Above Land: Rhapsody is a Co-op Roguelite that Mixes Swordplay with... Slam Dunks?

Colourful, quirky, and wholly chaotic, Above Land: Rhapsody fundamentally takes the three-player co-op carnage of Elden Ring Nightreign and injects it with immoderate hilariously over-the-top weapons and peculiar moves that look consecutive retired of a Yakuza thoroughfare brawl. At a caller BiliBili: First Look lawsuit successful Shanghai, I spent a fewer hours hacking and slashing distant astatine monsters successful a onshore supra the clouds, successful this frenetic roguelite that marries breathtaking bursts of enactment and operation defence elements with a heavy consciousness of combat customisation. Yet what truly stood retired for maine was the originative operation of weaponry astatine my disposal. I mean, erstwhile was the past clip you played an enactment RPG that allowed you to chopped down goblins with a elephantine broadsword successful 1 hand, and execute slam-dunking finishing moves with a hoops dribbled with the other?

Just wherefore bash you person entree to an eclectic arsenal of weapons that look to beryllium stripped retired of the pages of a tweenager’s sketchbook? Well, that astir apt has thing to bash with the information that successful Above Land: Rhapsody you really play arsenic a young child, astatine slightest extracurricular of each battle. Here your downtime is spent wandering done the bowels of a floating vas dubbed ‘The Invincible Bebe’, trading for peculiar potions with the alchemist, preparing meals with the cook that supply buffs during combat, and visiting the tailor to unlock assorted aesthetic upgrades similar witch’s hats and aviation goggles for your avatar.

The astir important NPC to befriend, though, is the Bebe’s blacksmith who provides you with a limb acceptable that combines a modular suite of precocious phantasy armaments with what appears to beryllium the astir wanted items connected a people schooler’s Christmas wishlist. Of people determination are swords, dual-wielded daggers, and a almighty bow to woody harm with, but there’s besides a yo-yo, electrical guitar, and the aforementioned hoops to adhd immoderate slapstick to each monster arse you kick. I’m assuming the squad astatine developer Flying Amateurs are WWE fans, too, since you tin adjacent take to wield a folding chair, precisely similar the benignant typically clattered implicit the skulls of greased up grapplers ringside astatine Wrestlemania.

You mightiness accidental that the developers person employed an ‘everything but the room sink’ attack to designing your character’s arsenal successful Above Land: Rhapsody, but since successful the aboriginal mentation I played determination was lone 12 retired of the much than 30 weapons acceptable to beryllium disposable successful the finished game, I can’t regularisation retired the anticipation that determination mightiness really beryllium a room descend oregon immoderate different random portion of plumbing to wield erstwhile Above Land: Rhapsody yet comes out. It’s beauteous nuts.

Above and Beyond

Once you’re bully to spell you past displacement done the pages of an intricate pop-up publication near to the kid by his missing mother, which past teleports you into a conflict realm composed of floating chunks of shattered scenery and populated with hordes of minions to clash with and countless concealed treasures to scour for. In this magnitude you alteration into a lithe warrior and, either solo oregon with up to 2 companions successful tow, indispensable past 4 waves of progressively challenging force hordes earlier overcoming an extremity brag successful a gameplay league that fundamentally constitutes astir 30 breathless minutes of mayhem.

Each question of enemies you dispatch drops randomised quality modifiers that you tin equip connected the fly, ranging from simply electrifying your weapons, to a buff that makes the size of your quality dilatory turn and go much almighty astatine the outgo of your wide question speed. Apparently successful the afloat crippled determination volition beryllium adjacent much absurd modifiers that crook enemies into sheep, oregon let you to virtually outcry your enemies to decease utilizing a headset microphone. Finally, a gameplay mechanic intent built for each shrieking teen I’ve ever encountered successful Call of Duty.

Even without the caller gameplay twists introduced by these modifiers, which I’m told volition beryllium adjacent to a staggering 1,000 successful number, the weapons are already an implicit blast to use. In summation to modular attacks, each limb besides has 2 peculiar skills that run connected a cooldown timer. For example, the broadsword tin deploy an automated turret to assistance bladed force numbers successful your vicinity, portion the folding seat tin summon a wrestling ringing to enactment successful the enemies astir you and forestall them from dodging your chair-swinging attacks.

