Robobeat Review
Roguelite rhythm FPS Robobeat is fast, stylish, and has a fantastic soundtrack.
Robobeat. Credit: Inzanity / Kwalee
Solo dev Simon Fredholm (Inzanity) and Kwalee have released frenetic roguelite rhythm FPS Robobeat on consoles. The game’s stylish presentation, excellent soundtrack, and fast-paced action make it a must-play.
The game’s story doesn’t really matter, but I loved its off-kilter presentation. You’re a bounty hunter chasing down an eccentric robot. The story doesn’t stand in the way of getting you into the action quickly.
Robobeat. Credit: Inzanity / Kwalee
At its core, Robobeat is a fast-paced first-person shooter. You can wield two guns and a couple of special abilities that you can unlock or upgrade in typical roguelite fashion; some guns can fire charged shots with an extra button press. Unlike most shooters, you can parry just about anything, which can combo into your next attack, depending on your weapon. There’s a lot of airtime—bouncing, wall-running, and rail skating all help you get airborne—and mastering movement is crucial. The trick is that you must do it all to the beat of the music.
Once you pick a song, you can enter the game’s procedurally generated dungeons. Songs aren’t tied to specific levels; you can change tracks and modify the game’s beat whenever you wish. This is key to the gameplay, as the rhythm dictates when you can fire your gun or parry an attack to maximum effect. Nailing the beat feels great. It’s not easy to maintain the flow, but I felt like a badass when I did.
As it should be for a rhythm game, the soundtrack is fantastic. The console version includes the original 38 songs plus three bonus tracks from BPM: Bullets Per Minute, DUSK, and Ultrakill. I haven’t gotten tired of any of them. Unfortunately, consoles don’t support the custom music feature available on PC.
Robobeat. Credit: Inzanity / Kwalee
The visuals in Robobeat are about color and style. Most of the environments are monochromatic cement warehouses with graffiti on some walls. Colorful highlights are reserved for guns, shots, enemies, visual effects, interactive objects, and some environmental details. The game’s look helps direct your focus on the action, and while it’s spartan, it looks super cool. On PlayStation 5, my eyes couldn’t spot a difference between Performance and Fidelity graphics modes. The game still ran flawlessly in Fidelity mode without a noticeable drop in frame rate.
Robobeat is a game I’ll be playing for a while. I find it challenging and satisfying, and most importantly, I’m hooked on the music. I highly recommend it.
Robobeat is available now on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: PS5
