Rigid Force Redux | Xbox One Review

June 15, 2020 Chris Behrensmeyer

I was recently given the opportunity to take another headlong dive into one of my favorite game genres: shoot’em ups. The game in question is Rigid Force Redux from Headup Games, and I have tasked myself with determining whether or not this one is worth taking a crack at it. As many of you know I have been well versed in these types of games and I love almost all of them dearly. So let’s get to it and take a dive in, and see if this one is worth blasting through or flying past.

Scrolling, Scrolling, Scrolling

Rigid Force Redux is a side-scrolling shmup that takes the guts of a traditional style entry and ramps it up with some modern 3D graphics. When you first start the game, you are thrust into a small tutorial which does a very good job of teaching the core mechanics of the game. Most games in the shmup category don’t do this, so it was a welcome idea, especially for those who are new to this type of game. You and your ship’s AI, named PSYE, have to eradicate an alien presence from your planet. Each of the main missions drop you into a different area of the planet you are protecting, and have a boss fight at the end. The boss fights are entertaining and each boss does bring a slightly different challenge to the table.

So Many Guns

As you play the game you have a wide variety of upgrades to help you fight the alien menace. This game does have a couple of things that sets it apart from others in the upgrade category. You have the general different types of weapons like spread shot, a focused shot, and reflect shot that are in most shmups. However, Rigid Force Redux has the ability to increase the amount of cannons firing the shots, and you can also change the direction of fire. I really grew to love this feature due to having ships come up from behind you at certain points in the game.

The soundtrack is a wonderful blend of synth style music, which is upbeat and fast paced. I can honestly say it is the best type of music for this style of gameplay and if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Another thing that sets this game apart from the rest of the pack is the graphics, the 2.5D styling looks great and does a great job at giving the play depth of field. The different areas of the game and variety of enemies are also a well designed part of this game.

A Few New Additions

Rigid Force Redux also has two other game modes I have been having fun with outside of the main game. There is the Boss Rush, a fun little time attack that puts your skills against all the game’s bosses back to back in a timed blitz. There is also an Arcade mode that adds a few extra options to each main mission, and grades your performance at the end of each mission. However, the arcade mode addition just feels like a quick add-on to extend replayability.

A Slight Misfire

The unfortunate side of Rigid Force Redux is if you have played a wide variety of shmups, it feels like you have played the game before. The story for most of these games is almost always the same and, outside of the ability to change the directions of your multiple cannons, it doesn’t feel like anything new has been added. Rigid Force Redux is also a short game with only 6 main missions. For once I would love to see a new type of story in this style of game, instead of the typical alien invasion.

Rigid Force Redux is a fun game to play, however I feel that it is middle of the road for the shmup genre. The main game is fun but just feels so short and leaves the player wanting more. It does check almost all the boxes for a solid entry. If you are searching for a fun, quick game to play, I would recommend it. Just keep in mind there are better ones out there. Overall, a competent shooter that just doesn’t quite go the distance.

This review is based on an Xbox One copy of Rigid Force Redux provided by Brown Betty for coverage purposes. It is also available on Nintendo Switch.