Review: Riff: Everyday Shooter (PS3)

Europeans who have avoided the lure of switching to an American PSN account have waited and waited for countless demos and full title releases since March 2007. At the top of many lists was Riff: Everyday Shooter which promised to take on the dual stick shoot 'em philosophy recently popularised by Geometry Wars, Super Stardust HD and Blast Factor. Riff is far more unorthodox than its contemporaries and enhances the gameplay with a musical and visual twist.

It would be all too lazy to suggest Riff is little more than a top down Rez with some variable audio accompaniment. Its roots can be traced back to quick loading freeware flash orientated games that satisfied an urge and provided a long-term challenge. Riff's creator (Jonathan Mak) is quick to acknowledge his inspirations and that stepping back from his accumulated game design prompted the realisation to keep it simple. With each level set on a single screen and only a handful of these being available, Mak has managed to create an experience that demands you return for one more shot.

Unsurprisingly you control a craft of some sort, or it could be an organism or alien life form that fires one range of weaponry. This is never clarified or expanded upon, as there is no background story or manga themed introduction to set up an adventure. Simply you must reach the end of each level and defeating a boss (or even clearing the screen) does not achieve this. Instead you must last until the end of the song. Upon its completion you start on a new completely new screen with new opponents and a new tune to overcome.

A game such as this is difficult to describe because at times it feels like an extension of flOw (also released via the PSN) where you do not become concerned with a high score or creating chains. The experience of playing, the enjoyment and entertainment provided is enough and delivers more of this than most fully-fledged releases. Your points arrive in the form of departed opponents and you must fly over these to suck up these offerings and increase your score. A superb piece of design is allowing your craft to move faster whilst not firing, and this prompts a constant choice where you can simply shoot or become more manoeuvrable and reach other areas of the screen quicker but at a greater risk.

Ah but you may ask how can achieve destruction and those vital debris points without firing rapidly? The key comes in the form of a floating object that will drift across the game screen, and for want of a better word Gamestyle will call these ‘mines’. These can only be activated and detonated by firing at them. In theory you could ignore your opponents and simply target these mines when they appear.  Simply drifting across the screen it becomes vital to predict the direction of the mine’s path and when best to activate it, as you wouldn’t want to waste a mine on an empty corner of the screen. Detonations are key to huge chains that result in a scramble to pick up what points you can.

Points mean prizes or in the form of Riff, lots of unlockable extras that add a new dimension to the game. Initially you will be concerned purchasing extra lives before acquiring levels for the Single Play setting. Visual additions include painter and sketchy effects with plenty more options to mix up the distinctive visuals. The real joy of playing Riff is that you will not realise how many points you’ve accumulated as more often than not you’ll dive straight back in for another fix. 

Sony may have dubbed Riff as an exponent of 'psychedelic gameplay' but this is misleading as anyone expecting a Jeff Minter reincarnation will be disappointed. The visuals are striking, original and splendid in a title that supports both 1080i and 1080p. The musical interaction is subtler with explosions and action adding another layer of sound to proceedings without really deviating from the main thrust of the track. It lacks the hypnotic, pulsating feel of Rez and at times comes across much like a badly tuned guitar plugged into a cheap amplifier. It is certainly different and with subsequent plays somehow manages to grow upon your senses, although the other half still complained whenever a chord was struck.

Riff has very few negative points and those that do exist are pretty minor and can be overlooked. The first is that it feels transplanted onto the Playstation 3 and this graft never feels quite right. Even in the notes the creator admits that Riff is best played on 4:3 and the button method of control is far more effective. It is also a solitary experience with no online mode or a two player setting. Nevertheless what remains is a charming and addictive gem that shuns many of the common faults we see in other titles today. Instead Riff: Everyday Shooter takes you back to when games were simple; fun; addictive and a joy to experience.

Rating: 8 / 10

Words by Jason Julier