Review: KickBeat

About five seconds after I heard of an upcoming game called KickBeat, I realised there are two gaming genres screaming to have lots of illegitimate children – fighting and music-rhythm. The precise button presses, varying tempos and fist-pumping soundtracks that they have in common suggest a match made in heaven. Zen Studios, the guys and gals behind Zen Pinball and The Punisher: No Mercy, have cottoned on to this (unfortunately before I did) and their first foray into this new world of rhythm-fighting games is KickBeat.

The rudimentary opening tutorial explains the gameplay elements behind KickBeat. Firstly, you are surrounded by attacking foes, all of whom helpfully approach your character in a counter-clockwise direction and in time to the music. Using either the D-pad or the face buttons, you must attack in the direction they are coming from and strike just as they are ready to. Enemy types vary depending on the colour of their costumes – yellows attack in time with the beats of the song, blues every half-beat and reds attack two-at-a-time. Successfully pulling off each move earns you points towards an overall score, as well as Chi – which can be used like the Overdrive function in the Rock Band series to increase your points multiplier. Some enemies will have additional points or special moves that can be earned by double-tapping their respective button prompts.

While the gameplay is relatively straightforward, it can become overwhelming quite quickly. When you are being attacked on multiple sides by different enemies and the music has a particular high beat count, you may end up questioning Zen Studios’ decision not to include an Easy mode. The learning curve is steep but once you get your hand-eye co-ordination down, frustration levels decrease. There are elements that will continue to hinder you though. For instance, due to the isometric view, it can often be hard to see the enemies at the back of the arena. Every so often, when you attack an enemy at the bottom of the screen, they are flung towards the foreground, obscuring your view temporarily. Also, the dynamic camera option, which is switched on by default, can begin to move the perspective too much, leading to further viewing issues. While these problems occur infrequently, they still rankle when they do.

Probably the game’s greatest strength is its soundtrack. All of the songs are enjoyable to play – ranging from bands like Pendulum to Papa Roach to P.O.D. – and they suit the aesthetic of a fighting game. They are fast-paced, head-banging and lots of fun to play along to. The spacing out of the more difficult tracks is also well-done. The first few songs in the main campaign are basic but they get you used to the more complex patterns you will need to have mastered by the endgame.

In a moment of genius, Zen Studios have also decided to include a music analyser – this allows you to select a track to import into the game. During the process, you are given the option of manually calculating the BPM of the song (by tapping the screen or the Triangle button in time with certain sections of the track) or inputting it directly as a number (which you can find online if required). Once complete, you can then listen to the track with a drum beat over the top to make sure it lines up currently or jump straight to testing the song for yourself. All in all, the mode works well but the one flaw I found was the random attacking of the enemies on imported tracks. For the songs in the main game, enemies tend to attack at logical points, like a two-on-one attack at a major drum beat or crescendo. Unfortunately, the import process does not allow you to manually select each attack to time it with specific song notes. This can lead to guys attacking you during quiet moments in an imported song. There are variants you can select between but these are equally as random.

One of the best experiences available with music games is the ability to play with a group. Sessions of Rock Band are never more fun than when you have a group of friends together, sharing the experience. Unfortunately, KickBeat does not include such a mode. The incentive to continue playing is mostly down to score-chasing, which works as well here as it does in Zen Pinball. There is also an unlockable Survival mode and song visualiser (which allows you to watch the tracks as mini-movies) but a two-player co-op or competitive mode would have been welcome too.

I would recommend KickBeat to fans of music-based rhythm games and fighting games. It may be frustrating at the start, but perseverance will reward you with a surprisingly deep game, well worth your time. The lack of multiplayer and the irksome camera aside, KickBeat is a lot of fun and well worth your time.