Rift of the NecroDancer cover
Rift of the NecroDancer screenshot
Genre: Music, Role-playing (RPG), Indie

Rift of the NecroDancer

RIFT Patch #2

Hi everyone! We've got a quick patch with some quality of life changes, and quick bug fixes.

If you see a 🎸 emoji, know that you as a community helped us make this change, whether that was by providing feedback or reporting bugs!

🔁 Changes


  • The displayed difficulty on Track Select, Story, and Custom Music menus is now saved when the menu is exited
  • Remix Mode activation state now persists when returning to the main menu or exiting the game
  • Track Select and Custom Music sorting order now persists when returning to the main menu or exiting the game
  • Leaderboards are now visible by default on the Rhythm Rift Results screen

⚒️ Fixes


  • 🎸 Fixed a race condition that prevented the Feedback Form from opening
  • Fixed modifiers enabled in Custom Music from influencing gameplay in other areas of the game
  • 🎸 Fixed incorrect end points in Practice Mode for Got Danged
  • 🎸 Fixed What's in the Box Impossible not showing double BPM on the track select screen
  • 🎸 Fixed duplicates of custom music appearing in the list
  • 🎸 Fixed stereo audio getting downmixed to mono for custom music, causing crunchy-sounding audio
  • 🎸 Fixed a NecroDancer boss battle softlock (again)

🪲 Known Issues


We're moving to action on these as quickly as possible, but some of these issues have fixes that require more delicate handling. Thanks for your patience!


  • Skulls sometimes spawn their skeletons two beats back instead of one
  • Inputs are not registered for a brief period after closing a tutorial dialogue box
  • Audio calibration blips are sometimes off by a few milliseconds, which can result in inaccurate calibration results
  • Custom music can desync when using practice mode
  • Exiting a boss battle tutorial will return the player to the top of the Story Mode menu
  • After completing a boss battle it's possible to see all boss portraits in the menu when scrolling up and down the list
  • The kerning on text in artist names is broken if the name contains 'GI'
  • Boss battles sometimes do not load the correct difficulty if Play Back-to-Back is enabled
  • An animation bug occurs in Show Time! Hard difficulty that makes the game more difficult to play than intended
  • NVIDIA graphics card settings may cause framerate issues
  • Workaround: Edit the SaveData file (via C:\Users\your username\AppData\LocalLow\Brace Yourself Games\Rift of the NecroDancer) and set the FramerateLimit value to match your monitor's refresh rate (e.g. 60, 144, etc.)
  • Japanese and Chinese fonts do not display punctuation correctly
  • New High Score banner sometimes doesn't display correctly (both in Remix and in Custom Music)
  • Assist indicators for the minigames can disappear occasionally
  • The Final Hit VFX appears prematurely in some circumstances
  • Flames on the intensity bar can be missing in some circumstances

RIFT Hotfix #2

🎸 means a change was made based on community feedback!

⚒️ Fixes



  • 🎸 Fixed PC locales that use commas instead of periods for decimal points interpreting some values incorrectly, causing animation speed problems
  • 🎸 Fixed Turkish PC locales not loading text correctly in Dialogue Events
  • Fixed an overlapping Wyrm in Baboosh Impossible (no changes to the scoring!)

🪲 Known Issues


We're moving to action on these as quickly as possible, but some of these issues have fixes that require more delicate handling. Thanks for your patience!


  • Boss battles sometimes do not load the correct difficulty if Play Back-to-Back is enabled
  • An animation bug occurs in Show Time! Hard difficulty that makes the game more difficult to play than intended
  • Japanese and Chinese fonts do not display punctuation correctly
  • New High Score banner sometimes doesn't display correctly
  • Assist indicators for the minigames can disappear occasionally
  • NVIDIA graphics card settings may cause framerate issues
    • Workaround: Edit the SaveData file (via C:\Users\your username\AppData\LocalLow\Brace Yourself Games\Rift of the NecroDancer) and set the FramerateLimit value to match your monitor's refresh rate (e.g. 60, 144, etc.)

