Repel the Rifts

About

Repel the Rifts is a single player tactical management game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by RefinedBearGames and was released on November 24, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Repel the Rifts is a roguelite tower defense game set on an alien world. As a Commander of a mining expedition gone awry, you must defend against relentless waves of inter-dimensional creatures emerging from mysterious rifts. Progress your expedition, survey further into the unknown and track down the source of the rifts. Key Features Survey the UnknownEvery other day, survey the unknown to ex…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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86%

Audience ScoreBased on 150 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Engaging and satisfying tower defense gameplay with roguelite elements and varied commanders offering distinct playstyles.
Appealing pixel art style and soundtrack that enhances the game atmosphere.
Clean, polished interface and mechanics even in early access; game runs well on multiple platforms including PC and Steam Deck.

Limited content and depth at early access stage leading to repetitive gameplay and reduced replayability after initial hours.
Balance issues with some towers and commanders, making the game easy or allowing dominant strategies that trivialize challenge.
Meta progression and tech tree feel shallow or slow, with minimal impact on gameplay variety and motivation to continue playing beyond initial runs.

gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
55%
15%
The gameplay offers a fun and approachable tower defense experience with solid core mechanics and a nice difficulty curve, incorporating roguelite elements that add some variety. However, it can become repetitive due to a slow progression system, limited tower variety, and a lack of significant differences between heroes, making it feel shallow and somewhat easy after initial stages. Overall, it’s enjoyable for short sessions but may lack depth for players seeking a more complex challenge.
- “Fast run, nice randomizer, interesting gameplay.”
- “Fun and simple tower defense game that seems very challenging at first, but becomes fairly easy to play once you really get a grasp of the game's mechanics and start upgrading.”
- “It has a super approachable and fun gameplay loop with a solid difficulty curve!”
- “Leveling up is a slog and makes for some repetitive gameplay as you try to unlock the tech tree.”
- “There is no real gameplay difference between all the heroes and no progression is made after wave 25.”
- “The game is super easy even on max difficulty and the gameplay loop is very repetitive.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
31%
16%
The game features highly praised pixel art graphics with a distinctive retro and stylized aesthetic reminiscent of titles like Into the Breach and FTL. Players appreciate the unique and varied tower designs along with charming, old-school visuals that complement the gameplay well, although some noted a desire for more content and enemy variety. Overall, the art style and graphics are considered a standout and essential part of the game's appeal.
- “Very cool pixel art graphics with various towers featuring unique designs.”
- “The graphics are very charming, reminiscent of 'FTL' and 'Into the Breach', creating a stylized and appealing aesthetic.”
- “Somebody copied a quarter of the content of Tower Dominion, with Into the Breach aesthetic, and released it under Repel the Rifts.”
- “Art style is peak, but the gameplay just isn't there yet.”
- “The pixel art graphics suit the gameplay very well, giving it a slightly ‘old school’ feel.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
43%
21%
The music receives praise for its catchy, retro-inspired chiptune style that enhances the game's nostalgic arcade feel. While the soundtrack is regarded as excellent and fitting, some users note it can be repetitive and limited in variety. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere despite occasional calls for more tracks.
- “Earworm-as-hell chiptune battle music and nice little dee-doos when stuff lands.”
- “The music reminds me of old school arcade games.”
- “The soundtrack is still limited, but what’s there is genuinely excellent.”
- “The OST isn't very varied, and there aren't many different tracks yet, which makes the soundtrack feel limited.”
- “Another point of criticism is that the soundtrack, while upbeat, is pretty repetitive; you may end up tuning it out and playing your own music instead.”
- “The soundtrack is still limited in scope, though what is present is genuinely excellent.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Replayability in the game is driven by a variety of player characters, tower and upgrade variety, and meta progression through tech trees and artifacts, offering diverse playstyles. While the core roguelike structure with limited tower options can feel repetitive after several hours, ongoing progression and character differences help maintain interest. However, some players note that additional progression systems could further enhance long-term replay value.
- “Great replayability with the ability to somewhat influence the map design and the multiple different player characters.”
- “Considering all the passives, stat increments, and the flexibility to apply some of them onto anything, you'll certainly get more replayability out of the game.”
- “The current replayability is tied directly to the tech tree (meta upgrades), trying out tower upgrades (unique upgrades add additional variety to towers such as dealing dots/armor break), and different artifacts. A few different characters drastically change the way you play too, giving more replay value since it's not just the same build every time.”
- “As a roguelike, its replay value is basic - there are about 12 towers in the game, and you get 6 every run (with 3 guaranteed each time by your hero choice), with several doing extremely similar effects.”
- “Once you dig a little into the meat and potatoes, somewhere around five hours in, you'll realize that the game lacks replay value unless you're the sort to chase achievements and unlock all the upgrades.”
- “On the whole, I've had a good time with Repel the Rifts, and it'll probably stay in my rotation for a bit longer, but since it's still in early access, I'd say a little more progression and/or replay value would go a long way.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
20%
60%
The story aspect is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for the tower defense gameplay, leading to repetitive missions without significant progression. While unlocking characters adds some variety, the lack of a developed narrative or diverse objectives limits long-term engagement. Players appreciate the core gameplay but desire more story depth and progression.
- “That may sound silly, but I lost track of time playing the game and enjoyed figuring it out, and that's kind of the point of a tower defense game, so mission accomplished guys, well done.”
- “You do get to unlock additional characters, but you're only going to be doing the same basic surveying mission every time.”
- “The biggest issue is that there is no progression, story, or additional levels.”
- “(In the absence of other ideas, a Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours-style mission board does wonders for a free-form campaign.)”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game generally performs well with smooth gameplay even during large waves at double speed, though minor performance issues arise in the very late game on triple speed. However, some users report optimization problems including frequent lag spikes and bugs that negatively impact the experience.
- “It plays well, I only have some minor performance issues in the super late game (wave 100+) on triple speed.”
- “I didn’t encounter any bugs, the performance was smooth even on double speed with 100+ enemies on the map.”
- “I really want to like this game but it has optimization problems, frequent lag spikes, and a few bugs that just ruin the game.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is light and enjoyable, highlighted by the amusingly exaggerated scaling of numbers in endless mode, which veterans find entertaining before it eventually becomes repetitive.
- “Veterans of tower defense games will quickly find a min-max way to outscale even the endless mode, and it's fun watching the numbers get hilariously large until you get bored of it.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is present but kept at a manageable level, making progression steady without becoming overly tedious.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game's atmosphere adorable and engaging, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some feel that the roguelite elements and difficulty level could be further developed to enhance the mood and challenge.