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Riftswarm playtest
by Zennyth
The order is the spell. Riftswarm is a spell-building co-op bullet heaven for you and up to three friends, or solo. Your weapon casts its Rune Row left to right, so the same runes in a new order make a new spell. Split the party across gates, each a map of its own with a hidden objective.
Anyone with a Steam account can join, and it's free.
- Access
- Instant
- On playtest since
- Aug 27, 2026
- Planned release
- To be announced
- Developer
- Zennyth
- Platforms
- Windows
- Players
- Co-op, Multiplayer, Online co-op, Single-player
- Languages
- English, French, Simplified Chinese
How to join the Riftswarm playtest
- Open the game's Steam page with the Join playtest button. Sign in to Steam if it asks.
- Use the Riftswarm playtest signup there. You're in straight away, with nothing to pay.
- The playtest shows up in your Steam library, ready to install and play.
New to playtests? How Steam playtests work
How AI is used
Uses of AI for localization only
The developer's own words, from Steam.
About Riftswarm
The order is the spell.
Riftswarm is a spell-building co-op bullet heaven: a survivors-like for you and up to three friends, or solo.
BUILD YOUR WEAPON
Your weapon casts its Rune Row from left to right, and a rune can change the runes to its right. Fan, Fireball, Sword Slash throws a fan of fireballs, then one slash. Fireball, Fan, Sword Slash throws one fireball, then a fan of slashes.
"It's an interesting mechanic, and this ability to be creative with spell design and construction is a clear highlight of the game." — Summit Reviews
EVERY GATE, A NEW MAP
Each gate is a doorway to its own map, with an objective you learn inside. Nine gates stand on the mainland, and more tear open later. In a ritual gate, a pillar charges only while someone stands beside it, so a party that splits up charges several at once. Two of you can clear a gate while the others hold the mainland. Every player gets a reward card, even those who stayed outside.
PICK EACH OTHER UP
A downed player has no timer: a friend picks them up by standing beside them for three seconds. Each pick-up spends a shared Revive Token, and a new party starts with two. One gate is a Red Gate: it looks like the others, but nobody inside can leave until it is cleared. When a friend is trapped, the party is told and can walk in after them.
TWENTY MINUTES
Time and open gates raise the Danger Meter, and each new phase sends a Herald. At 20:00, every open gate erupts and a world boss arrives, stronger for each gate you left open. Kill it to win.
BEFORE YOU PLAY TOGETHER
Co-op is friends-only over Steam, with no matchmaking. Each player's first expedition is guided for about eight minutes, and co-op opens once the guidance ends. Between expeditions, the party shares a walkable Hub with a Merchant and training dummies.
You start as Joanna, with one sword and one rune. In all, there are 46 runes, 5 weapon forms and 5 characters to find or unlock. Biomes: Forest, Grassland, Swamp, Civilization, Crypt and Volcanic.
From the game's Steam page.
