The Rift is a real-time strategy game that blends the excitement of tower defense gameplay and the strong story-telling of visual novels.

The game is about a young scientist who accidentally lands in a parallel universe where humanity is on the brink of losing a battle against an evil, pan-dimensional alien species. The story takes the player through the alternate universe involving alien planets, futuristic cities and battleships! The player heroically defends key strategic resources from the enemy, finds romance, and ultimately helps defeat the enemy.

The player can choose between four different avatars. An on-screen keyboard allows the player to name their avatar. Avatars are used in dialogue scenes.

The story is revealed through dialogues with several non-player characters as the player progresses through action-packed tower defense battles.