Fretless - The Wrath of Riffson news & patch notes

Aside from a critical hotfix related to the cuties below, we would also like to share a couple of new forums that may be accessed through the Fretless Community Hub.

Fixes up front, hub stuff at the bottom.

Major bugs

• Skipping cutscenes related to Jones and the Tunedra wolves will no longer hard-lock the game or corrupt save files.

• The Xylomander Babies' passive ability will no longer continue to deal damage after they have been defeated in combat.

minor bugs

• Fix for the player character sometimes being put on the incorrect sorting layer after riding elevators.

• Transitioning back into the waterway under Vivace Venue before round 2 of Battle of the Bands will now load into the correct location.

• Crescendo meters in the player menu will now always display the correct value.

• Fixed an issue that caused item buy panels to wiggle off screen after repeated failed purchase attempts.

• The shred button in combat will no longer only display Acoustic UI paneling while using a controller.

Bug Reports

Boring, but useful. Follow this link to report issues encountered during gameplay.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2429050/discussions/1/

\ Bug Reporting outlines the best way to report a bug, and what information is most helpful to include when doing so.

Listening Party

We've received a surprising volume of suggestions for things players would like to see in Fretless. While we are incredibly grateful for the feedback (SQUEEEEEEAL) we are unable to promise or confirm such features at this time.

HOWEVER, we cannot sit by and watch such enthusiastic dreamers go unheard. As a temporary solution, we've opened up a dedicated forum for you to share all types of ideas and desires for Fretless.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2429050/discussions/2/

That's all for now. Once again, thanks for showing up! Until next time friends.

Ritual Studios

Thank You Shredders!

It's been almost a year since Fretless hit the main stage!

Watching players bob their heads to the beat as they shred their way through our guitaRPG has been an absolute blast!

Before we stage dive in, we would like to express a MASSIVE THANK YOU to all players, and everyone else who has participated in sharing Fretless since launch. Without your presence we would never have been able to surf the crowd.

It continues to be a wild ride for us. We've made some new friends, and needless to say it's about time to get back on tour.

For this, we've got a small update available to ensure Fretless remains looking sharp as you take your Steam library on the road this summer.

Steam Deck Verified

Nearly all game menus have been revisited and text sizes have been increased across the (fret) board.

Returning players may notice slight adjustments here and there, but overall these changes are strictly cosmetic and aim to create a more enjoyable experience as you kit out your favorite builds.

New Friends

To celebrate our return, we've got an explosive new look! A new logo, new key art, and animated trailer, all courtesy of our partners over at Klei Publishing!

Back in the Studio

We cannot express enough just how stoked we are to be back tinkering away once again. We've got a long road ahead of us and backlog full of exciting ideas to bring to life along the way.

Guess it's time we get back to work...

Ritual Studios

If you're just discovering us for the first time and are interested to hear a bit about how Fretless came to be, check out our documentary on the making of Fretless!

• Player menus have been adjusted to allow for larger font sizes.
• Fonts have been reconfigured to improve legibility at lower resolutions.
• Pop up panels in combat have been made darker to enhance contrast against game text.

Dear Music lovers,

After years of development and creativity, the Fretless Team is excited to show you the game's Accolade Trailer!

We thank you all so much for your support and feedback on our musical passion project.

Another great news we have to share: Fretless is part of the Autumn Sale at 15% off!

We hope you enjoy the game and it's heart-warming, musical universe. The Fretless Team

• Fixed the passive of the RCA-TT-ACK monster
• Fixed descriptions for 8 String crescendo (from 20 damage per input to 2 damage per input)
• More fixes for battle not ending
• Fix for the Carbon Copy mod softlock if it tries to copy an empty slot
• Fix for fighting Oboe-A-Constrictor softlock when using Sapphire Skies Pedal
• Various English and French typo fixes
• Improved Rebinding on controller
• Added PS4 and PS5 controller support (need to disable steam input)
• Added Russian!

• KBM rebinding of QTE input still has issues (but can be worked around by closing and reopening the menu)
• Double KO with a boss can lead to missing riff visuals (relaunching the game solves it)
• The wolves cutscene can fail to end (relaunching the game solves it)
• The camera is misplaced when returning to Tonehenge after the bossfight

Confirmed fixes Minor

Timber fall's cutscene character locked against a rock

Tunedra Relic Tree cutscene character locked against a rock

Sound Blaster visual remaining on the character

Gold String Mod was twice in the game

Riffsons' attacks won't trigger Synth Frequency anymore

Major

Softlock against Groove Wizards

Softlock when finishing an added wave with Flat wound string mod

Softlock when killing some boss with some crescendos

Crooked Boost now does AOE damage, as designed

Important: make it easier for customer support to get in touch with you

If you’re facing any other issues, please report them here: 

https://playdigious.helpshift.com/hc/en/31-fretless---the-wrath-of-riffson/contact-us/

• Fixed issue: After beating Riffson and reloading save, you restart in the cutscene instead of outside the office
• Fixed issue: Blocked at drop dee beach
• Fixed issue: Additive Synthesis french trad error
• Fixed issue: Invisible block with colision in tunedra
• Fixed issue: Fix incorrect characters in the credits
• Fixed issue: The accoustic skill : Reverberate + isn’t translated in the riffbook
• Fixed issue: Fix to bug caused when dying to the Xylomander when the eggs passive effect triggers.
• Fixed issue: Minor localization update

It seems unreal, but it's true: Fretless is now available! 🎸​

After two years of tuning guitars, composing riffs, and dancing with percushrooms, the whole team is proud to present its guitar-pg made by music lovers for music lovers.

We hope you enjoy discovering this musical world filled with melodious monsters and groovy rascals!

Get 10% off the game until July 24th!

You can also listen to the official Fretless soundtrack here if you wanna keep on rocking. 🤘​

Once again, we awant to thank you all for your support, smiles, and love for the music.

The RItual Studios team.

The wait is almost over: Fretless gets a new release date and is coming to Steam on July 17th 2025 !

Get a look at out new reveal date trailer here:

Can't wait to shred before July? Check out the Fretless Demo for some musical action right now!

Meet our latest guests : King Yosef and Ola Englund

• Rob, the friendly musician fighting to restore harmony, inspired by Rob Scallon

• Rick Riffson, Super Metal Records’ boss, trying to own every piece of music with his soul-binding contracts

• The fan-favorite percushrooms, who will give you a strong beating,

• Dr Strum, a disgruntled scientist helping Rob in his quest

• SMR Larry: the first boss to discover in the game demo, playing sick riffs with his demonic keytar!