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

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, Linux and

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, 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 on July 29, 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 since September 2014, and a demo version was even included in the Wii U eShop'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, in an interview with Nintendo Life in July 2016, Two Tribes co-founder Collin van Ginkel expressed scepticism regarding the game's release for the console due to technical difficulties maintaining the title's optimal performance. Van Ginkel added if the Wii U build fails to reach expectations, they would move the title to the upcoming

, then known as "NX". In February 2017, Two Tribes confirmed ''Rive'' for Nintendo Switch, dropping the Wii U version. The Switch version was developed in collaboration with Engine Software. It includes an exclusive Copilot Mode, which allows two players to control the same ship co-operatively using each Joy-Con, as well as improved performance over the PlayStation 4 version running 60 frames per second at

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. 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

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service, to offer a custom-designed, physical version of ''Rive''. This limited collector’s edition included a DRM-free game disc, the official soundtrack on CD, an instruction manual and

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

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. 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 Linux games MacOS games Nintendo Switch games Platform games PlayStation 4 games Shoot 'em ups Single-player video games Video games developed in the Netherlands Windows games Xbox One games