Thank you Sekai Project for sending us this game to review!

Rabi-Ribi was successfully greenlit on Steam within a week, but was only 51% funded on its IndieGoGo campaign which followed two months later.  Thankfully, the development process continued and a cute 2D Metroidvania style game that combines exploration and platformer mechanics along with bullet heck boss battles was created.   Even on the simplest difficulty the later bosses pack quite a punch and despite the frustration, the solid gameplay keeps you coming back for more.  

Rabi-Ribi (short for rabbit ribbon) is the story about a rabbit named Erina who has mysteriously taken on human form and she is later accompanied by a fairy named Ribbon.   Erina senses the presence of her master in this new world and sets out to find her.   There are several places of interest on Rabi-Ribi island and as you discover new areas, the map will fill it in for you.  

There are many hidden pathways and power-ups which can be revealed by throwing carrot bombs at them.  Erina’s weapon of choice is a hammer while Ribbon uses magical attacks that do long-range damage.  More powerful attacks for Erina and Ribbon can be located throughout the world and can be later upgraded at the shop in town.  Money is earned and automatically collected from defeated foes.

The power-ups are worth looking for and they include permanent health and mana upgrades along with increased attack power or the ability to equip more badges.  The badges can further boost health, defense, mana, or increase the attack power as well.  Scavenger hunters will enjoy locating all fifty Easter eggs that are scattered throughout the world.  As more and more eggs are collected, stronger attack moves will become unlocked.

Every attack and dodge move will come in handy against the forty or so bosses.  Each boss has unique attacks and de-buffs that are to be taken seriously.  Some of the swarms of projectiles can be easily dodged while others are not.   Health and mana replenishments are available but you can only equip three of each kind at a time.  If you find that a boss is too challenging, perhaps more exploration is in order to find additional health and attack abilities.  The non-linear gameplay lets you explore as you see fit.

The story mode is broken into eight chapters that are unlocked as you meet (& defeat) magic users and send them to town to assist you on your quest.  The final character cannot be reached until you have over twenty friends waiting for you in town.  Each new townsperson can grant you a temporary buff if you have the cash to pay for it.  It took me nearly twenty hours to complete the main story.  After finishing the last boss, I was able to continue on to find more buffs that I missed the first time around.  The boss battles were reset as well.  After completing the story mode, the speed run and boss rush modes became unlocked.  Between those two new modes and the harder difficulty levels, there is plenty of replay value in Rabi-Ribi.

If you’re into earning Steam achievements, you’ll have to complete the story mode on several difficulty levels.  In total there are one hundred and thirty-eight achievements.  Some of the achievements are hard to miss while others are nearly impossible to earn.  One of the harder ones is the achievement for not touching a spike in your entire play through.  Given that one of the final levels is mostly covered in them, it’s pretty darn cruel.  Other Steam features include leaderboards, trading cards, and cloud saves.  

Visually speaking, Rabi-Ribi is very cute with anime style girls that are pixilated in the game mode, but more detailed in cut scenes and dialogue.  While their outfits look fine in-game, the cartoon scenes are quite a bit more revealing.  Especially with Ribbon whose chest is only covered with two strategically placed ribbons.  Other female characters are immodestly dressed as well.  With a game filled with cute girls, there’s bound to be some girl on girl romance.  Though nothing is ever shown, there are some female characters who are attracted to other females.  Thankfully, unlike most bunnies, Erina is pretty innocent when it comes to thinking about mating.

There’s a good amount of dialogue, but none of it is voice acted.  Given how great the soundtrack is, I honestly didn’t miss it.  For a few dollars more, you can buy the game with the soundtrack and digital art book. I highly recommend spending the extra money.

If you enjoy bullet heck games and exploration platformers than Rabi-Ribi is a fun game that’s worth looking into.  There are some same sex innuendos and skimpy outfits, but if you don’t mind that with the cartoon violence, it's a worthwhile addition to your Steam library.