AudioBeats Reviews

[h1]Are you a Bemani fan? IIDX? SDVX? GFDM? Pop'n?[/h1] This review is aimed at you - because I am, I'm a super-diehard Bemani fan from back in the 5-key days on. I was a bit skeptical about how the lack of feedback would be with the Vive wands, as I am the type to put Sanwas in my RED ASC... but I was pleasantly surprised - this actually plays very well. There are a range of interesting note types beyond just impact. You have directional flick arrows - which are very satisfying, and you also have the classic hold note... except it pulls an SDVX - on tougher notecharts, the hold notes may move and zig-zag in an SDVX kinda way. Of course. there are also chords. To the most important stuff: the timing and combo structure work exactly like you would expect from a true Bemani game, and the grading system also fits the mold. The difficulty is, in true Bemani style, divided into three tiers - with individual notecharts having number ratings from 1-15. I got a B on the hardest chart in the game after only 10 minutes of play or so... so this isn't the toughest thing ever - but it's the most difficult rhythm game for VR at the moment. The difficulty splits well across the three tiers - the number determines intensity, while moving up through the tiers increases complexity/technique, in a way that feels right for a Bemani style game. I would compare a level 15 track on the highest difficulty tier to roughly an H6 or H7 in IIDX, and maybe an H11 in SDVX, somewhere around then. It may not go as high as you'd like, but it's certainly high enough to give you that Bemani feeling, that combo-trance. The notecharts themselves [i]definitely[/i] feel in line with the Bemani style, they line up with the music in the same ways as you'd expect, and have the same consistency and flair. They do depart from just being drums - while most notes are in line with the drum track, the hold notes and arrow flairs in particular often line up with synths, effect sweeps, and oneshots. On which note, there are unfortunately no keysounds. It would be [i]much[/i] better with keysounds... but I don't find that a dealbreaker here, and I'm usually a keysound junkie. While as of this review there are only six tracks, it's only six bucks - and the tracks are good - each with three notecharts, and it seems clear they'll be adding more music. If you're into Bemani, and like me you've been searching for the VR rhythm game that [i]properly[/i] scratches that itch, this is something you want to be supporting. It's out of China, not the west, and it feels like it. It's still a bit low on content and could use an in-play score counter, but these are early days, and the fun is there. Verdict: Highly, highly reccommend for existing Bemani fans. If you are not familiar with Bemani, expect a steeper difficulty slope and higher difficulty ceiling than you might get from western VR rhythm games - and to perhaps be disappointed by the six Chinese indie-electronica/rock tracks on offer.

It has a really good promise, but i feel it lacks higher drums as when it adjusts to your height, you can't see the drums unless you crouch a bit. Plus since the drums are very close to eachother, i then can't get a good score cause i then end up hitting the other which cancels the combo. and what would make it easier is to hear each drum, aswell as a force feedback in the controllers when i hit the drums. I like the game for what it is, but those small details makes me not able to recommend it as i struggled to hit the right drum or managed to hit 2 at once because of how close they are and not being able to see them when standing up straight and looking at the highway of the dots..

A very nice Rythem Game! It reminds me a lot of TapTapRevenge, which is a good thing. + good mechanics (you need to keep up with the moderate difficulty, but target detection is very fair) + good visuals + music is not too exotic, which I was afraid of in the beginning; most tracks are actually quite good - only 6 music tracks at the moment - learning curve is high if you do not have some experience to begin with

I was a bit wary about this game after seeing comments about how difficult it was, not the most co-ordinated and suspect my reflexes aren't as sharp as they used to be. Worrying too was that not only do you have to hit one of four drum pads correctly in time to incoming 'beats' but some you have to hold and even 'flick' in the direction of the arrow. First effort and i was scoring 'B' (on easy level) for the songs i tried, no doubt i'd crash and burn on harder levels but it's fun. Different enough to Music Inside, Holodance and Happy Drummer to make Audio Beats a buy. Pros: +Price, $6 at the moment! +Crisp visuals +Only 6 tracks at the moment but they're well matched and have a good beat. +You have to really concentrate but it's not a great deal harder than similar games of its type. +not a big download and doesn't hang on exit. Cons: -There's a decent enough hit area but if you move you'll start to miss. It's not like Music Inside where you're watching the drum set itself - you're attention is more occupied by the incoming notes. -no leaderboards (yeah, i can dream...) Rating: 9/10

I love this game. Its great. The 6 tracks it comes with have really good rythym to them. The game runs really smooth and is surprisingly easy and difficult all rolled into one. My only slight annoyance is the inability to pause the song or go back to the menu. Also not being able to adjust the height of the platforms outside of a song is annoying. But being able to adjust it at all is a huge plus. Overall great game, well worth the cost and I will definitely be playing it more (can't wait for new tracks).

