Disclaimer: I helped playtest this game. And it is developed by my brother.
There is nothing out there that is like Rival's Beyond. Much like all of PSISteve's work, it is an ode to the magic of his childhood. The game is like one of those classic cartoons from the 90s, but it also has this sadness behind it all. But it is done in a way where the player is meant to simply have fun, not get depressed from it all.
How to describe it? It's like a turn-based RPG version of Punchout, but based off this weird limbo after life where you fight these charming cartoon critters.
The art is all hand-drawn and it is all so well done. I don't think anything else looks like this. PSISteve is really talented at making his own style and having it catch the eye. Every single enemy/character have so much personality oozing from them.
The goal of the game is to explore and find your opponents. Then you fight them. Each fight is refereed and you must pay attention to what your opponent does. If your opponent becomes too fast on their feet, you can devastate this with an attack of your own. They can also make YOU too fast on your feet and they can devastate you. It's very satisfying punishing your opponent when they think they have the advantage. There are a handful of other states like this, such as when they fly/grow defensive/think too hard.
PSISteve also composes his own music. Every song is moody and quirky and adds to the atmosphere quite a bit. As usual, one of my favorite aspects of his games.
The world is very creative. Each area feels like a different alien planet.
The story is purposely vague. It starts you off with a heavy mood but then instantly lets you just enjoy the fun/cartoony world of it all. So even though it's fun, there is something sad lurking behind it all.
The ending was particularly good in my opinion. Without spoiling, it was very simple and effective.
The game felt complete. Which is hard to do in the limits IGMC sets.
This game is very good, but I am also biased alas. I still would bet on this game being a treat for most who play.