Rift Wizard 3

A poor update that should have been a DLC to Rift Wizard 1.

Rift Wizard just gets better and better with every iteration. The art and music are beautiful, and the mechanics of the game are very well-designed, even in early access. The structure of the game encourages improvisation and experimentation, as level rewards are variable. Spells and equipment can be synergized in myriad ways, making every run potentially unique. I'd say the only small flaw is the barrier of entry: you will die several times just learning how small nuances work, and knowledge of what's available (there's a LOT) to you is critical to success. However, the UI is perfect, and every bit of information is available to you if you know how to access it. Bravo!

I really enjoy trying to figure out synergies and adapting to the randomness! Have not made it to level 6 yet, but I greatly recommend to all who like to optimize item and effect interactions.

Played RW2, loved it. Very VERY challenging. Tried RW3, Loved it. Still very challenging. I see many people aren't pleased with the changes they made, such as the crafting system, but I love it. It CAN make builds a lot easier to obtain but it still remains up to chance on what you find on levels (and if you can beat them to reap the rewards). My only nit-pick would be the art changes, I much prefer the previous art style. I still think it looks good but it took some adjustment. I just won my first run and I look forward to many more.

**TLDR: Good game, significantly different and improved from the previous. This is probably my favorite, but would recommend RW1 to a new player.** **On Release Schedule Criticism** Every RW game is a major rework and content addition directly on top of the previous game, reusing many assets (although this game has a full art redo). Each is great, while being similar enough that they could almost be huge mods. Given that and the fast release schedule (~2-3 years?) it's unsurprising that some have been critical or called this a "cash grab", though I personally disagree (or see it as no worse than/preferable to indie DLC) The dev's actions are also understandable. They not only put in a lot of work to each sequel, they clearly obsessed over the small flaws and clunky details of each game. After several years of internally making new content and fully reworking core systems, they chose to release a sequel at $10-15 (twice now). RW2 was a "sidegrade" from the previous game, moving focus from efficient tactics/resource management to power scaling builds. RW3 is more of a direct upgrade and rework, giving a better system of choices (admittedly sacrificing readability/beginner friendliness). I have had enough fun and hours on each game that they were better value than triple A, than many other games, and arguably than many other luxuries or forms of entertainment. If you disagree with that perspective, or believe indie devs owe their players a decade of free updates, RW may not be for you. **The Actual Game** Turn based tactical roguelite with no permanent progression. You get a huge list of spells and upgrades to pick from, with pressure to figure out a coherent build because the floors scale quickly. After each floor you choose the next from several options, with full vision of enemies and rewards. Beyond build synergies and watching hundreds of fun pixel monsters explode (or freeze, or turn to slime, or get mauled by bears), the game is good because you are constantly making deep choices around how to build and spend resources, how to fight a given enemy or level, and which level to enter. Beginner experience is strange in all of these games, because the key is gaining knowledge through trial and error and by slowly absorbing the huge list of spells and upgrades. RW3, for all its improvements, is admittedly the worst for beginners. Even with filters on the crafting list, new players will find themselves reading countless equipment descriptions and struggling to retain everything in hopes of determining effective synergies. Knowing many of these abilities from the previous games helps tremendously with readability.

Way harder than RW2, or maybe just different enough to throw off what little skill I had in that one. Lots of fun, though. The crafting system is great. Nice to have two resource types (SP and items) instead of just one (SP), so that you aren't always sacrificing one path to feed the other path. The (almost complete) lack of consumables was a tough adjustment from RW2. I appreciate getting two upgrades per spell instead of just one. (And more than two, if you find the right things.) I love the new art-style. The smaller maps aren't really "better" than the larger maps of RW2, but they suit the new gameplay well, I think. I like that the mancer trials restrict your equipment, too. I always thought it was weird that RW2's mancer trials put no restrictions on skill selection. The X-turbo speed setting seems to work a little better than it did in RW2. It's essential for some of the crazier synergies, it seems. EA, and loving the game so far. Can't wait to see how it improves still.

It's a tough game, but it allows you take it at your own pace. Don't overwhelm yourself with the amount of choices you have, and instead enjoy the process of discovery. When the game is at its peak, you truly feel like a wizard using every tool available to them in creative ways to get out of incredibly tricky and dangerous situations.

Love it, nothing like it. Everyone is going to have their own preferences, but I never clicked with Rift Wizard 2. I played a bit of RW1 but put it down after a bit. So RW3 is easily my favorite of the trio to date, to say the least. First, aesthetics. The art style and music have gotten a redesign that work well together while still tying into the previous games. The sprites are easier to read at a glance, and overall feels like a major evolution. Second, the smaller realm size is, in my opinion, perfect. The larger realms could be hard to read and tiresome to navigate. By reducing the size of the realms, occasionally needing to take a dangerous trek mid fight is still a risk, but chasing down the last spawner is more achievable. Finally, the crafting and spell systems. You decide your path a lot more directly compared to previous versions where you are more reacting to what you find. There's still a need to respond intelligently to the resources you find, but you have to find a way to craft your growth at regular intervals. If you don't have some firepower and something to help you survive by realm 5, it's going to be rough. If you can learn some of the basic 4 tag recipes to solve these problems and keep an eye out for the tags in the realms you choose, your chances of success will go up. Overall, a fantastic roguelike that is challenging and repeatable, that rewards creativity and planning without abandoning intensity, and a strong entry in the series.

단점 그래픽이 뭔가 애매하게 좋아져서 완전 고전게임 느낌의 전작보다 뭔가 개성이 안사는거같고 가시성 이슈로 전작보다 땅이랑 물/허공 타일이 뭔가 구분이 잘 안간다 물론 이런 그래픽적인건 아직 안익숙해서 그런거일수도 있긴한데 장비 시스템 < 이게 진입장벽에 떡벽을 세워버렸다 이 장비때문에 스테이지 대비 나오는 적 스펙에도 인플레가 엄청나게 생겨서 미친 웜마법사 < 이새끼가 4스테부터 등장해서 날 암살하려고 들고 5스테이지부터 대형몹이 나와서 사기치는법을 깨닫기 전까진 클리어는 커녕 초반에 전복나는 경우가 허다하다 또 맵이 너무 좁아져서 사기치기 전 버티는 단계에서 상태이상 거는 적이 너무 강력한 느낌이 있다 나는 전작까지 많이 햝어먹었어서 3도 재밌게 할수있을거같긴한데 진입장벽이 너무 높아져서 1이랑 2랑은 다르게 뭔가 남들한테 추천하긴 애매한 게임이 됐다 장점 게임에 대해 어느정도 파악하고 나면 고점딸 치는건 1, 2랑은 비교가 안될정도로 강력해서 순수뽕맛자체는 개쩔긴하다 성공했을때 순수도파민이 진짜 미쳤음 제대로 사기쳤을때 기준으로 빌드에 따라 메인속성 100%저항만 피하면 대충 주문 한두번 툭툭 던져서 맵 싹다지우거나 퀵캐스트 붙은 스펠으로 한턴에 두번씩 주문난사해서 맵 쓸어버리는게 가능한 정도 패배를 즐길 수 있고 그 속에서 성공했을때의 압도적인 도파민을 찾길 원한다면 구매할것

no words for this beautiful ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game, made me feel like a kid again just being obsessed with playing