RIVE: Ultimate Edition

 Switch
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 40
  3. Negative: 7 out of 40
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  1. Kaprawiec
    Nov 24, 2017
    10
    Awesome twin stick shooter. Great a/v, fast paced action, smooth and polished.
    Only flaw I find is the subtitles are too small, but other than that its just the game I was looking for on switch.
    And yeah, you basically do the same thing over and over. Just like in about 90% games out there. Lets see - sports games - you play sport, tetris - you arange blocks, fighting games - you fight.    Awesome twin stick shooter. Great a/v, fast paced action, smooth and polished.
    Only flaw I find is the subtitles are too small, but other than that its just the game I was looking for on switch.
    And yeah, you basically do the same thing over and over. Just like in about 90% games out there. Lets see - sports games - you play sport, tetris - you arange blocks, fighting games - you fight. And in shooter games you shoot enemies and try to surviwe. Nothing wrong with that.    … Expand
  2. WereSuricat
    Nov 19, 2017
    10
    Wow a fantastic space shooter game :) Already great on pc and ps4 but better on switch and portable ;) !! 60 fps superb control and so nice graphics :) A must have for all space shooter plateform fan !!
  3. foopop
    Nov 19, 2017
    10
    Bought a Switch, got Mario Kart and Zelda (of course), and this is my 3rd game. Fancied a shooter. Never played Rive before. Amazing game. Perfect execution. No regrets. Nice work devs! Thanks.
  4. moto1979
    Nov 17, 2017
    10
    Best version on RIVE and portable !!!! amazing graphic effects and smooth 60fps !!! Fan with play for long hours !!! good job Two Tribes,,,im wait for Toki Tori for Switch ;)
  5. Bunterboy
    Nov 22, 2017
    4
    Yeah, this game isn't as good as you think it's going to be.

    It's more sadistic than hard but not in an especially good way. The difficulty curve is high, there's no other way to put it, which can be fun with the right implementation but this is where it falls down. You'll do something difficult, feel pleased that you did it but then you'll have to do exactly the same thing another two    Yeah, this game isn't as good as you think it's going to be.

    It's more sadistic than hard but not in an especially good way. The difficulty curve is high, there's no other way to put it, which can be fun with the right implementation but this is where it falls down. You'll do something difficult, feel pleased that you did it but then you'll have to do exactly the same thing another two or three times in a row. Repetition is boring but when something is difficult and repetitive it gets frustrating and sucks any fun out of the game. The upgrades are very limited (think armor and magnet to draw things in, that's essentially it), there is only about 7-10 enemies in the game, repeated throughout and the writing and attempts at jokes aren't even cringe-worthy, they're just bad.

    Overall, this game is hard and repetitive but not fun. If you're happy to plough your time into doing the same thing over and over again without any reward I suggest working in a North Korean coal mine instead.    … Expand
  6. TheFlannelFox
    Nov 29, 2017
    6
    Did Michael Bay make a twin stick shooter?

    Rive is a 2d platformer twin stick shmup, developed by dutch game company Two Tribes. Originally released in 2016, Rive has now hacked it’s way onto the Nintendo Switch. In Rive you play as a hacker controlling an abandoned ship, which handles and looks amazing. Switching from an asteroid like flying ship moving in full 360 degrees, to    Did Michael Bay make a twin stick shooter?

    Rive is a 2d platformer twin stick shmup, developed by dutch game company Two Tribes. Originally released in 2016, Rive has now hacked it’s way onto the Nintendo Switch.

    In Rive you play as a hacker controlling an abandoned ship, which handles and looks amazing. Switching from an asteroid like flying ship moving in full 360 degrees, to platforming in your spider ship creating two very different gameplay experiences. Controlling your movement with the left joystick, aiming and shooting with the right, and special attack with you right trigger. All handles like you typical twin stick shooter with the exception of a jump, when in platforming mode, that is mapped to your left trigger. Unfortunately not being able to remap these buttons, after years of jumping with one of the right thumb buttons, it does not feel intuitive by any means. When put in an action packed slew of robotic enemies, scrambling that second then reaching for that left trigger can, at certain moments, mean the difference between life and death.

    Button mapping aside the gameplay experience is a robotic bullet barrage that is only manageable by the extremely responsive and well executed mechanics. Every moment of gameplay must be intentional in order to complete a mission, because these missions are as tough as rivets. With a normal and a hard mode, that should be labeled hard and insane! Rive still allows you to progress through the game steadily due to the multiple check points. Even in a tense and challenging boss fight, if you make it half way through and die, you will be sent back to a midway point of battle, allowing you to blast that force field, and shoot off those fireworks.

