RIFTSTORM drops players into a fast-paced, top-down roguelite looter-shooter where occult threats collide with heavy firepower. Developed by Mythic Protocol, the game tasks players with taking on the role of elite operatives called “Weavers,” investigating anomalous cosmic rifts, gunning down swarms of Mythic entities, and extracting with precious resources and weapon blueprints
Developer: Confiction Labs, Agate
Publisher: Confiction Labs, Gamersky Games
Release Date:Â 7 August 2026
CPU:Â Intel Core i5 / AMD Equivalent
GPU:Â Geforce GTX 1060 / AMD Equivalent
RAM:Â 12 GB
HDD:Â 15 GB
Review code provided
Core Combat and Build Synergies
The moment-to-moment gunplay is RIFTSTORM‘s strongest asset. Drawing mechanical cues from twin-stick classics and modern isometric ARPGs, movement feels responsive and snappy. The combat loop really shines through its run-based upgrade mechanics, known as Lythograms.
As you clear rooms and combat waves, you collect randomized, stackable modifiers that alter projectile behavior, introduce elemental chain effects, and buff distinct class abilities. Watching a straightforward ballistic loadout morph into a screen-clearing barrage of ricocheting, explosive chaos delivers an immensely satisfying power fantasy.
Cooperative Focus & Risk-Reward Loop
While the game supports solo deployments, it is built from the ground up for up to three-player PvE co-op. Synergies between character abilities—such as pairing defensive barrier specialists with high-DPS crowd-controllers—elevate the tactical depth considerably.
The extraction layer introduces a welcome push-your-luck dynamic:
- Escalating Threat: Remaining inside corrupted rift zones yields higher-tier rewards at the risk of spawning deadlier Mythics.
- Forgiving Extraction Stakes: Unlike hardcore extraction shooters, failure damages or scars gear rather than wiping your entire inventory, striking a fair balance for a cooperative horde-shooter.
- Persistent Out-of-Run Crafting: Successful runs funnel resources into hub upgrades, unlocking weapon blueprints and passive character abilities to push higher mission tiers.
Rough Edges and Early Access Hurdles
Despite the strong foundation, RIFTSTORM shows signs of early development growing pains. Mission objectives quickly become repetitive across extended sessions, often boiling down to standard area-defense or extermination tasks. Visual readability can suffer during intense encounters when overlapping status effects and particle flurries flood the screen. Outside combat, hub pacing feels somewhat lethargic, with resource-gated progression that can slow down early character experimentation.
Final Thoughts
RIFTSTORM succeeds as a slick, high-energy hybrid of Diablo, Hades, and cooperative extraction shooters. While its long-term replay value hinges on greater environmental and mission variety, its snappy gunplay, synergistic build diversity, and engaging co-op loop make it a compelling top-down shooter for action fans.
