The Riftbreaker - EXOR Studio sci-fi survival preview

Developed and published by the software house EXOR Studio, The Riftbreaker is a project as innovative as it is solid, which will see the light in 2020 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. We are talking about a work that mixes many genres as only an indie can do. It is in fact a science fiction survival, which however has many management elements inside. EXOR Studio, already author of X-Morph: Defense, Zombie Driver and DIPRIP Warm Up, has decided to start the production of this project in 2017, putting all his strength on it.

The Riftbreaker is a production that we could in fact classify as AA, which shows the best that the software house has been able and able to do, with its certainly not infinite resources. The proprietary engine was used for development The Schmetterling, which allows a more than dignified representation on the screen, even if certainly not unparalleled. We were able to try the demo of The Riftbreaker, and we're here to tell you about it. Follow us in this article to learn about the best and the darkest sides of this production.

The space scientist and his heavily armed Mech

During our test we first of all had the opportunity to experience a rather advanced scripted mission of the main campaign, as well as a second survival mode. Although the contents were really limited, the developers showed their plan for the final project at the beginning of the game, and given what has been presented so far, we can only trust the promises.

Unfortunately, the history of the title was not even mentioned in our test, but the initial premises provided a good narrative opening that we hope the developer can deepen to the fullest. The protagonist is a scientist armed with a dangerous and useful mech, which makes its way through portals to the galaxy. Its purpose is to completely settle on Galatea 37, to then build a portal that allows him to return to Earth.

The final title will be based on the exploration and colonization of procedural playgrounds, governed by the presence of different biomes, which were lukewarmly shown in the survival version. What we have been able to see by comparing the most advanced game sections compared to the basic ones, is that the gameplay starts in a rather simple way, becoming incredibly complicated. The help of the game, however, is fundamental and does not take long, this can promptly make every factor present understandable to the player.

The mech we are called to drive is really responsive and being able to drive it is really enjoyable, although the presence of many keys on the screen, whether you use a controller or the keyboard, can be confusing at first glance. Despite what has been said, it doesn't take as long as you might imagine to master all the combat commands, and starting to slice through hordes of aliens turns out to be quite immediate.

The return to the beloved Earth

Although the scientist is always aboard his trusty mech, fortunately there are not only combat phases. A management base-building component is truly impressive in gameplay, which makes it richer and more varied. Even this, given the large amount of buildings, may initially seem a headache, but this is not the way the developers want to put the player in difficulty, everything is explained wisely.

The protagonist's aim is to explore the randomly generated planets, and to slice aliens, but for the sole purpose of gathering the necessary resources. Therefore, the construction part should not be neglected, wandering around the game maps firing rockets and unsheathing the blades without a second purpose, is basically useless, given that the hordes of enemies are always lurking to surprise any unprotected base.

Is The Riftbreaker an indie?

As we already mentioned in the introduction this title is quite far from being considered an AAA, but it is a very well curated production. The engine used by EXOR Studio it behaves quite well, even if it doesn't shine beautifully in the graphics part it is still well optimized. The presence of many enemies on the screen is never a problem for the framerate, at least on PC, and we have not found bugs despite their presence in the main menu being reported.

The audio sector is also to be mentioned as out of the ordinary, since it allows the player to immerse themselves in hostile and inhospitable environments, making him feel in danger in a completely wild planet. We also confirm that the demo we tried only supported the English language, but the Spanish language will be added in the final version of The Riftbreaker.

The Riftbreaker is definitely a production to watch. It is not the most innovative work ever created, but it manages to amalgamate different genres in the best possible way, projecting something fundamentally new on the screen. The narrative sector seems really interesting although it has not been possible to deepen it, and the gameplay is well distributed and edited by the developer. We just have to wait for the official release of the game which will take place during 2020, hoping that all the premises made are maintained in the best possible way.