''Rive'' is a platforming shoot-em-up game created by the Dutch video game company

Two Tribes "Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984. The song was later included on the album '' Welcome to the Pleasuredome''. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyri ...

for

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and

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

, and is the first major release by the company after the company's downsizing and closure of their primary development team in late 2013. The game was unveiled in July 2014, after a long time of quiet development of the game that originated as a 3D shooter for the

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in 2005. The game uses the same engine as '' Toki Tori 2+'' and was developed by a three-man core team.

Gameplay

''Rive'' is a classic 2D side-scrolling platformer mixed with shooting elements, with the ability to shoot in full 360 degrees around the player character who gains the ability to "alter the behavior of their robotic enemies by collecting and uploading hacks". The game features a mission system and high scores for players to come back to after completing the game's story.

Development

''Rive'' was originally confirmed to be in development for the

Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...

since September 2014, and a demo version was even included in the Wii U

eShop The is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served as t ...

's promotional "Nindies@Home" campaign in June 2015. Although the title was originally intended to release in September 2016 on the Wii U alongside other platforms, Two Tribes co-founder Collin van Ginkel was sceptical regarding the game's release for the console due to technical difficulties maintaining the title's optimal performance. Van Ginkel said if the Wii U build fails to reach expectations, they would move the title to the upcoming

, then known as "NX". ''Rive'' was later confirmed for Nintendo Switch, dropping the Wii U version. The Switch version was developed in collaboration with

Engine Software Engine Software (formerly MSX-Engine) is a Dutch video game developer, located in Doetinchem, Netherlands, which specialized in handheld video games and digital platforms until 2011. In the period after (2011-present) they have become more active ...

. It includes an exclusive Copilot Mode, which allows two players to control the same ship co-operatively using each

Joy-Con Joy-Con are the primary game controllers for the Nintendo Switch, a hybrid video game console. A set of Joy-Con consists of two individual units, each containing an analog stick and an array of buttons. They can be used while attached to the mai ...

, as well as improved performance over the PlayStation 4 version running 60

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1080p 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the sc ...

. The Nintendo Switch version was released on November 17, 2017, worldwide, with 48 additional achievements and HD Rumble support, under the title ''Rive: Ultimate Edition''.

Release

In September 2016, Two Tribes teamed up with IndieBox, a monthly

subscription box Subscription boxes are a recurring delivery of niche products as part of a marketing strategy and a method of product distribution. Subscription boxes are used by subscription-based ecommerce businesses, referred to as "subcom" for short, which ...

service, to offer a custom-designed, physical version of ''Rive''. This limited collector's edition included a

DRM-free Digital rights management (DRM) is the management of legal access to digital content. Various tools or technological protection measures, such as access control technologies, can restrict the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DR ...

game disc, the official soundtrack on CD, an instruction manual and

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

key, as well as various collectible items. A physical version of Rive was also released for Nintendo Switch in August 2019 titled ''Rive: Ultimate Edition'' sold by

Super Rare Games Super Rare Games Limited is a video game publisher and distributor based in London, England. The company releases limited print games for the Nintendo Switch which can be purchased from their website. Super Rare Games was founded by George Per ...

. This limited run release includes full interior artwork, game cart, manual and trading cards.

Reception

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://rivethegame.com 2016 video games Cancelled Wii U games Engine Software games Indie games Linux games MacOS games Nintendo Switch games Platformers PlayStation 4 games Shoot 'em ups Single-player video games Two Tribes (company) games Video games developed in the Netherlands Windows games Xbox One games