Title: Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson
Developer: Ritual Studios
Publisher: Playdigious Originals
Release Date: July17th, 2025
Platforms: PC
Reviewed on: Steam
Price: The Deluxe Edition is available for $14.99 USD (there is a current 10% off as of release day). The OST is also available for $6.99 (USD).

RPGs are back with a vengeance in the indie game scene, and Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson, is ready to shake you all night long. Developed by Ritual Studios, Fretless is a pixel-art and music-focused turn-based RPG, aka. a guitaRPG (oh, the puns keep coming. Strap in) that delivers a fun experience with personality.

Author’s Note: A review key was provided to play this game. Thank you, Ritual Studios and Playdigious Originals.

Synopsis

Rob is your humble, local musician who is eager to win the Battle of the Bands competition; however, not all is what it seems with Super Metal Records (SMR) that is running the gig. Under the iron-fist rule of Rick Riffson, CEO of SMR, the world falls our of harmony as outrageous monsters flood the land. What could Riffson want out of the musicians that clamor for fame and fortune? As Rob, you must rally with your and his rockstar allies and enter that proverbial jungle to put an end to SMR’s nefarious plans–all while playing killer (literally and figuratively) riffs on acoustic guitars, synths, and more.

What makes this game unique is that it is directly inspired by the music workings of Rob Scallion, a real-life musician who has an astonishing following on YouTube. In fact, the protagonist, Rob, well, is Rob Scallion in video game form!

Analysis

Gameplay

As mentioned above, Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson is a turn-based RPG at its core. You start the game equipped with your acoustic guitar and meet with Professor Strum, who provides you with instruction on how to reach the Battle of the Bands. You travel to diverse areas such as a creepy forest, beach, and tundra–all with punny naming that I won’t spoil–and you battle with enemies which are essentially musical mutations of animals. You bump into these monsters and start a battle, a la Pokémon, but the battle system itself is wonderfully more complex.

You plug and play up to three riffs per turn, which can be offensive, defensive, or focused on status-effects. In addition to that, if you land QTEs that align with the beat, your attack or defense will be greater (think Mario RPG). You charge up toward a crescendo, which upon execution, launches a Guitar Hero-esq QTE sequence.

There are several instruments to pick up along the way: the bass, synth, and eight string. Each instrument has its own riffs and battle style. Even well into the game, I still would change it up depending on the enemies I run into or additional mods that can further enhance my arsenal. You can flood monsters with killer status effects with the synth (and enjoy its insane color-scheme) or perhaps you wanna… be Runnin’ with the Devil with that eight string. Mods and pedals help customize your experience to make the build that you want.

The journey throughout Fretless is pretty a straightforward, linear experience with side bosses and goodies to find. Although I wish I had a mini map to see where I was, I never found myself lost. I will note that there are loading screens each time you leave an area (or portion of an area). Those went quickly, serving as save points, and thus didn’t bother me, but it’s worth mentioning in case you’re one of those players who are used to seamless transitions in games with no load screens. There is fast travel as well, which allows you to zip back and forth to grind for items to upgrade riffs or heal up–which is great–because the bosses are actually quite challenging.

Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson contains little nuggets of the best of video games. We have an optional trade sequence, mini-stealth section, and a “boss rush” of sorts when you reach the Battle of the Bands competition.

If I were to summarize the gameplay experience in one sentence, it would be that it is delightfully simple at its core but provides an impressive number of ways to customize and dive into your build to your heart’s content.

Art and Music

Game play was fun, but the art-style and music are Fretless‘ bread and butter. I mean, pour that sugar ALL OVER ME with the colors and beats (I really am sorry). Firstly, the pixel-art style was a fantastic choice, and Ritual Studios took no shortcuts. Tiny details like grass moving where you walked and emotive characters, made this world feel lived-in. It also added a lot of whimsy–I genuinely felt like I was exploring this alternative planet where there was an ancient musical history directly tied to the land itself. The colors are bright and welcoming, and I’m telling you now, you must use the crescendo for the synth at least once, even if it’s not your main. Trust me. You will taste the rainbow.

The music, to no surprise, is top notch given that the premise surrounds a real-life musician competition in video game form, competing in a Battle of the Bands competition in a fictional world tied to melodies. Ritual Studios took care to give the environment a musical role–whether it was the sound of wind instruments via trees that looked like flutes or flowers that ring like bells. Moreover, there are an impressive number of musical guests that help curate Fretless‘ OST, such as: Northlane, Andrew Huang, Davie 504, Cult of Luna, Rabea Massaad, King Yosef, Ola Englund, Mary Spender, and Yvette Young. Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson’s musical genius passed the test when I found the tunes replaying in my head rent-free whenever I wasn’t playing the game.

Final Score

I’ve explained it to my colleagues, friends, and family–there is usually one darling indie studio and game a year that I fall in love with, and this year, it’s Ritual Studio and Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson. Fretless delivers a well-executed RPG with flair that is truly a feast for the senses. The art style is bright and endearing and the music is not only stellar, but it’s lovingly interwoven into every aspect of the game. This game will win the hearts of anyone that 1) loves RPGs, 2) loves good music, and/or 3) a light jaunt through a vivid fantasy world. Let’s Get Rocked with Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson.

If you’re interested, you can check out their documentary of the making of Fretless on Rob’s YouTube page, which premiers July 17th at noon EST. Also, I had to pleasure of speaking with the developers in a Boss Rush Spotlight interview last year. They were an absolute blast to get to know them and their game.

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Featured Image Source: Ritual Studios with Playdigious