So, how about a collection of retro-style Indie games? I know nowadays that doesn’t exactly sound interesting, but this is one of the classics and with…most of them I know nothing about but they were popular for the time when Indie games took a stand to the stifling AAA gaming industry.
Bit.Trip is a series of six games developed by Choice Provisions and was released in 2009. And if you haven’t heard of this company, then it’s because they were once named Gaijin Games, and the only reason they changed it because…sigh cultural appropriation…they replaced a memorable name for something that doesn’t sound like a games company and more like a home insurance retailer to avoid offending a group of people ogling at lolis to even care.
There have been many ports of these games but I’ll be playing The Bit.Trip on the PlayStation 4, published by Aksys Games, released in 2015.
The first game on the list is…
Bit.Trip Beat was the first game released.
The game is Pong…and I mean it looks like Pong but on crack to say the least but completely spins it on its head, taking a simple classic and adding a fresh take on it.
Beat is more of a puzzle game than a sports game in which you deflect squares with a paddle. However, for every square you deflect, you add a sound effect in tune to the background music, meaning it’s also a Rhythm game with puzzle elements, and the score increases when you deflect squares without missing one, and it gets harder overtime.
The game is split into three levels, with the last two needing to be unlocked by playing the first level: Transition, Descent, and Growth. Once you complete Transition, you can play Descent and after that, it’s time for Growth. Each level gets difficult each time since even though squares drop, they can later move in different directions to where it can be difficult to move to the correct square.
You also have to make sure that you go up Modes to avoid a Game Over. Hyper is where you’ll start. Score enough points and you go up to Mega, where the music slightly changes and the level has special effects meant to confuse you…even if it does look nice. This is also the mode where you can get MULTI+, adding to the multiplier when you deflect enough squares and avoiding too many misses.
There’s a bar above that will fill up so you can get to the next mode (provided you start at Hyper), but if you miss squares, the bottom line fills up until you drop down back to Hyper. But if it you miss too many times on Hyper you end up on Nether, a black and white world which is looks more like Pong. You can deflect enough squares to go back up to Hyper, but fail to do that and its Game Over.
So you need fast reflexes to avoid dropping most of the squares. Some patterns I can get down with but then there are some bullshit moments (what I felt was bullshit due to not getting good), with some feeling like trial and error, or squares moving sporadically to the point of confusion, and the more squares drop, the more it fucks me over and I don’t know if it’s because of my autism or I just need to improve my reflexes but can get crazy as hell.
And I would have more fun with it but…I don’t like the tilt controls. You don’t use the directional pad or an analog stick, you have to tilt your controller (in this case, a PS4 controller). I know its been the cornerstone of the game since its inception, in fact, when things are slow and steady but can get a bit difficult, it ain’t all that bad for me, but I find it uncomfortable and when things get truly hectic, feedback between me and the game and the controller go completely haywire, and thus, my experience overall can feel very awkward.
The graphics resemble Pong, but adds a modern aesthetic that reminds me of those flashy screens for whenever you play music on your PC in the early 2000’s. Though I don’t find the look appealing but it’s not awful, it’s just that I can’t focus on it because I’m too focused on the paddle and deflecting squares. The music was quite forgettable when I played the game, but hearing it outside of the game, it’s absolutely fantastic. It’s mostly chiptunes taking inspiration from the Atari 2600 and the NES and adding a modern take to it, making for a more catchy soundtrack.
Overall, Bit.Trip Beat is a fun puzzle game though considering that my issues prevented me for truly enjoying the experience, it’s not for everyone. It’s not a bad game, at all, it’s all about getting good at this Pong-style game but its design can prove to be a disadvantage for some, but like my topical Sonic CD post, I wouldn’t want it to be changed for somebody or a small group of people…or change the name of a company because of cold feet, I’m still confused over that one.
You can get it on the Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Xbox 360.
Next time, it’s…well I don’t know, I just didn’t expect to write a long review on a Pong-inspired game.