RIPD The Game is a poor excuse for an online cooperative shooter. Its lack of campaign, recurring framerate issues and scanty control scheme will leave you with nothing more than a sour taste in your mouth. Yet somehow in this uninteresting, sometimes agonizing experience, there is some fun to be had.
There is no doubt about it, “RIPD The Game,” developed by Old School and published by Atlus, had potential. That lack of a campaign could have been justified if the multiplayer experience was a bit stronger… or at least had a purpose.
The concept has no structure and there is absolutely no reasoning behind anything that goes on in the match. The idea of making the basis for this game a cooperative horde shooter is fine, but the foundation lacks intention. The matches feel way too long and after they are over you don’t feel as if you accomplished anything.
There are seven maps in total to play through, with five rounds each. Essentially, your goal is to kill each horde of enemies until you reach the fifth round, in which you encounter the undead criminal — highlighted in gold — you ultimately set out to find and choose to either arrest or execute him, all before the timer runs out.
After each match is over, you are directed back to the menu screen where you can spend your newly earned coin on weapons, upgrades and consumables – though your default weapons will do just fine.
Being an adaptation of a movie starring two main protagonists, the game only features two playable characters: Roy and Nick. These characters have no special qualities and the absence of a character customization option is nothing short of a disappointment.
During each assignment, you are tasked with optional in-game missions, such as melee 10 different enemies in less than one minute or kill 10 enemies from a highlighted point on the map. Despite giving you something to do and earning you some extra coin, these missions are usually unsatisfying and come off as more of a burden than an achievement to complete.
Aside from the mediocre shooting mechanics, the gameplay can be somewhat fun. Running around a fresh map in search of the undead is not so bad at first – though the feeling will not last long. The maps are dull, cramped and repetitive, with constant framerate issues disturbing the otherwise solid graphics. After 15 minutes, you should be over familiar with just about everything, then it’s all downhill from there.
RIPD The Game is a waste of time. There are not even any decent trophies/achievements to appropriately reward you for your troubles. Not to mention it would take roughly 25-plus hours to get all 15 of them – unless you’re playing coop. While there may be some fun moments, it won’t be long before you set this game aside and move on to something else, for there is just no heart or soul at its core for the experience to live up to its potential.
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