between the main character and the computer trying to kill him, and the various references to other classics shmups, Two Tribes' masterpiece is an absolute joy to play through. Filled with intense space shooting goodness, hordes of enemy fire, and even some dastardly platform elements, it is the ultimate test for shmup enthusiasts the world over. It is also a real test of any gamer's resolve. Back when testing this out on Wii U at a busy EGX in 2015, it left the nerves a-jangling, and the following year trying out the latest PC build was more of the same, if not tougher. Upon release, the community raved about how this was one of the most hardcore experiences to hit the market in over a decade, yet some people saw that as a negative…

After all, what about the regular folk out there that love to dabble in the genre, yet are not exactly experts at the fine art of surviving in bullet-hell scenarios? This was possibly the biggest flaw in the final product in some people's eyes, since although it greatly appealed to the hardcore out there, it alienated those that wanted to try, but could barely complete the very first mission. Well, never fear, because Two Tribes has listened to the feedback and decided to take action…for free!

The standard difficulty setting has been lowered to 'Normal' with the higher setting reserved only for those that specifically want to access it. Expect stronger bullets, less damage, more powerful health replenishing items, and no condescending reference to a "Soft Mode" or teddy bear image appearing (now it's a special star added for those tackling the harder side of RIVE). Some of the missions have also been adjusted or even lengthened, and numerous fixes employed.

Since September 2016, there have been minor additions, like more health being given when re-spawning at checkpoints multiple times in a row to make things a bit easier, extra controller layout styles, and even better balancing for missions, plus a Japanese mode since they do love their shmups over there and prefer it when they can fully understand the language! There was even a "Skywhale Survivor" challenge brought into a new Special Missions section, as a taste of what was to come in the larger v1.10-onwards updates that kicked in during November and continued into December of 2016.

With it impossible for the shell of Two Tribes to add new stages of the same calibre as the current ones, the remaining staff members have been able to compromise by squeezing more life out of the old beast by introducing Challenges and Battle Arenas that re-use existing assets. Whilst the Speed Run and Single Credit modes were there for the hardcore to refine their skills, creeping further and further up the online leaderboards, these new options are levelled at the rest of the gaming populace.

Challenges bring something new each and every day, meaning that gamers must log in after 24 hours in order to see what has been unlocked, and then keep on doing so until they have everything up for grabs, before pushing to beat all stages on bronze, silver, and gold levels. The difficulty is cumulative, so taking it at your own pace is not a problem.

As for the Battle Arenas, these are an extension of the "test" done with Skywhale Survivor to judge interest levels, now expanding upon the initial idea to bring more endless fighting fun to the table. There are three scenes handpicked from the main adventure that have been extended so that the battle only ends when you succumb to the onslaught of enemy attacks.

There is also a general "extra polish" feel to RIVE now, with statistics monitored by the developer to see what needed amending, and the remaining team listening closely to user feedback to give the best experience overall…without any extra charge! Other developers should take a long hard look at what Two Tribes has done here - made all the more impressive by the fact that the majority of the team has completely gone.

For more details on the original, pre-update release and its core story and mechanics, be sure to check out Cubed3's review of the PC edition of RIVE from launch.