[h1]A Button Mashing Directive[/h1]
Button Frenzy is an extremely addictive score-attack arcade game. Although there are only 2 (endless) modes to play at the moment, the audio-visual presentation keeps the momentum strong, training you to become a master of your favorite gamepad in a very fun way. Simple enough to pick up and play, yet difficult enough to keep you challenged for hours, Button Frenzy will make you come back for more.
[h1]Gameplay[/h1]
[u][b]Game Modes[/b][/u]
There are currently 2 different game modes supported in Button Frenzy, described below, along with leaderboards.
[list]
[*]Frenzy Mode: Press the buttons matching the prompts from left to right. Clear endless waves as fast as you can. Your LIFE bar drains over time and is refilled by clearing waves.
[*]Recall Mode: Memorize and recall button sequences in increasingly complex waves. Score more points by playing faster. Starting with 3 lives, a misstep will cause the loss of a life; however, life can be recovered by successfully clearing waves.
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Since Button Frenzy is a score-attack game, the main objective and crux of the gameplay lies in improving your scores and aiming to take a spot in the global leaderboards. Training yourself to get better at performing combos faster, more accurately, and with more button prompts motivates replayability. Like in many other arcade games, after a certain point while playing, it all comes down to endurance as the difficulty spikes cease to appear.
[u][b]Difficulty Levels[/b][/u]
There are currently 4 different difficulty levels supported in Button Frenzy, described below.
[list]
[*]Easy: Only the face button prompts will be used.
[*]Normal: Face buttons + left thumb-stick prompts.
[*]Hard: Adds shoulder buttons, triggers, and the back button prompts.
[*]Extreme: Uses every button on the [officially supported] controller(s).
[/list]
Other than increasing the amount of included button prompts, other factors help provide a more challenging gameplay at higher levels. These include: faster LIFE/time drain, longer button prompt strings, more diverse button prompt strings, etc. Also, local high scores are saved for every game mode/difficulty level. Online/local leaderboards are also supported to compare yourself to friends or other players around the world.
[h1]Presentation[/h1]
[u][b]Audio-visual Aesthetic[/b][/u]
Button Frenzy does a fantastic job keeping one immersed in the gameplay, exceling at encouraging the player to keep pushing for one more round. The sleek button prompts, live button-presses and dramatic shatter animations feel so satisfying to observe, and although the music can get a little overbearing at times, the polished look makes the overall simplicity fairly attractive.
[h1]Controls[/h1]
[u][b]Troubleshooting[/b][/u]
Gamepads are required to play this game. M&Ks are not supported whatsoever (not even for navigating the menu). An important factor to keep in mind, before buying this game, is that there is only full support for XBox 360/One controllers; however, there is partial support for PS4 controllers. See limitations [url=http://steamcommunity.com/games/454630/announcements/detail/893220942549934854][here][/url].
Also, using external mapping tools may cause the player to experience double input (Better DS3, DS4Windows, SCPDriver, etc.). This makes it fairly difficult to use traditional PS3 controllers (3rd party controllers not tested). Users have also reported difficulties/lack of support for the Steam controller.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
[u][b]Advised Suggestions[/b][/u]
There are a few suggestions that may improve gameplay; these are listed below.
[list]
[*]Local or Online Coop/Vs Modes.
[*]Additional Modes: Rhythm/Audio Modes.
[*]Increase difficulty by incorporating simultaneous button presses/concurrent hold-downs.
[*]Allow the option to rebind the button mapping (helps with troubleshooting/supporting more controller types).
[/list]
[u][b]Verdict[/b][/u]
The developer seems very active in increasing the variety and quality of gamepad support. If you do not have an XBox 360/One controller or a PS4 controller (and don't mind the few limitations listed above), I would wait until the developer implements a couple more patches. Other than the concerns for widespread support, Button Frenzy is a fantastic score-attack game that will continuously pull you back for more. I definitely recommend this game to all fans of minimalistic score-attack/arcade games, or people looking for a casual pick up and play title; even if the individual play times may be relatively short.
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This review is part of the Steamified Community Review program. For similar reviews and fantastic giveaways please visit http://www.steamified.com/.
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