Free Super Meat Boy Content Drop!

We're beefing up the track list with not 1, not 2, but 3—THREE brand spanking new Super Meat Boy remixes from Danny Baranowsky! Update your game to play these songs for FREE:
  • Slugger's Refrain
  • Got Danged
  • Bootus Bleez

If you're missing either Rift of the NecroDancer or Super Meat Boy in your collection, you can now pick them up in the Rift of the Super Meat Boy bundle, available for a limited time.

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/47973/Rift_of_the_Meat_Boy

Patch Notes


1.1.0-b20092


If you see a 🎸 emoji, it means that you as a community helped us make this change by providing feedback or reporting bugs!

🆕New Content and Features


  • 🎸 Added text to Custom Music gameplay and results screens to display the beatmap creator name
  • Three new tracks, all for free! Remixes of Danny Baranowsky's favourite Super Meat Boy tracks:
    • Slugger's Refrain
    • Got Danged
    • Bootus Bleez

🔁 Changes



  • Updated credits text
  • Boss Battles and Minigames now have their current difficulty listed during gameplay, on the pause menu and on the results screens
  • Game will now pause when opening the Steam Overlay
  • Added Assist Mode to the Hard versions of all Minigames
  • 🎸 Beatmap adjustments to the following:
    • Elusional Medium
    • Om and On Medium

Why adjust these beatmaps?

Based on feedback and analytics, we found that both these tracks at medium caused large spikes in our difficulty curve which we wanted to eliminate. As they're some of the first tracks that are played, we simplified some patterns and replaced a few monsters with food items. This means scoring is exactly the same, so your highscores are still valid.

We aren't planning to make a habit of changing base game levels this way, but this was significant enough that we wanted to smooth it out. Thanks for understanding!


⚒️ Fixes



  • 🎸 Resolved an unhandled exception that could cause save data to corrupt, making the game unlaunchable
  • Fixed some challenges using the incorrect section of the song (which caused issues with traps etc, making some challenges less interesting)
  • Fixed monster behaviour bug with Shielded Skeletons
  • Fixed some beatmap bugs (ie incorrect placement, overlapping inputs) on the following maps. These changes DO NOT require leaderboard resets, they simply resolve unintended issues:
    • Visualize Yourself (Impossible)
    • Baboosh (Impossible)
    • Necrosonatica (Impossible)
    • Brave the Harvester (Hard, Impossible)
    • Final Fugue (Hard, Impossible)

  • 🎸 Fixed the tutorial not respecting the Invert Up/Down setting
  • Fixed Remix Mode incorrectly displaying the New High Score banner under certain circumstances
  • Fixed a missing indicator loop in Showtime! (Medium)
  • Fixed the controls menu getting offset when opened too many times
  • 🎸 Fixed PS4 and PS5 controllers triggering double inputs when using the Dpad for any inputs
  • 🎸 Fixed double inputs when gameplay was rebound to the triggers
  • Resolved a rare softlock that could occur in any boss battle due to hitting late in an input window right before a phase transition
  • 🎸 Corrected the song name used on the results screen of certain Boss tracks
  • 🎸 Fixed cinematics not respecting Master volume slider (only impacted by the music volume slider)
  • Fixed letter grades not being displayed on Custom Music menu
  • Unfocusing the game while the feedback form is open no longer causes a softlock
  • Corrected inverse iconography for controllers displayed in the Boss Battle tutorial
  • Expanded leaderboards can now be opened on the Custom Music results screen
  • Fixed some boss battle animation and SFX bugs
  • Fixed the Perfect sticker appearing on Minigames that had not been cleared with Perfect
  • Fixed the following achievements triggering incorrectly:
    • On Repeat
    • Butterfly Perfect
    • Lich Please

  • Resolved typos in the following languages:
    • Russian
    • Spanish (LatAm)

🪲 Known Issues


We're moving to action on these as quickly as possible, but some of these issues have fixes that require more delicate handling. Thanks for your patience!


