Spin Rhythm XD Deluxe [Review]
I’m trapped in the rhythm dimension and I never want to leave.
Spin Rhythm XD. Credit: Super Spin Digital
Released previously on mobile, Steam, and Nintendo Switch, Spin Rhythm XD is now on PlayStation 5 with free PSVR2 support. I’m so happy I was given the opportunity to check this game out, because I would have otherwise overlooked it, and I now have a new rhythm game on my list of favorites, joining games such as Elite Beat Agents, Gitaroo Man, the Theatrhythm series, Rez, and Old School Musical. Notably absent from my list are games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band that depend on peripherals; while I do appreciate those games, I prefer those that let you play with a standard controller, and Spin Rhythm DX is among those that feel the best to play.
I hadn’t seen gameplay mechanics quite like Spin Rhythm DX features before, featuring a wheel you spin using the controller’s joystick. Beats flow down the track, red and blue by default. Your control the rotation of a wheel at the bottom of the track with matching colors that alternate, and you’ve got to catch them in a correctly colored section. Beats are either small or large; if they’re large, you also have to hit a button when they hit the bottom of the track. Some of them require you to hold the button down while making sure you turn the wheel to follow the beat’s line. A bar that crosses the whole track will also appear, and you need to press a different button when it hits your wheel.
Spin Rhythm XD. Credit: Super Spin Digital
The part that feels particularly good is that sections of the track will also require you to spin the wheel left or right, or “scratch” back and forth. To spin, you just hit the joystick once in the correct direction, and it’ll keep spinning until you press another button, which will automatically line up the wheel with whatever color beat you matched. The spin just feels great, especially with the subtle force feedback on the PS5 DualSense controller.
Spin Rhythm DX does a wonderful job of training you up to be able to tackle harder modes, layering in new mechanics as you increase difficulty levels. By my second day playing the game, I got to the point where I could catch beats in the correct colored part of the wheel without looking at it directly, getting into a state of focus where my peripheral vision was good enough to manage it as I paid closer attention to hitting beats and spins on rhythm.
Spin Rhythm XD. Credit: Super Spin Digital
As you get into harder songs where you need to repeatedly make the wheel spin in different directions in rapid succession, the Spin Rhythm XD’s flow state begins to feel especially good. Flicking the joystick to initiate a spin and then stopping the wheel on a beat with a button press becomes incredibly addictive. I was completely absorbed. “Just one more song” took me well into early morning hours a few nights in a row, turning my console off around 4am.
Spin Rhythm XD offers a great deal of customization and accessibility features. You can edit every aspect of the visuals, applying skins and custom colors to each game element. You can even skin individual note types separately to tweak the game so its parts are most clearly visible to you. You can modify the speed, disable damage feedback, and more.
Spin Rhythm XD. Credit: Super Spin Digital
I’ve been trying to get good scores for all the songs in hard mode, and there are still two more difficulty levels to tackle above that. The base game offers over 60 licensed and original songs, and the available DLCs offer 10 additional tracks each from Monstercat and Chillhop. I can’t wait for new DLC and if I get too impatient I might have to buy the PC version to play custom tracks made by other players using the level editor.
If you’re into rhythm games, Spin Rhythm XD is a must play. You can buy the game on PlayStation now; the base game and DLC are available either separately or as a Deluxe edition.
Spin Rhythm XD is available now on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4/5 with free PSVR2 support.
Overall Score: 10/10
Played on: PS5
