RICE - Repetitive Indie Combat Experience™

RICE - Repetitive Indie Combat Experience™

Early access since May 2023

A rich paragraph of information which will try to charm and pique interest, trying to catch your eye in a sea of competition using a slew of buzzwords such as ‘bullet heaven’ and ‘in-depth meta-progression’, in a vain attempt to make you believe this game is any different from others in its genre.

73% positive · 267 reviews
Not yet
In early access, still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development
Not yet
In early access, still in active development
Medium confidence
Active Development

Where to buy

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Evaluation

RICE entered Steam Early Access on May 1, 2023 and has been actively developed since, accumulating 31+ numbered updates. Four major content updates are on record: V29 (December 20, 2023), V30 (June 17, 2024), V31 (May 2, 2025), and earlier updates from the launch period. This establishes a pattern of major releases roughly every 6–12 months. On November 28, 2024, the developer posted directly to say they had gotten time to work on RICE again and were actively adding new cards — which was then followed by the V31 major update on May 2, 2025, confirming the developer delivered on that promise. The most recent post in the record is that V31 update from May 2, 2025, just over 13 months after the previous major update (V30), consistent with the observed cadence. The developer has not announced a 1.0 release date or signaled that development is winding down. The game remains in Early Access and continues to receive substantial content.
Evidence
V31 shipped with a new Curses ascension, new cards, a new combination card, health bar improvements, and significant enemy rebalancing — the most recent major update on record.
news post · May 2, 2025 source content shipped
high
Developer confirmed they had gotten time to work on RICE again and were actively working on adding new cards, signaling ongoing development before the V31 release.
news post · Nov 28, 2024 source development ongoing
high

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
indie.io
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
partial support
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

A more detailed description that knows what you’re here to order, a complete meal of destruction and mayhem. A serving of plain R.I.C.E is here for you: dramatic, spicy storyline that takes itself too seriously? Not a pinch. A huge cast of characters who complain endlessly? We cut the fat. Simple Fast-paced combat that’s arcade gaming distilled? Now that’s a good dish.

The Repetitive Indie Combat Experience™ is everything you need at the end of the day. Sword, six-pack, and nothing but planets to turn into stardust and (most importantly) to loot.

Indeed, you read that right. You’re killing entire planets. In a typical game, you’d start by beating rats with sticks, progressing up the food chain, and only then getting wrecked by bosses after two dozen hours in. Not here. Each run means slaughtering your way through an ecosystem in a single sitting, feeding on their experience for upgrades and dopamine.

Unless you, ya know, die. Pro-Tip: Dying is bad. Don’t do death.

Why bother killing planets? Same reason you murder in any other game, to get Loot. And the very best Loot comes from destroying entire civilizations with the planets they inhabit in one fell swoop. Eliminating worlds and their defenders at a quick pace awards you with newer and even better weapons and the upgrades for them.

Another Tip: Better Loot makes for Better Killing. But of course, you knew that already didn't you?

Each run completed by Not Dying and collecting Meta-Currency™ means even more options for the next one. Every card unlocked works on every weapon, synergises upgrades to create powerful builds, and offers the metaphorical sky as the limit (until you literally blow it away with the planet it’s on). We don’t do petty balancing or tweaking single numbers here.

Repetitive Indie Combat Experience is all about distilling combat to its rawest, purest form, stripping everything that gets in the way - including limits on your ability to destroy. Nothing will stand between you and your R.I.C.E.

Final Tip: Give into your primal desire to end lives and watch numbers go up.

Last evaluated Jun 21, 2026
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