Each limb besides features its ain unsocial combat mechanics. With the katana I was simply alternating betwixt the 2 main onslaught buttons to propulsion disconnected slashing uppercuts and charged up stabs, but with the electrical guitar I fell into a wholly antithetic rhythm. Quite virtually so, since wielding the axe of the fretted benignant brings up a tempo indicator astatine the bottommost of the screen; the amended you clip each strum of the guitar, the much harm you woody with the philharmonic enactment projectiles that occurrence retired successful each directions, arsenic your quality kneeslides and duckwalks astir the combat arena similar an enactment roleplaying Angus Young. I indispensable admit that the manic quality of Above Land: Rhapsody’s scraps meant that I didn’t ever wholly cognize what was going on, but I was thing if not entertained astatine each times.

Above the Rim

It’s worthy pointing retired that the existent multiplayer constituent of Above Land: Rhapsody is inactive precise overmuch a enactment successful progress, and galore of the features planned for co-operative play were not contiguous successful the aboriginal physique I played. Specifically, the afloat crippled is acceptable to let players to commercialized items similar quality modifiers betwixt them, but possibly much enticingly, your combat abilities volition beryllium acold much complementary successful a scrap. An illustration suggested to maine by 1 of the developers, was that if 2 players each had the hoops equipped, they mightiness beryllium capable to walk it backmost and distant successful speedy succession successful bid to make a almighty whirlwind to harm enemies with, earlier finishing them disconnected with 1 subordinate lobbing the shot to the different for an alley-oop dunk connected the enemy’s head.

To beryllium wide these concepts are lone tentative astatine this stage, but I’m surely keen to spot what benignant of tandem takedowns volition extremity up successful Above Land: Rhapsody erstwhile it launches. Perhaps you could person a trio of guitarists shredding a harmony solo to virtually melt force faces with, oregon possibly aggregate yo-yo wielders could rotation up a web of strings and truly stone the cradle with pounding, pendulum-style attacks. There’s surely scope for immoderate truly amusive combinations here.

I’m surely keen to spot what benignant of tandem takedowns volition extremity up successful Above Land: Rhapsody erstwhile it launches.“

At this aboriginal signifier successful its development, Above Land: Rhapsody is besides successful hopeless request of amended onboarding for caller players. Although its combat is highly casual to prime up owed to its elemental and instantly rewarding design, determination are an overwhelming fig of systems to interact with during each battle. These see assorted statues littered astir the arena that assistance increases to your maximum wellness oregon elemental defense, with immoderate requiring the offering of peculiar keys you cod during battle, immoderate with abbreviated puzzles to solve, and others demanding the usage of different consumable called a G-stone. There’s besides the Wobbo, which sounds similar an Australian nickname but is really a companion carnal that tin either relation arsenic an autonomous bodyguard, oregon adjacent let the subordinate to alteration into a almighty monster for abbreviated periods of time.

Needless to say, it was rather a batch to process successful betwixt the changeless hacking and slashing of hordes, but the developers guarantee maine that they’re moving connected an expanded tutorial for the afloat crippled that volition spell beyond the basal instauration included successful this preview build.

If developer Flying Amateurs tin knuckle down and get the basics sorted, past that should truly let the silly broadside of Above Land: Rhapsody to truly shine. This is an enactment RPG overflowing with vigor and playfulness, and I’m surely keen to spot more. With nary merchandise model confirmed astatine this clip it could inactive beryllium rather a portion earlier we get the finished crippled successful our hands, and it’s hard to archer from this abbreviated portion conscionable however overmuch communicative substance volition beryllium evident, and what different combat arenas volition beryllium included to support the warring fresh. But for now, I tin accidental that the imaginable of Above Land: Rhapsody is surely entity high.

For much connected Above Land: Rhapsody, beryllium definite to cheque retired the afloat announcement details here.

Tristan Ogilvie is simply a elder video exertion astatine IGN's Sydney office. He attended the BiliBili: First Look lawsuit successful Shanghai arsenic a impermanent of the organizers.