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Rift Riff

Rift Riff Game Cover
96%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
optimization, story
96% User Score Based on 280 reviews

Platforms

LinuxPCMac OSSteam DeckWindows
Buy Nowfrom €12.99
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Rift Riff Game Cover

About

Rift Riff is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Professional Panda and was released on May 9, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Rift Riff is a strategic tower defense game where you jump between rifts, battling waves of monsters to protect your Extractor. Players choose and place towers on fixed spots, managing resources both during and between waves to survive and earn rewards. The game stands out for its forgiving mechanics, allowing scheduling of builds, full refunds, and tower respawns to ease strategy adjustments.

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Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
Rift Riff screenshot
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96%
Audience ScoreBased on 280 reviews
graphics38 positive mentions
optimization3 negative mentions
  • Rift Riff offers a charming and minimalist art style combined with engaging sound design, creating a delightful atmosphere for players.
  • The game features forgiving mechanics, such as full refunds for towers and the ability to restart waves, allowing for experimentation and strategic planning without heavy penalties.
  • With a good variety of towers and enemy types, the gameplay encourages players to adapt their strategies, making each level feel fresh and rewarding.
  • Some players find the game lacks depth, as certain towers may feel underutilized or ineffective compared to others, leading to a limited strategic variety.
  • The absence of a speed toggle can frustrate players who prefer to control the pace of gameplay, especially during longer levels.
  • While the game is generally well-received, some users have reported technical issues, such as loading times on specific platforms, which can detract from the overall experience.
  • graphics
    61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and simplistic art style, which enhances the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many reviewers appreciate the pixel art aesthetics, cute animations, and cohesive visual design that contribute to an engaging and immersive environment. While some find the graphics functional rather than flashy, the overall consensus is that the visuals, combined with pleasant sound design, create a delightful and enjoyable gaming experience.

    • “The art style is simple but beautiful, the animations are cute and well done, the audio experience is pleasing to the ears, and most importantly the gameplay is engaging without being overwhelming or frustrating.”
    • “The environments are beautifully crafted, with a strong, cohesive art style that makes each level feel immersive.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the UI is clean -- check this game out if you're craving for a good ol' tower defense game!”
    • “The graphics are simple and straightforward.”
    • “While it definitely is similar to games like Thronefall and the artwork is just as lackluster, the brilliant strategic options, the actually tough levels, and the overall sound design is just superb.”
    • “The graphic is neat, too.”
  • gameplay
    49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by its forgiving mechanics, allowing players to focus on strategy without frustration, complemented by a smooth and engaging loop. With a charming art style and well-designed levels, it offers a balance of accessibility and depth, making it enjoyable for both casual and dedicated players. The inclusion of innovative features like full tower refunds and wave replay options enhances the experience, making it a standout in the tower defense genre.

    • “A very enjoyable combination of forgiving mechanics and challenging levels!”
    • “The gameplay strikes a perfect balance between depth and accessibility.”
    • “This lovingly crafted tower defense game has an incredible blend of familiar mechanics and unique spins on the genre, that allow you to feel right at home while also discovering something new every step.”
    • “The challenge modes can really engage with the mechanics, but I decided that they weren't for me.”
    • “The gameplay is pretty straightforward to begin with, but it has a lot of strategic choices that will most likely become more and more challenging the further you get in the campaign.”
    • “Mechanics are ok.”
  • music
    42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its seamless integration with the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience with a charming and unique soundscape. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, noting its ability to complement the game's art style and atmosphere, while also contributing to the strategic elements of gameplay. Overall, the music and sound design are considered polished and integral to the game's appeal, making it a memorable experience for players.

    • “The music and the sound design are another aspect where this game shines.”
    • “The different sounds made by the enemies when hit, the towers when firing, the background music and even the whimsical sounds your character makes when placing towers or when a bunch of enemies are killed at once all come together to create a very unique and memorable soundscape for this game.”
    • “Between the beautiful art design with smooth movement and satisfying animations, original music and adorable sound effects (do yourself a favor, turn up the volume), and painstakingly balanced difficulty between the levels, this game is an absolute masterpiece with an entire little world to explore.”
    • “Hoping the OST drops soon.”
    • “Good game otherwise - appreciate the attention to detail with art, music, and sound effects.”
    • “How can a $5 game have such a banger soundtrack, art style, and gameplay?!!”
  • atmosphere
    9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its charming and immersive qualities, enhanced by appealing artwork, engaging audio design, and smooth gameplay. Reviewers highlight the unique blend of pleasant and mysterious elements, along with a relaxing ambiance that contributes to an enjoyable tower defense experience. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature that elevates the gameplay.

