I have finally completed the void in my life that Guitar Hero left.

      Like any teenager growing up in the 2000s, Guitar Hero played a significant role in my life. Although I didn't own it, it was such a staple in any gaming setup that I could play it practically anywhere. Whether it was at a friend's house or during a school event, I was always jamming out whenever I wasn't in class. While it was no shock when the expensive peripheral trend eventually faded, it still left me heartbroken. Over the past decade, I have attempted to recapture the excitement of those glory days with throwbacks like Fortnite Festival, but I was never able to recreate that magic.

      Now, I’ve finally managed to do so—and you can too with just two easy steps.

      To start, you’ll need to get a copy of Rift of the Necrodancer. Released in early February, this new rhythm game from Brace Yourself Games is a follow-up to Crypt of the Necrodancer. However, unlike its predecessor, Rift isn’t a roguelike where players advance to the beat of music. It’s a fantastic take on Guitar Hero that transforms notes into monsters, each with unique timing patterns that players must learn.

      In my review, I praised Rift, noting that it truly evokes the experience of playing live music. It satisfied my Guitar Hero desire like no other music game I’ve encountered, yet something still felt missing. Tapping my keyboard to hit the notes didn’t feel quite right; I longed to play with a plastic controller featuring a fretboard filled with buttons. As it turns out, that wasn't just a fantasy—it’s entirely feasible.

      Giovanni Colantonio / Digital Trends

      Last year, accessory maker PDP re-entered the plastic guitar market with the Riffmaster, a contemporary twist on Guitar Hero’s legendary controller. It includes everything you could want: fret buttons at both the top and bottom of the neck, a whammy bar, a strum button, wireless support, and more. It even has some clever engineering features, as the neck can be detached for easy storage, and there’s a hidden joystick cleverly tucked under the head. It's a high-quality controller that easily connects to a compatible platform via a USB dongle.

      I was eager to find out if it would work with Rift, especially since I had exclusively played it on a Steam Deck. Fortunately, my Razer Handheld Dock Chroma solved that issue. I connected the dongle to its back, and I could immediately use the controller to navigate my Steam Deck. Then, I launched Rift and accessed the controller remapping menu. I assigned commands to my fretboard and even set it up so I could activate my special ability by pressing down on my whammy bar. The only limitation was that I couldn't strum to trigger the fret buttons, so I opted to press them directly instead.

      Was it a success? Absolutely. As soon as I began playing, the nostalgia from the Guitar Hero era flooded back to me. It wasn’t just enjoyable to use a whimsical controller; there was a physicality to the Riffmaster, especially since it was wireless. I could move around my office freely, showing off my rockstar moves. I was in bliss.

      Additionally, this experiment gave me the chance to explore the Steam workshop community for Rift of the Necrodancer, which has produced over 1,000 custom songs since the game’s release. You can find tracks ranging from Uptown Funk to Not Like Us to Sonic’s Live and Learn. My personal favorite? Someone has already turned The Simpsons’ well-known Steamed Hams segment into a playable song—and it cleverly incorporates fire traps at the precise moment Principal Skinner burns the dinner. It’s outstanding.

      So, if you’re still trying to relive the excitement of Guitar Hero, I can’t recommend this setup highly enough. Rift of the Necrodancer and the Riffmaster are a perfect combination, and I anticipate they will occupy a lot of my gaming time this year. Who knows? I might even start creating my own custom songs. Someone needs to add some Limp Bizkit to the mix.