Two Tribes has sent out an update on the arrival of RIVE for Switch, by way of a dialog with an imaginary fan. The transcript is as follows:
Hey Two Tribes! How’s RIVE for Switch coming along? You announced it back at GDC in February, and then you went silent. What’s up?!
It’s doing fine, thanks. We’re still busy, together with our development partner Engine Software, ironing out all the little kinks that come with supporting new hardware, but RIVE is already looking swell. And, yes, it runs at a silky smooth 60 frames per second.
Fantastic! I can’t wait to play your hard, fast and hilarious platformer/shooter hybrid on Nintendo’s handheld/console hybrid. Also, am I remembering it right? Did you say something new would be added to the game?
Your memory serves you well. We wanted to leverage the Switch’s built-in local multiplayer capability, and because separate Joy-Cons don’t have enough buttons for the full dual-stick RIVE experience, we came up with something we call Copilot Mode.
Copilot Mode? What’s that all about, Two Tribes?!
You control Roughshot in his Spider Tank… together. One player moves, the other attacks. And if you die, the roles are reversed. It’s a ton of fun, and you can play any and all parts of the game this way: the 6-hour campaign, highscore and speedrun missions, the super-hardcore single-credit mode, infinite battle arenas, daily challenges…
Ooh! Even though I’m an imaginary, nonexistent fan magically asking you exactly the right questions, I’m eager to try Copilot Mode. So when can I download the game that Steam users are rating 95% positive on my shiny Nintendo machine?
We’re not ready to announce a date just yet, but rest assured we’re getting close. Stay tuned for the full release announcement!
RIVE (meaning ‘to tear apart violently’) is a hard, fast and hilarious shooter/platformer filled to the brim with intense battles, over-the-top setpieces and references to our favorite games. One reviewer appropriately called the game “a heart attack inducing crazy nostalgia rollercoaster”. It was received very well on Steam and PlayStation 4, and the Limited Run Games PS4 release recently sold out in 48 hours.