  • Boss battles sometimes do not load the correct difficulty if Play Back-to-Back is enabled
  • An animation bug occurs in Show Time! Hard difficulty that makes the game more difficult to play than intended
  • Japanese and Chinese fonts do not display punctuation correctly
  • New High Score banner sometimes doesn't display correctly
  • Turkish PCs will not display text correctly
  • If an Assist Mode indicator is missed in the Show Time! Minigame (Medium Difficulty), all further indicators will be missing
  • NVIDIA graphics card settings may cause framerate issues
    • Workaround: Edit the SaveData file via C:\Users\your username\AppData\LocalLow\Brace Yourself Games\Rift of the NecroDancer and set the FramerateLimit value to match your monitor's refresh rate (e.g. 60, 144, etc.)

RIFT Hotfix #1

Hi everyone! Hope you've had a blast crushing those monsters and taking photos of Heph.

We have been absolutely blown away by the response to Rift of the NecroDancer since it came out yesterday. We appreciate all the feedback we've received so far. Please keep sending stuff our way -- we read everything that comes in!

There are a few small-but-annoying bugs that we wanted to get a hotfix out for ASAP, so read below for the full list of changes and known issues.

🔁 Changes



  • Added the words 'Custom Music' to the gameplay screen when playing a custom track to help distinguish between official and custom music

⚒️ Fixes



  • Disabled the automatic FPS throttling when the game is unfocused
  • This also fixes the softlock that could occur when unfocusing the game while the feedback form was open
  • Reduced the resolution of all videos to prevent stuttering on low end PCs
  • Prevented a softlock that would occur when entering the Calibration Test from a custom track
  • Fixed a performance dip that occurred when triggering vibe power while 'Remove Guitar Strings' was set to Enabled

🪲 Known issues


We're moving to action on these as quickly as possible, but due to the more complicated fixes we need a little bit more testing time. Thanks for your patience!


  • It's possible to soft-lock boss battles when hitting extremely late in the input window right before a phase transition
  • Boss battles sometimes do not load the correct difficulty if Play Back-to-Back is enabled
  • Triggers and joysticks cause double inputs on all controllers (with the exception of SteamDeck)
  • Workaround: Enable Steam Input in the Steam library properties for Rift of the NecroDancer
  • Double inputs occur when playing using DualSense controllers (PS4 and PS5)
  • Workaround: Enable Steam Input in the Steam library properties for Rift of the NecroDancer
  • An animation bug occurs in Show Time! Hard difficulty that makes the game more difficult to play than intended
  • The results screen for all boss battle Rhythm Rifts displays the incorrect song name
  • On Repeat achievement triggers incorrectly
  • A hidden achievement related to story completion triggers incorrectly
  • Shielded Skeletons sometimes behave incorrectly
  • NVIDIA graphics card settings may cause framerate issues
  • Workaround: Edit the SaveData file (via C:\Users\your username\AppData\LocalLow\Brace Yourself Games\Rift of the NecroDancer) and set the FramerateLimit value to match your monitor's refresh rate (e.g. 60, 144, etc.)
  • Japanese and Chinese fonts do not display punctuation correctly
  • The tutorial does not pick up on the Invert Up/Down setting correctly
  • New High Score banner sometimes doesn't display correctly
  • Banshee does not enter the correct animation when stunned occasionally
  • Turkish PCs will not display text correctly

Known Issues for the Level Editor will come at a later date!

Rift of the NecroDancer is Out Now!

Is today even real?! After 3+ years of pouring our hearts into each beat, and a DECADE after launching Crypt of the NecroDancer, we've hit the launch button!


