Brace Yourself Games released a new Rift of the Necrodancer trailer for Gamescom, and the Crypt of the Necrodancer sequel is looking quite a bit like a life game-meets-rhythm game. Rather than focusing on a rhythm adventure like its predecessor, Rift of the Necrodancer is split into several modes, including one we didn’t expect.
The first is the aptly named Rift Mode, where Cadence faces off against a rift version of herself on a screen that looks more than a little like Guitar Hero. This is the game’s story mode, or so it seems, as Cadence fights to close the rift and recover her friends who were apparently sucked into it after it opened and spewed monsters into the world.
It looks exciting, and we’re big fans of the comic-book style Cadence and her friends and foes are rendered in.
But Mini-Game Mode is what captured our attention the most. Brace Yourself Games said this is where Cadence struggles against something even more brutal and difficult than rift monsters: the challenges of daily life. We see Cadence strive to learn yoga and perform well in classes, and other “modern life” challenges will have their own mini-game as well.
Rhythm games typically encompass a broad range of styles, from Rhythm Heaven’s bizarre approach to more traditional beat-based games, and even Elite Beat Agents’ spin on RPG games. So far, though, we haven’t really seen a rhythm game tackle the life-sim genre, blending gameplay with the things most of us do on a daily basis.
It’s surprising, given how well it seems to fit with Rift of the Necrodancer, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of it in the coming months. There’s no release date on the game’s Steam page just yet, so it looks like we’ll have to wait a while before we can experience it for ourselves.
Meanwhile, check out some of our picks for the best free PC games to help you pass the time without denting your wallet.