Riftfall Arena

About Riftfall Arena

Riftfall Arena is a twin-stick shooter built as a campaign rather than an endless score run. Twenty missions are grouped into four chapters — The Awakening, Breach Zone, Last Sanctuary and Riftfall Endgame — and each one asks for a specific number of eliminations before the area counts as secure. Every fifth mission is a boss assault, where far more of what comes at you is elite.

The moment-to-moment game is simple to hold and hard to master. You always face where you are aiming, so circling a target while keeping it in your sights is the core skill. Sprinting drains energy and dashing spends a chunk of it, but a dash carries brief invulnerability — which makes the decision to spend energy the most interesting one in any given second. Enemies close from every direction at once, so standing still is always the wrong answer.

What keeps the twentieth mission from playing like the first is the upgrade you choose after every win. Heavier rounds, a faster cycle, a cheaper dash, thicker plating, quicker energy recovery, a lighter frame, longer-travelling shots or better salvage — three are offered each time, drawn from those you have not taken, and the ones you pick are kept for the rest of the campaign. By the Rift Crown you are playing a character you assembled rather than the one you were handed.

Progress saves in your browser, and your career score — your best run on every mission added together — is posted to the site rankings, so the campaign is worth replaying for a better score as well as for the next unlock.

How to play Riftfall Arena

Choose Campaign from the title screen and pick the first mission — the rest unlock as you clear them.

Move with WASD or the arrow keys, aim with the mouse, and hold click to fire.

Eliminate the number of enemies the mission asks for; the target is shown top right.

Choose one of three upgrades after each win. You keep it for the whole campaign.

Clear mission twenty to earn the Rift Crown and tournament qualification.