Got it on sale and glad I did. I never really got into (or tried) many rythm games, yet it's one of only a few games I have gone back to after the first try on the Vive. I am pretty bad at it, as the commands become overwhelming even on easy for 5 out of the 6 tracks. I'm sure (at least I think) that if I keep at it, I will improve. One thing obviously lacking is the tactile response of actually hitting the drums or whatever they are. That's just a limitation of VR, though, and I don't hold it against the title especially considering the price. If someone was willing, it wouldn't be too hard to set up some real-life props to correlate to the drums! I enjoy the artwork, just wish there was even more crazy stuff popping up besides the chick at every 100-combo interval- even if it probably would take my attention away from the commands. I also like the songs especially the darker sounding ones with hints of dubstep in them.

[h1]TLDR: For anyone that can keep up with Asian music rhythm games, and if you're okay with currently 6 music pieces (with 3 difficulty levels each) then grab this, it's a highly polished experience that uses VR to deliver uniquely engaging mechanics.[/h1] If this had a 'beginner difficulty' it'd be my favorite rhythm game without any doubt, regrettably I don't have the seemingly superhuman reflexes I see others show off in various youtube videos in the various Asian music rhythm games/systems. I can barely manage B on easy, my parents would run away after just watching my attempts. It's bursting with quality and consideration, this isn't another quick 'we got an algorithm so you can put your controls in the right spot at the right time to match beats' game. There's engaging unique mechanics like arrows that appear where you have to hit the beat and then swerve the controller in the arrows direction, and super neat touches like a character popping up when you reach any hundred combo. The imagery is very nice and distinctive, though I'd like there to be some additional indication like a bit of a glow/etc when it's the best time to hit the beat. Additionally its very responsive and I didn't notice any accidental double hit/miss etc as a result of the 3D space, though I could barely keep up with the rhythm so I might have missed that. Even though I'm not able to meet the difficulty this game presents, there's no way I'd refund this as it definitely deserves the asking price as long as they hopefully deliver more songs not locked into expensive DLC etc and refine the experience a bit, even if it is already almost polished to perfection. A terrific experience if you're up for it, great job developers.

Worth the price tag. There's a fair amount of tracks and it plays pretty well. Has multiple difficulty levels for whatever mood your in.

AudioBeats is as polished as any typical non-VR release*. *there are some spelling mistakes (or are they?) in there that brings down the professionalism of the game as an english release - such as; "Original Cracks 1" instead of 'Original Tracks, Vol. 1' - but that's just been nitpicky, and is a largely forgiveable flaw given the current small state of the market meaning it's often difficult to justify additional professional translation expenses. Currently features 6 tracks and 3 difficulties for each. Pleasant asian pop music (the game is made by a chinese developer). The beats are hand crafted (which is a vitally important point of difference from more procedurally oriented beat/rhythm games) allowing the gameplay to be a lot more interesting and dynamic feeling (as in the transitions between each beat feel a lot more interesting and challenging). The only flaw is not really its fault - it's the lack of tactile feedback. I found that while standing, I'd slowly drift downwards as the game got more and more intense, so I had to pull up a chair which allowed me to be more consistent. It is a fairly hard game though... difficult ramps up quickly, and by the end of the first song on basic mode, you're already approaching the difficulty level found on moderate hard songs in medium to hard difficulty in Rockband/Guitar Hero (although it's been a while since I played those games). If you like asian music, or even if you dont' mind it and you're a fan of the rhythm music genre this one is for you.

[h1]TL;DR: Get this game. Support its developers. We need more of this. It's an amazing concept for only 10 dollars, and this could seriously grow into a hit.[/h1] Long Version: Okay, don't let the broken english of the description send you away from this game. This game is exactly like the Drums from Rock Band, with an amazing arcade style vibe, and already some really catchy tunes. Pros: [list] [*]Absolutely great concept. I would play this for hours trying to get a high score. [*]Amazing aesthetic and design choice. [*]Great song choice for first 6 songs. [/list] Cons: [list] [*]Needs more songs. (Currently only 6) [*]Steam Workshop support. With a good mapping tool, this game could make itself within the community. [*](opinion) Color code the 4 hit bars. It would make realizing what notw is coming down which lane a lot easier, without disparaging the difficulty. [/list] This game absolutely gets my support, and I can only see this concept getting better.