Rigid Force Redux is a horizontally side scrolling 2-D shooter, using elements from classics like R-Type and Einhander but with 3-D polygon graphics.  It’s available on Switch and Xbox One, but reviewed on Switch here.

The main mode has six stages with a boss at the end of each one.  Hold down one button to fire shots to defeat enemies.  Defeated ships will leave behind little green pellets.  Collect them to fill a power meter.  You can also hold down the right trigger button to suck in those pellets, but it’ll slow you down a bit while you do.  When you have power in your meter, you can hold down and fire off charged shots for extra damage.  You can also use a sword to deflect bullets.  Just use those skills wisely as it takes off power from your meter.  You can collect power-ups to increase your shots, and one of those is a little ball that you can move around your ship to re-arrange your projectiles or shoot behind you.  It kind of reminds me of the little ball attachment in R-Type.  And that’s pretty much the game.

In the main mode you can choose three difficulty selections.  You get three lives and three continues and that’s it.  You can also unlock an Arcade mode where you play each stage separately, and try to get a high score.  In this mode they give you extra opportunities to boost your score, like finding little astronauts to rescue, score multipliers, etc.  There’s also a Boss Rush mode.  If you complete certain objectives, you’ll earn trophies.  Each trophy also unlocks a piece of concept art, which is neat.

Only main problem I had with the game is that with limited lives and continues, the game is pretty hard even on Easy.  I wish they could’ve added more.  There’s also too much story and text, but luckily you can skip it, as it’s pretty unnecessary past the tutorial.  Also, there’s not really much that makes this game stand out from the other shooters out there.  But if you crave a new arcade style classic shooter and are up to the challenge, you may want to check this one out.

Kid Factor:

Rigid Force Redux is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Violence.  You shoot all manner of spaceships and alien globs with lasers and missiles, and they explode when defeated.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, and younger gamers may find it too difficult.

Tags: Game Reviews