Rabi-Ribi

Although the bullet hell action can be too intense at times, those that persevere and see Erina's adventure to the end will be rewarded with one of the best titles in the genre.

Rabi-Ribi is a brilliant blend of metroidvania and bullet hell with nice visuals and a catchy story and a great difficulty curve.

There are cute bunnies and lovely fairies, but Rabi-Ribi remains a serious metroidvania, hard to master and challenging to complete.

Don't let its strange premise fool you; if you're a fan of Metroidvania games then Rabi-Ribi is a must-play game. The combination of fantastic 2D action, satisfying exploration, and lighthearted charm makes it a wholly enjoyable bunny-filled adventure.

Rabi Ribi has so much more going on under its hood than mere screenshots can contain. What some will invariably dismiss as a cash-in on cute anime girl aesthetics is actually designed with greater foresight and craft than many AAA titles. Thoughtful world design meets bullet-hell mechanics in this endlessly endearing hotchpotch of ideas from all across the spectrum. Not everyone will appreciate Rabi Ribi’s more hardcore tendencies, but those who do may will be swayed into making this game their life.

Whilst the cutesy aesthetic might prove too saccharin for some, Rabi-Ribi delivers excellent exploration and combat over a lengthy first run. It will lend itself beautifully to speed runners whilst the plot and interplay between the main duo offer a surprising amount of charm. This is a pleasant, impressive Metroid homage with some nice quirks.

I was happy to find that Rabi-Ribi was, on the whole, a totally unexpected and delightful discovery for me on PS4.

Rabi-Ribi is a fun game and I had a great time exploring the levels, collecting abilities, and developing my character. I had an even greater time putting my thumbs to the test with the addictive and unforgiving boss battles. Unfortunately, for a game to be truly great, the full package needs to shine, and that is not the case with Rabi-Ribi. While gameplay and is engaging and well-designed, the visuals, story, and audio are all lacking, and no amount of bullets can ever make me turn my head to those flaws.

Despite the hallucinatory plot and some annoying backtracking session, Rabi-Ribi has quickly conquered us with its demanding and articulated gameplay.