Scott Watson reviews RIVE…
I can’t keep up with this game. My old gaming bones just are not attuned to the maniacally impressive, gleefully and destructively over the top shooting that RIVE thrusts upon me. I was never the best at shooters the likes of Nemesis, Salamander and R-Type in the arcades or the likes of the Turrican series. I enjoyed them don’t get me wrong. I was just never any good at them.
RIVE reminds me of this at every painful turn. It’s funny though, it’s more a masochistic kind of pain if you will. The game is really, really good at beating me up at every turn, but it also has me snagged in its study, learn, dodge, kill, die, move on, rinse repeat formula. It’s also Two Tribes’ final game and, safe to say, sees them going out on a gloriously explosive high.
In short, RIVE is a 360-degree shooting and platforming hybrid, a twin-stick shooter if you will. In the role of space scavenger Roughshot, players can hack their enemies, fire off special attacks, and prove their mettle in multiple game modes.
I knew I was on a hiding to nothing right from the off when the start screen gave me one option to choose from; Hard Mode. However, I rolled up the sleeves, grabbed the controller and prepared myself for a lot of death… which did indeed come right from the off much to my dismay. Thankfully, the key to these kinds of shooters is memory, some damn fast reflexes and inhuman hand eye co-ordination. The controls aren’t complicated, but in the heat of the moment if you lose focus you do tend to die. And death can be glorious, filled with lots of bright colours and huge explosions.
The game jumps between areas of zero gravity and platforming, all the while having to contend with waves of enemies who can very quickly overwhelm you if you don’t take them down fast. It can be very, very fast at times and in places has shades of Sonic and Metroid coming through as you dash throughout a huge derelict ship scavenging loot. Your little spiderbot is incredibly versatile in the way it hops and jumps about at your command; taking down enemy drones, sentries and barrages of rockets while avoiding laser gates at the same time feels superbly satisfying when you pull it off. You feel a huge sense of accomplishment when you manage to see off an extra large wave of these enemies to clear an area.
But it’s not all about shooting, it just predominantly is. Making your way through the ship you’re also called upon to use puzzle solving skills that usually involve hacking switches to open doorways. They’re not overly taxing but they are a nice distraction and break from the bombast the game throws at you. The hacking also in places allows you to convert some of the enemy bots to your side, be it as back up firepower or to provide some much needed health.
The game plays like a pick and mix of some of the finest elements of arcade gaming from the past thirty years…. and you feel Two Tribes knows it as well, with the script writing for your antagonist, Roughshot, proving to be very tongue in cheek when it comes to how the game plays out.
It’s quite the spectacle to watch when everything is in full flow; it’s colourful, it’s fast, it’s frantic… it’s pretty much everything a reflex-based shooter should be.
RIVE is available now for £14.99 from the PlayStation Store
Reviewed on PS4
Rating: 8/10
Scott Watson
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published September 20, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
