When you first load up Bit.Trip Beat, it seems like a rhythm based game of Pong, and that’s exactly what it is. You play controlling what is basically the paddle from Pong and either catch or hit back retro Pong-styled balls and other retro-style objects while being bombarded by tons of trippy visuals.
The game sounds very simplistic, and it is, with the exception of the things you need to hit back or catch coming on the beat of the current track playing, there is not much complexity to it. Therein lays the beauty of Bit.Trip Beat. The simplicity of the concept combined with the high difficulty of the game makes it very enjoyable to the gamer that enjoys a challenge. The length of the tracks (levels) in this game, in which the difficulty progressively increases, is the part that will probably deter the more casual gamers.
If you miss too many dots or bars (the objects you either catch or send back), you get to see a more classic Pong-style with white objects on top of a black background. If you miss more during the classic visual style, you’re game will be over. On the flip-side of the paddle, if you get a high combo, colors will be bursting from your monitor resulting in an almost trippy sensation, which is where the game gets its name.
While, as mentioned before, the tracks are rather lengthy, the game itself is short, as there aren’t that many levels to play. While this might seem like a drawback, the length of the game along with its replay ability makes it worth the low price mark on Steam.
I’d recommend you at least check out the trailer of this on Steam to see if you might like the visual style of the game, as that is what it’s mostly about. While the game play is simple in concept, it can get challenging later on in the level, so be expecting at least a slight challenge. This is Pong on LSD.
Published: Dec 11, 2010 06:46 pm