Rift of the NecroDancer finally has a firm release date, but it's been delayed until next year.
Now, instead of a late 2024 release date, the game will come out on February 5, 2025. To achieve this, developer Brace Yourself Games has “decoupled” the Steam and console releases, meaning this Release date is only for PC and other versions to follow.
“To reach a 2024 release date, we would have needed to make some serious adjustments to polish and fix bugs,” the developer stated in a new blog post. “Here at Brace Yourself Games, we're looking for sustainable rhythm, not routine. We believe in making amazing games without sacrificing the well-being of our team.
“We decided to avoid cutting certain features to hit a 2024 release date and possibly be forced to release something half-heartedly. So, we're taking a deep breath, taking a step back, and giving Rift of the NecroDancer just a LITTLE more time. in the oven.”
The game was already delayed last year, but on the blog the studio lists some of the improvements it has been making.
That includes an “impossible” hard mode (though it claims it's not actually impossible), improving the readability of off-beat beats, tweaking various modes and challenges, revamping bosses and story elements, and even adding custom musical tools.
Much of this feedback comes from the game's free demo, which is still available to try out.
Rift of the NecroDancer will follow Crypt of the NecroDancer, the rhythm dungeon crawler that spawned the Zelda spin-off Cadence of Hyrule.
However, in this sequel, the series' protagonist, Cadence, engages in musical combat like a more traditional rhythm game.
It was first revealed in 2022.