💸10% off until Tues Feb 11


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2073250/Rift_of_the_NecroDancer/

💸Extra 10% off if you buy it with (or already own) these titles!



https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/49274/Crypt_AND_Rift_of_the_NecroDancer/

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/47856/Just_Rifts__Beats/

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/31041/Rift_of_the_NecroDancer__OST_Volume_1/

You can also listen to the OFFICIAL Rift of the NecroDancer soundtrack on Spotify here! 🔊

🗞️What Press Think


  • "Innovates on some of the genre’s best ideas." - 8/10 IGN
  • “One of the best rhythm games I’ve ever played.” - 4/5 Digital Trends
  • "A game that will absorb rhythm game fans for a long time, with clever gameplay and, more importantly, a sensational soundtrack." - 9/10 God is a Geek
  • "An easy recommendation for anyone wanting to take on its challenges." - 9/10 Game Rant

😃What YOU Think


We really wanna know! Come join our Discord for maximum launch hype vibes! We're also on Bluesky now too! We'll also be closely monitoring in-game bug reports. 🔍👀

This is just the beginning for Rift, and we're so excited to be on this journey with y'all! You can also hang with us TODAY at our launch livestream with Klei at 2:00 PST.



P.S. The best way to support us is to grab the game during launch week, but if you wanna go the extra mile, we've also released a Supporter Upgrade with a couple cute cosmetics 💖

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3467170/Rift_of_the_NecroDancer_Supporter_Upgrade/

Thanks for grooving!

With love,

The Brace Yourself Games team

Rift of the NecroDancer Developer Livestream



Hang out with us and celebrate the launch of Rift of the NecroDancer February 5th at 2pm Pacific Time!

https://twitch.tv/kleientertainment

See you there!

Rift of the NecroDancer Demo Leaderboard Reset

Hey everyone! We wanted to give you a heads-up that we're resetting the demo leaderboards next week on February 5th when the full game launches!

Thanks to your awesome feedback, we've made some changes to the final song charts for the full game (i.e. zombie and harpy pattern nerfs) and we want the demo to reflect those changes. This means a fresh start for all at launch! Have fun, and good luck climbing.

Here's the full run-down of changes you can expect to the demo:
  • Leaderboards reset
  • Updated beatmaps with nerfs for zombies and harpies
  • Fixed the bug that wouldn't let you quit the game
  • Updated some text to reflect when the game goes from 'coming soon' to 'out now' (!!)

ALSO, we're doing a launch stream with Klei on February 5th at 2:30PM PST, so if you have any burning questions for the devs, or just wanna hang out, mark it down in your calendars!

https://www.twitch.tv/kleientertainment

The Rift Opens February 5, 2025

Hey there, NecroDancers! We’ve got some news about the state of the game, as well as a bit of a tempo change.

Rift of the NecroDancer is almost done



Rift of the NecroDancer is coming along nicely. As of now, the game is pretty much content complete, and we're having a blast playing it. It’s been awesome to see everyone’s reactions to our demo too!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3029150/Rift_of_the_NecroDancer_Demo/

BUT... (you knew there was a "but," didn't you?)



To hit a 2024 launch date, we would have needed to do some serious crunch to polish and bug-fix. Here at Brace Yourself Games, we're all about a sustainable groove, not the grind. We believe in making awesome games without sacrificing our team's well-being.

We decided to avoid cutting certain features to hit a 2024 launch date and possibly being forced into releasing something half-baked. So, we're taking a deep breath, stepping back, and giving Rift of the NecroDancer just a LITTLE bit more time in the oven.

One of the things we’re doing to give ourselves a little more time is decoupling Steam launch from additional platforms. This means that we’ll launch on Steam first, and follow on console at a later date. That date is still TBD, but we’re ready to share the Steam launch date, so keep reading!



What’s taking so long?



You might be saying, “Brace Yourself Games, you already announced a delay last year. What’s going on? I want to play this game already!!!”

To that, I say SAME. But let me give you a little insight into what we’ve been doing this last year, and why we need just a couple more months.

