HYPERBEAT

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"An experience that is more than the sum of its parts" may sound cliched, but i think it genuinely applies here. The rhythm gameplay is fairly unique with its rail shooter elements, and feels great. At first i felt it was sort of hard to follow, but eventually it became second nature being able to absorb the songs as a whole instead of consciously thinking about the mechanics. There’s a dialogue early on that mentions this feeling so i think Hyperbeat achieved what it set out to do. I will say though, the UI during the songs felt poorly thought out; all the information laid out on the sides of the screen made it impossible for me to read it since i had to be hyper focused on the center. Huge disclaimer, i only completed the game in the easiest of the three modes. At first i wasn’t sure that was the case, the game doesn’t really explain its structure or mechanics outside of the notes, unless you access the manual in the menu (which is cool). It also didn’t incentivize me to try the higher difficulties in any way, except for some cosmetics. I felt the initial challenge level was engaging enough, while the higher difficulties felt like too much for me. Not everything is gameplay here, though. The npcs you meet are funny and full of character. The quirky dialogue sounds pleasantly silly and alien. The introspective conversations you have with each character are always mixed with a specific kind of humour that i liked. The whole minimalistic aesthetic is fairly striking and cool. The music has a certain kind of sound which is consistent throughout the entire campaign, and many of the tracks are genuinely good, although some of them kind of blur together. All of this contributes to a unique atmosphere that gives the game a strong identity. The rhythm sections can sometimes feel detached from the conversations surrounding them, but I think the intent of those moments is to reflect on the conversations you just had and process some ideas and themes. They may feel less than subtle sometimes, but i think Hyperbeat’s message is effective and can hit you deep if you are in the right mindset. As short as the playthrough was for me, i don’t think i will forget about my time with this game easily.

a very fun time, loved the core gameplay and the goofy cast of characters!!

take a break off the beaten path and stay awhile

An incredible rhythm game. Always felt smooth to control. The songs, too had me smiling throughout my entire first playthrough, and the charts felt exactly as they should be. The dialogue won't be for everyone, though I enjoyed it, but it's easy to avoid. The gameplay itself is pristine. It asks of you to have positional precision, and timing precision but never all at once, allowing it to still feel casual and well paced on lower difficulties, which have entirely optional higher levels. The gameplay is almost transcendental when you're preforming very well. The postgame gives you five new songs, being charts of the background music. And finally, the game supports custom charts, tons of cosmetics. If you're on the fence, it's definitely worth the price.

The gameplay is really fun, it feels great default note colours have awful contrast so change that in accessibility settings as soon as possible lol The characters are amazing and i love all of them

This game is a type of rhythm game I've wanted to play for a long time. Super bizarre aesthetic, tons of tracks, fair but challenging gameplay. I have come nowhere near to finishing it and unfortunately it's going on the "play this on Steam Frame" shelf which means I won't get to finishing it for a while, but highly recommend! Controller mode is extremely good as well.

Good and short rhythm game. I'm not usually a fan of z-axis scrolling rhythm games but I liked this one quite a bit. The vibes are immaculate. The story was good too, and will definitely speak to you if you're an artist or if you have trouble with finding yourself. I probably won't find myself hopping on this game too much because I much prefer other types of rhythm games(I don't hop on games such as Beatblock or Rhythm Doctor as much for the same reason, even though they are absolutely amazing games), but if you like rhythm games and want a story about self-reflection and identity then this is a damn good one to add to the list. I kinda wish there was more variety in the music, but that is a nitpick. RATING(with 5/10 being average) as a competitive rhythm game player: 6/10 as a casual rhythm game player: 8/10 as a non-rhythm game player/story: 8/10 Keep in mind this doesn't account for mods or multiplayer content.