    • “A fun tower defense game with a charming atmosphere and great audio design.”
    • “The 'voice lines' of the main character and the overall sound atmosphere are incredibly cute - in a very pleasant, yet mysterious way (I know those things don't normally go together, but here they do haha).”
    • “Smooth controls, great gameplay, music and sounds really add to the atmosphere of the game.”
  • optimization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is well-received, with responsive menus and smooth performance on the Steam Deck, making it suitable for handheld play. However, players note that there is still significant potential for further optimization and improvements.

    • “Well optimized.”
    • “Every menu and tower selection is responsive and optimized for handheld play.”
    • “It's simple to understand, but there is ample room for optimization and improvement for players.”
    • “Performance on Steam Deck:”
    • “Incredibly polished, no performance issues, heaps to unlock and upgrade.”
  • story
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is subtly woven into its design, with players noting an intriguing narrative that unfolds as they progress through its diverse worlds and missions. The attention to detail, including sound and animations, suggests a deep commitment to storytelling, although some players feel the story's depth may not fully reveal itself until later in the game. Overall, the polished experience and engaging gameplay mechanics reflect a thoughtful approach to both gameplay and narrative.

    • “Game is also full of small details (sound, animations, environmental storytelling) that shows it was a labor of love, not just another job.”
    • “Also feels like there's an interesting, subtle story going on - I'm early in the game, so not sure if I'm picking up on something that isn't there.”
    • “A couple of missions in and the game feels super polished.”
    • “The story feels disjointed and lacks a cohesive narrative, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “Character development is shallow, and I found it difficult to connect with any of them.”
    • “The plot twists are predictable and fail to deliver any real surprises or emotional impact.”
  • humor
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by its cute and fast-paced nature, with players finding the hidden mechanics and quirky sound effects amusing. The protagonist's humorous sounds and the game's charming design contribute to an overall lighthearted and rewarding experience.

    • “The fact that these numbers are hidden from you in the first place is hilarious, especially since the game tells you the percent increase when upgrading a power.”
    • “A shout out for the funny sounds and the beautiful design.”
    • “Who doesn’t love it when your protagonist starts humming or making funny noises?”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of the game is praised for its absence of microtransactions and daily demands, making it a refreshing experience in the tower defense genre. Players appreciate the lack of manipulative advertising tactics, highlighting the game's integrity compared to others that rely heavily on monetization strategies.

    • “No microtransactions or daily addiction demand.”
    • “Highly recommended, it's rare to play a tower defense game that's this good that isn't plagued by microtransactions on a phone.”
    • “I just came from a rabbit hole about fake game ads and was lamenting about how Kingshot's ad looks so good, but I could tell it was pre-rendered and fake.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find certain challenges in the game to be tedious, although they appreciate that participation is optional. There is a sentiment that the game lacks a mechanism to reward players for frequently using specific towers, leading to a less engaging experience with underutilized options.

    • “Some of the challenges seem very tedious, but you don't have to play them. I feel like they missed out on some mechanism where the more you use a tower, the better it gets. I often used the same towers and didn't use some at all.”
    • “The grinding in this game feels excessive and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over again just to progress, which really took away from the enjoyment of the game.”
  • replayability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability due to its engaging tower defense mechanics and the inclusion of various challenges that encourage players to revisit and refine their strategies.

    • “Fun tower defense game, and the challenges add quite a bit of replayability.”
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24h Median play time
22h Average play time
10-31h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Rift Riff is minimalist tower defence across an enchanting, icon-based world

November 24 on pocketgamer.com
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Frequently Asked Questions

Rift Riff is a strategy game.

Rift Riff is available on PC, Mac OS, Steam Deck, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 22 hours playing Rift Riff.

Rift Riff was released on May 9, 2025.

Rift Riff was developed by Professional Panda.

Rift Riff has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its optimization.

Rift Riff is a single player game.

Similar games include Thronefall, Dome Keeper, Shogun Showdown, Defense Grid: The Awakening, Kingdom Rush and others.