Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson
The last of my rhythm game hybrids is Fretless. I played this deck-building turn-based rhythm RPG at PAX East last year, and it was easily the star of the show. I was drawn to the attention to detail the team at Ritual Studios took to make every note and strategic choice I made in its music-based battles feel like a part of the world. The music would change depending on what instrument I wielded, each card had a different melody attached to it as I used it in battle, and because each of those cards and guitars came with different functions, I was given plenty of reason to switch between them and hear different music throughout the brief time I got to play. It’s fascinating playing an RPG and imagining that every attack, spell, and dodge could be mapped onto sheet music. Fretless rules, and I can’t wait to play more when it comes to PC later this year. – Kenneth Shepard
