Rift Racoon (Xbox One) Review with stream

Rift Racoon is a precision platformer about a raccoon that can teleport through traps and hazards but can also get hilariously stuck inside walls. While not as challenging as some other platformers in the “I hate you” genre, it still carries a high challenge with some light puzzle solving.

With a simple, short opening tutorial level, the game doesn’t waste any time throwing the player into the platforming mayhem. The main gimmick is having the ability to briefly teleport to overcome obstacles or hazards.  Be warned, however, teleporting is a cool super power but it also comes with a massive risk/reward approach.  It is required to jump over those long gaps but it also needs to be triggered with a high amount of accuracy.  A millimeter to soon or too late, and Tucker will get stuck in the wall resulting in death and restart.  Precision is the key here and takes a little time to fully grasp. 

The other key to platforming success is the ability to wall climb. Using the sharp nails of the raccoon’s paws, it is possible to catch yourself gliding down walls and climbing vertically for a short distance until he gets tired.  Even though there is a limited moveset, the hand crafted levels are designed in a way that doesn’t feel too repetitive, although the abundance of stereotypical spikes is a little overused. 

Difficulty comes purely from the stage design, not from making the player act in haste. Since there is no timer or leaderboards, the goal is simply to reach the end of the stage, sometimes collecting that optional gem along the way.  The pixel art is low budget but still does the trick and has its own retro personality.  The lullaby soundtrack also is better than expected, especially for a game that only costs a few bucks. 

Rift Racoon is a simple platformer with a fair challenge.  I wish teleporting, the main gameplay gimmick that separates itself from others in the genre, was a little more responsive and faster executing but it still offers some platforming fun especially when played in short bursts. 

Also available on PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC.

Not As Good As: Sir Lovelot

Don’t Forget About: Super Meat Boy Forever  

Also Try: Dead Dungeon  

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com

Twitter: @ZackGaz

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