Developer: Ritual Studios
Publisher: Playdigious Originals
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson – Review
Music plays an essential part in about every video game out there, but there are comparatively few games that are about music -especially when it comes to RPGs. Enter Ritual Studio’s Fretless: The Wrath of Riffson. The game’s trailer immediately piqued our interest, showcasing Fretless’ unique gameplay and, most importantly, its killer soundtrack. The game was originally supposed to enter the stage last May, but some extra rehearsal time was apparently needed, resulting in a debut this month. Did Fretless amp us up, or were we left feeling strung along?
Story
Players step into the shoes of Rob, a passionate, guitar-loving musician from Harmony Heights. Rob’s dream is to win the Battle of the Bands. Things go sideways at the event, however. The villainous Rick Riffson, CEO of record label Super Metal Records, unleashes chaos on the world by transforming animals and humans into monsters to serve his sinister ends. This doesn’t deter our hero Rob from participating, however, and he embarks on a journey to compete in the Battle of the Bands while fighting back against SMR’s evil schemes. Along the way, he teams up with quirky allies, explores snowy mountaintops and haunted forests, and faces off against Riffson’s monstrous creations in music battles. Fretless’ narrative is both light-hearted and deliberately over-the-top, drawing heavily on musical puns and satire of the music industry. It’s very similar in tone to Scott Pilgrim, albeit without the romance angle.
Graphics
The world of Harmony Heights is brought to life through detailed and colorful pixel art. The themed environments are distinct and varied, ranging from lava-filled caves to high-tech research facilities and everything in between. The enemies are just as varied, and even more impressive in terms of art direction and creative design. The monster designs lean heavily into the game’s overall music theme, often hybridizing animals with instruments. Contrasting with these outlandish-looking creatures is Rob himself, who is just a dude. There is nothing that stands out about how he looks, but this works well juxtaposed against the bizarre enemies he ends up fighting. His design keeps things grounded, although his facial expressions can be outlandish and over-the-top when the game needs it. Combat animations are fluid, with each of Rob’s different attacks having its own effects. Visual performance isn’t as flawless as you’d expect from a pixel art-based game, however. There are occasional animation hiccups and lingering artefacts present, albeit rarely.
Sound
Music plays an important role in Fretless’ setting, and the game has a soundscape to match. The world is rich with musical details, whether it’s frogs croaking to the rhythm of the background tunes or plants making music when you walk past them. There is no voice acting present, with Rob acting as a silent protagonist. However, the emotions and personalities of Fretless’ cast are conveyed through music. Fretless’ combat mechanics seamlessly blend in with the game’s audio design as well. The sounds of Rob’s attacks match the instrument he’s equipped with, and bosses all have their own unique themes. Even generic enemies’ sound effects synergize with their attacks. Fretless’ soundscape is already impressive because of how well it is integrated into the game’s world, but what makes it even better is that the music itself is outstanding too. The majority of the compositions were done by Rob Scallon, Jeff Jennings, and Dovetail, with guest contributions from artists like Northlane and metal band Cult of Luna further expanding the soundtrack. The result is one of the most impressive soundscapes that we’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing in an indie game.
Gameplay
At its core, Fretless is an RPG with turn-based combat, but the game defies the conventions of its genre by blending in rhythm-based QTE and deck-building mechanics. As we mentioned when discussing Fretless’ graphics, there is a wide variety of environments present, but the game doesn’t focus on exploration. Instead, Fretless offers a mostly linear experience. Sidequests and secret bosses do exist, and their rewards make them worth seeking out, but we felt like the game doesn’t really reach its full potential when it comes to making its world feel open. Instead, music battles are at the center of Fretless’ gameplay, with the game’s surrounding elements all tying into these, either directly or indirectly. There are four different instruments that Rob can play, and each has its own distinct playstyle and deck. Both of these can be personalized, using materials that Rob picks up on his journey. Customization essentially replaces the conventional leveling system seen in other RPGs, removing the need to grind for experience.
The turn-based battles are driven by your deck of riff cards. These cards aren’t just limited to attacking or defending, but also include buffs, debuffs, and special effects. During your turn, you select up to three riffs from a hand of six cards, representing Rob’s moves for that turn. Every offensive or defensive move includes a QTE, where you press buttons in time with a beat to boost your own attack or reduce incoming damage. Successful QTE inputs fill your Crescendo meter, allowing you to perform powerful super attacks. Both Crescendo attacks and boss battles expand the QTEs into full Guitar Hero-style rhythm minigames. The boss battles are Fretless’ mechanical highlights, adding some much-needed challenge. Fretless never really amps up the difficulty outside of these, which is fine if you’re looking for a more casual experience, but genre veterans might end up feeling underwhelmed.
Clocking in at around eight hours, Fretless offers a fairly short experience. The game offers no meaningful endgame content or higher difficulty levels, severely limiting its replay value. It left us wanting more, which underlines just how much we did like what was present here. At €14.99, Fretless won’t be breaking the bank either. We’d say you’re getting a reasonable amount of bang for your buck here, even if it’s a short ride.
Conclusion
With its genre-blending mechanics, Fretless is one of the more unique indie RPGs out there. The killer soundtrack and fantastic enemy designs only add to the game’s overall appeal. Fretless’ biggest flaws are how short it is, its lack of replay value, and the low overall difficulty level. All of these can be boiled down to us wanting an encore though, and with good reason. This is a game that is well worth checking out, especially if you’re looking for an original, fun, and light-hearted take on the genre.
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