  1. IMPOSSIBLE Difficulty. The game was originally going to just have EASY, MEDIUM, and HARD, but we decided to add a fourth difficulty level: IMPOSSIBLE (previously known as EXPERT). IMPOSSIBLE is uh… really hard. We want a little extra time to tune this so it’s not actually impossible, right? But it’s still going to be really hard.
  2. More Rhythm Rifts. We added even MORE Rhythm Rift beatmaps to songs like the boss battle tracks.
  3. Off-beat Readability. The readability of off-beat monsters is probably our number one most received piece of feedback. We’ve been doing a lot of experimenting and playtesting to get this to a state we’re happy with.
  4. Custom Music Tools. Thanks to the help of the dev behind Crypt of the NecroDancer: SYNCHRONY DLC, we did a full revamp of Rift’s internal level editing tool. Not only that, but we’re preparing it to be released publicly at launch so you can all use this tool to create custom charts to custom songs.
  5. Remix Mode and Daily Challenges. Remix Mode started off as one of those “wouldn’t it be cool if…” ideas that ended up actually being REALLY COOL. The TL;DR of Remix Mode is that it throws a fresh chart your way every playthrough while retaining the original level's rhythmic design. That makes Daily Challenges possible, by changing up the circumstances for each song. And we love Daily Challenges. We’d love to do a more in-depth blog about Remix Mode soon to talk about the nuances of developing Remix Mode!
  6. Tutorial and Practice Mode Improvements. We’ve made a lot of improvements to our tutorials and practice mode based on feedback we received from the demo. The tutorials are more comprehensive, and we also added in a highly request slowdown functionality (up to 50%) into practice mode to help you better parse difficult patterns in high BPM songs.
  7. Animation Clarity and Feel. We’ve gone through a bunch of iterations on character/monster animations throughout development. If you take a look at our very first trailer and compare it to the demo, you’ll see what a massive difference it is!
  8. Background Visualizers. Technically no one asked for this, but this is something that we really wanted to do, and we discovered it adds a lot more visual variety to each Rhythm Rift, which helps us and content creators make better videos.
  9. Boss Battle and Story Revamp. We felt there was room for improvement with the state of boss battles and story mode, so we decided to give these aspects a total facelift.
  10. Shine Factor. We’ve addressed the majority of our high-impact bugs, but we want to make sure this game is polished to a mirror sheen!

With all that said…

Rift of the NecroDancer is launching February 5th, 2025.



We're so confident in this new date that we're announcing it right now. No more "coming soon" or vague windows. Mark your calendars, folks, because the NecroDancer is opening the Rift on February 5th, 2025.

There you have it. We know it's a bit of a wait, and we are so grateful to have a community like you that trusts in us enough to let us cook for as long as we need. In the meantime, our Steam demo is still up, so if you haven’t checked that out, you should definitely give it a shot. We'll also keep you updated with behind-the-scenes peeks, and dev content. If you have any questions or just want to hang out with us while we finish this game, you should join our Discord. It would also be a great help to our team if you add Rift of the NecroDancer to your wishlist. 😊



Thanks for your understanding, your patience, and your endless enthusiasm for all things NecroDancer. We can't wait to share this game with you.

The Brace Yourself Games Team

Composers on Composers: Josie Brechner & Danny Baranowsky

Join Danny Baranowsky and Josie Brechner as they deep dive into their experiences collaborating on Rift of the NecroDancer, and how Josie’s song Glass Cages literally changed the game.

This interview originally premiered in the 2024 Save & Sound festival, a two-day celebration of original concerts and deep dives by composers and musicians from 80+ studios.



Save & Sound: https://www.saveandsound.io/

Danny Baranowsky: https://www.dannyBmusic.com

Josie Brechner: https://www.josiebrechner.com/


https://store.steampowered.com/app/3029150

Thanks for making Rift a top 50 demo during Steam Next Fest!



Thank you for making Rift of the NecroDancer one of the TOP 50 MOST-PLAYED Next Fest demos! (Out of 3000+ demos! AND the only rhythm game in the top 50!) We're keeping our demo up so you can keep striving for that S+ score! 🎸⚡️

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3029150/Rift_of_the_NecroDancer_Demo/

If you like the demo, please consider wishlisting and leaving a review on our demo page!