    One of the featured mechanics in Rive is the ability to hack your enemies, not all, but some are able to be hacked to make them an ally. This ability in my opinion felt more like a chore than a bonus, normally when being careful enough not to damage an enemy or getting close enough to hack, you sustain damage. Which can quickly snowball into a cheeky phrased death sentence. The most useful were the health bots, that follow behind you refill your health until it runs out of juice, buuuuut a health pickup would suffice.

    Only on the Switch version is a co-op mode where one person controls the movement of the spider ship and the other controls the weapons. Fun for a bit, but in a game this challenging, it feels better as a one man show.

    While throughout Rive you have multiple special weapons that you can purchase along with upgrades to your armor and ship. Although the health increase is a nice to have, overall the upgrades don’t provide any real feeling of progression. A feeling that is echoed in the environments. Rive is a very action packed game, however this can sometimes leave you feeling that the level you just played through was sort of a blur. There were moments when playing that I died, then respawned and didn’t realize it was a checkpoint because everything was feeling so similar. Breaking down the challenges into such tiny explosive experiences, left me with a fatigue that made it hard to find the urge to complete a level. Move through this crawl space, shoot a boss, move through this crawl space, shoot another boss, then the mission is complete? Huh? You honestly don’t need to know what the mission is in order to complete it, you just keep shooting enemies. Which is fine if an arcadey room to room massacre is what you're looking for, but it was hard to find linear feeling of completion.

    Rive is an action packed, challenging twin stick shooter experience with fun platforming elements. Which at times, truly rung a high note setup and execution. However, I quickly was lost in the blur of exploding, respawning, exploding, then somehow beating the level.

    Check out my video review on YouTube channel TheFlannelFox    … Expand
  7. berserkto
    May 8, 2018
    0
    This game does not even work on the PC, please do not buy this game, the developer does not respond at all to issues.
  8. Ondik
    May 23, 2020
    3
    Fun at first. Brought down by mindless repetition, staggering considering the length of the game, and unbalanced difficulty spikes. Shame. Looked like a good game
  9. THEKLINGONGAMER
    Jan 18, 2018
    9
    Cuphead is tough but Rive is a game that will make you swear more often..the difficulty is awe inspiring want a challenge want a game that makes your thumbs ache this is the game for you
    its well designed but devilishly difficult stages are constructed to test you EASY at 1st they get tougher
    some stages really are fun to play others not so much characters sound music all is top    Cuphead is tough but Rive is a game that will make you swear more often..the difficulty is awe inspiring want a challenge want a game that makes your thumbs ache this is the game for you
    its well designed but devilishly difficult stages are constructed to test you EASY at 1st they get tougher
    some stages really are fun to play others not so much
    characters sound music all is top notch plenty to do challenge mode is actually challenging
    the levels are nice to look at too and this game is a damn sight better than other twin stick shooters
    give it a go don't be put off by the learning curve ....I gave up though didn't want to have a heart attack    … Expand
  10. Loo_oo
    May 4, 2018
    8
    it's fantastic shooter game ! high res with 60 fps, it's beatiful ! It's very difficult ! it's funny with a coop mode ! But.... it's too short ! The price is good and there is a lot of humor, SO i forgive it ;-) Good little game
  11. sergio123456
    Jan 10, 2021
    7
    Un juego muy entretenido estilo shoot em up, que combina también elementos de plataformeo y mejora de habilidades, me sorprendió gratamente debido al bajo precio que tiene, su duración es de unas 5 horas, los diálogos de los dos personajes principales son muy entretenidos.

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best Switch Game of 2017
90
#90 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. FNintendo
    Jan 28, 2018
    90
    A very fluid and addictive game that grabs the players' attention from the beginning to the end and which should be played by everyone, RIVE features an exquisite audiovisual component, challenging gameplay and a difficulty level that will demand the players to invest their best efforts to succeed.
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  2. Worth Playing
    Jan 2, 2018
    90
    Rive: Ultimate Edition is a fantastic addition to any action-loving Switch owner's library. The action is almost non-stop, and the difficulty feels well-balanced between putting you at the edge of death while still giving you the means to overcome it. The game length feels just right thanks to this challenge, and the many different modes amplify the high score chase that becomes the impetus to keep playing. For a studio's final game, this is the best possible way to leave a lasting impression.
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  3. Vooks
    Jan 2, 2018
    60
    If you’re a sucker for side-scrolling shooters with a penchant for a difficulty level that fluctuates between clever and fun to sadistically relying on twitch control and memorisation, Rive: Ultimate Edition might be a game to keep you busy for the 6-8 hours it provides.
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