JTGA: At first glance, RiftsStar Raiders is a curious proposition. A top down sci-fi dogfighter that we’ve seen plenty of times before, clearly influenced by similar titles like Velocity 2X and PixelJunk Shooter. The visuals are serviceable; a sort of futuristic, haphazard look designed to make everything appear as though it’s falling apart at the seams. As for the backstory, the Warswarm have invaded the Spiral Arm, and the Raiders from Arcadia are all that stands between… and so on and so forth.
So, nothing remarkable then. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a surprising amount of nuance to the combat. There’s also a pleasing array of customisation options, letting you outfit your ship to your liking. The four player online co-op is a nice touch, but the lack of local shared / split screen play is criminal in a game like this. You get the sense that ambition may have outweighed the budget, and despite a short runtime and some cut corners, there is fun to be had here.
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