Riftshock - Hawleywood Studio LLC - Neon twin-stick arena shooter inspired by Geometry Wars, with full controller support

[u/houseofvape]

Gameplay video: https://youtu.be/hTLyggr1NBc

TestFlight link: https://testflight.apple.com/join/ve7jdR4V

Hey everyone, my name is Chris and I'm the lead designer/programmer of Riftshock, a neon twin-stick arena shooter for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple silicon Macs. Geometry Wars was a huge inspiration for it. I've played a ridiculous amount of it over the years, and Pacifism is still my favorite mode of all time, so one of our modes, Fault Lines, is basically my homage to it. You can play with your thumbs or with a controller, and the controller support covers the menus too.

You move with one thumb and aim with the other, and on top of that you've got two specials. Kills charge up the Rift, which you throw out to rip open a portal that swallows enemies, and you can dive through it into another arena where anything that follows you is worth double. Point-blank kills charge the Surge, which pulls everything near you into a bubble and blasts it all into the walls when you let go. Getting in close also builds your multiplier a lot faster, so the game is always tempting you to play a little more dangerously than you should. There's a mini-boss every five waves and a boss every twenty, with a final boss (or two?) waiting for you somewhere down the line.

There are eight modes in all. Endless is the main one. Expedition has you pick a ship and build it up with upgrades on the way to a boss at wave 40. Fault Lines and Rodeo are the two no-gun modes, and Rodeo is quite a bit of fun, if I do say so myself. Then there's Haven, Blitz, Hardcore and the Daily Rift, which is the same run for everyone with one ranked try a day. It's got Game Center leaderboards and challenges, and every run saves a replay you can watch back or export as a video.

The full game comes out December 10 for $4.99, and that's it, no ads and nothing else to buy. The beta is free and open on TestFlight right now (link at top).

You need iOS 26 or later. For Apple TV, join on your iPhone first and then grab it in TestFlight on the TV.

Also, r/Riftshock is now live, where the known issues are pinned and where you can post bugs, scores or questions.

What I'd really love to hear: where you died and felt like it wasn't your fault, anything that didn't make sense, and which mode you ended up playing the most. There's a FEEDBACK button on the title screen that opens a quick form, or you can just reply here. And if a death ever feels cheap, you can send me that exact run from its replay with SEND TO THE DEVELOPER.

If you all have any questions for us, please don't hesitate to ask. Also, we would love for you to pass the link along to your friends if you think they would enjoy the game.

Thanks everyone!