Description
Beat Hazard is a single screen arena shooter where the behaviour of enemies, gameplay and visual effects are dynamically adapted based on the chosen soundtrack. Just like
Audiosurf about any custom music track can be imported to alter the game experience. Players control a small ship and need to survive waves of enemies. Only one level is provided, but the ship's firepower and the opponents dynamically change by analysing the music. During slow sections the ship's weapon is very weak and only a few enemies appear. When the rhythm and beat is built up, the weapon will gradually slow stronger, ending in large gushes of lasers (the beat hazard weapon) with different colours and visuals flashing along with the beat. At that point larger ships often appear and they can take a lot of damage before exploding. Players do not need to match the music in any way contrary to other games where the gameplay is centered around sound.
Defeated enemies, and objects such as rocks and space debris leave behind a number of modifiers that remain persistent regardless of the changes in the music. These include power-ups that increase the sound volume or raise the ship's firing power, provide bombs that clear the entire screen, or grant score multipliers. Multipliers are also awarded by not firing for five seconds (Dare Devil) and every 30 seconds that are survived (Survivor). When the ship is destroyed all upgrades are lost and generally a few more tries are provided before the game ends. There are three difficulty modes and a survivor game mode along with sessions that consist of single tracks and where multipliers are gradually dropped. The overall score is stored across sessions and moving up ranks opens up starting bonuses and provides other types of benefits. The gameplay works best with tracks that have a consistent and fast-paced rhythm. Slow songs generally numb the experience through a lack of firing power and enemies. An online leaderboard is also included.
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The Press Says
| Level |
Windows |
Jul, 2010 |
8.6 out of 10 |
86 |
| 411mania.com |
Xbox 360 |
Nov 18, 2010 |
8.5 out of 10 |
85 |
| Jeuxvideo.com |
Windows |
Jul 20, 2010 |
17 out of 20 |
85 |
| OMGN: Online Multiplayer Games Network |
Windows |
Jul 20, 2010 |
8.5 out of 10 |
85 |
| BestGamer.ru |
Windows |
Jun 30, 2010 |
8.2 out of 10 |
82 |
| Game Kudos |
Windows |
May 13, 2010 |
8 out of 10 |
80 |
| Atomic Gamer |
Windows |
Apr 23, 2010 |
80 out of 100 |
80 |
| GameSpot |
Windows |
Apr 22, 2010 |
7 out of 10 |
70 |
| Eurogamer.net (UK) |
Windows |
May 14, 2010 |
6 out of 10 |
60 |
| PAL Gaming Network (PALGN) |
Windows |
May 29, 2010 |
6 out of 10 |
60 |
Forums
| Topic |
# Posts |
Last Post |
| Dammit |
10 |
Sciere  (170497)
Apr 29, 2010 |
Trivia
iTunes and m4a file support
The developer released a separate piece of DLC for the Windows version of the game on Steam in May 2010 to play non-DRM iTunes, mp4 and AAC files inside the game. It costs around $1 and the cost is to cover the per copy license fee needed for the patented AAC decoder.
This entry was contributed by
Sciere (170497)
