Rabi-Ribi is a 2D downloadable side-scrolling metroidvania, with plenty of platforming and bullet-hell elements thrown on top for good measure. Developed by CreSpirit and GemaYue, with CreSpirit’s only previous works being A Light in the Dark, a visual novel with an excellent, but a dark story.
How to Download Rabi-Ribi
You can download the game by following the Download link at the end of this review. There are also several DLCs waiting for you, namely: Cicini’s Halloween! (2016) and Is the order a DLC? (2017). There is also the original game soundtrack and a sweet digital artbook.
If you like metroidvania titles with nice female protagonists, be also sure to download and check out the fantasy game The Vagrant.
The Game Review
Released on the 28th January 2016, the game is available on PC, Switch, PS4, and PS Vita. Playing as a hammer-wielding girl in a bunny costume, the world is a weird and wonderful place to explore and discover, while beating up everything in the way.
The Story
The story is a bit of a weird one in this game, but it manages to work rather well for the game as a whole. You take on the role of Erina, a rabbit who for some unknown reason is turned into a person but must wear a bunny costume throughout her transformation.
While randomly exploring, she comes across a fairy, known as Ribbon who wishes to help Erina figure out what exactly is going on with her. As the story develops, things quickly turn out to not be quite as simple as they once were, and the pair may end up getting involved with a little more than simply trying to figure out how to return Erina to her normal state.
The Gameplay
Playing like a 2D metroidvania, the controls are pretty standard for the game. You can move around the world, platforming and attacking enemies with a giant mallet, and eventually through the use of Ribbon’s magical prowess to protect Erina as best as possible.
Near the start of the game enemies are few and far between and don’t pose too much of a threat, but as time goes on and the story starts to develop, things never truly stay quite as simple as they once were. Since the game makes use of bullet-hell mechanics, there’s a lot of times in the game where a lot of projectiles fill up the screen and you’ll need to avoid them to the best of your abilities as if you’re playing a bullet-hell shooter.
Items, Bosses, and Secrets
Just like any good metroidvania on the market, there are plenty of different items and upgrades to find throughout the world during your exploration. Plenty of secrets and hard-to-reach areas are found in the world and while you’re not expected to find literally everything the game has to offer if you manage to do just that, you’ll have plenty of content to sink your teeth into. There’s even a boss rush mode to test your mettle against the 40+ different bosses the game has available to really test yourself on.
Games Similar to Rabi-Ribi
In terms of comparisons, Rabi-Ribi takes a lot of its ideas from the classic metroidvanias, such as Metroid (1986), considering it’s the title that coined that particular genre. By using the classic Metroid style with the intriguing addition of bullet-hell mechanics, Rabi-Ribi makes for an entertaining game from start to finish.
