Rigid Force Alpha Reviews
Rigid Force Alpha is a truly fantastic bullet hell shooter. The breakneck action combined with beautiful 3D environments make this game both fun and challenging. The harsh knockback coupled with the limited amount of lives and continues allows for the player to progressively get better at playing the game. This a great "lunch break" title and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Overall, Rigid Force Alpha gets an 8/10, it is a beautiful, engaging experience and one that brings me back to my youth. The nostalgia won’t be as strong for a younger audience, alongside the difficulty possibly putting off a portion of gamers.
Classic shoot’em up action in modern 3D! Blast off to take down hordes of infected aliens and dreadful machines programmed on waging an intergalactic war against mankind!
Rigid Force Alpha is a good kind of throwback. It may look and sound modern, but it has a good grasp of what made some classic shooters become evergreen entries for fans. It has a good spread of weapons, and the difficulty feels fair as long as you're good with its limits. It may not be able to construct a good story or present much that would be considered unique to the genre, but those who crave old-school sensibilities will enjoy Rigid Force Alpha if they have the patience to get through some initial booting issues.
In the end, Rigid Force Alpha is a fun SHMUP. Sure, it doesn't reinvent the genre, but it nails the basics, provides a hell of a time and that's all any SHMUP can do. For being the first attempt from Com8com1, it shows that they've really listened to the SHMUP community and provided easily one of the best indie games I've played in a while.
Rigid Force Alpha is a fun little game, but it can also be frustrating. It includes controller support, and I played using my Xbox One controller. If you’re up for it, you could spend a lot of time in this game, as it has some truly crazy challenges beyond the main campaign. There are 40 achievements across all three game modes, and some of them will probably have you tearing your hair out! For example, one involves beating the campaign on hard mode without taking any hits! You could spend 10 hours or longer just beating the game for the first time, and far more on everything else. I’ve spent upwards of 10 hours shooting down baddies so far. Rigid Force Alpha is available on Steam for $19.99, and you can also get the soundtrack. Are you an ace pilot good enough to survive this mission and stop the escaped creatures from spreading?
Despite being functionally solid and enjoyable, Rigid Force Alpha's lack of identity is very apparent. Occasional cameos and background references are fine, but cloned enemies and bosses is going too far. The overly familiar environs and scenarios aren't going to excite genre veterans, either. While it may be difficult to create something that has never been seen before, it has to be easier to create something that isn't seen very often. At least when it comes to features, there isn't much to complain about. Alongside a slew of achievements for thrill-seekers is an arcade mode with a lot of replay value. Even if this shmup isn't as imaginative as it could be, at least its heart is in the right place.
Rigid Force Alpha doesn't commit any cardinal shmup sins, but it doesn't stand out either. Those looking for the next Gradius or R-Type will find comfort in its familiarity, but the whole experience does not leave a lasting impression.