Beat Hazard doesn't offer much, but the little there is can be entertaining for a few hours.
- Combines shooting with your music
- Awesome bullets
- Gameplay can be amusingly fun
Negative
- Sound effects are almost non-existent
- Difficulty to see what is going on sometimes
- Total lack of modes
Beat Hazard is a good game, which combines the old school shooting with your own soundtrack. It doesn't have much to offer since the lack of modes is a problem, and there is nothing truly remarkable to keep you going. It's nice to play your soundtrack, seeing how your attack pattern changes with every rhythm change, and seeing some awesome bullet effects. There isn't much to say about Beat Hazard; you probably played something like this in those old days, but this own offers it with your own music.
This game's lack of modes is its biggest drawback. There are 2 modes, including a mode where you can freely play any music in your library from 4 difficulties available. There is no iTunes support, so you can forget that. In the other mode, the survival mode you can try to survive as many soundtracks as possible and gain a high score. Each soundtrack starts immediately after one ends and you won't get any extra lives, or a chance to breathe either. Aside from that, there are some achievements and rankings to get.
The gameplay combines old-fashioned shooting from way back and your music. In this game, you will control a ship and space, and you have to shoot anything that comes near. The shooting has an interesting concept which sometimes ends up to your disadvantage. The bullet's power change frequently with every rhythm change, meaning if the soundtrack you are playing is low, the bullets will be weak and colorless. One the other hand, if you are playing a high volume soundtrack, you will have some pretty but awesome bullets. The color will also change if the rhythm change and it is the best part of the game. The graphical effects on the bullets are simply awesome.
Beat Hazard is not without its flaws though. There is an insane repetition of enemy types, and some slightly awkward controls. You have the option to use the XBOX controller, and the keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse is probably the choice for most people, but it does feel strange to play this kind of game. The controls are fine and work well nonetheless. When shooting, most of the time it is difficult to see well. Even more if there are enemies or rubble near. You have 3 lives and a bomb. If you lose the 3 lives it's game over. Don't worry it won't be wasted effort, since the game will give you points on how you perform. When you start the song, its volume is very low. Power-ups help you increase your power-up and score, as well as sound. The problem with this is that in a short song you may not get enough to hear the song at a decent volume. When you lose a life, you'll lose some power-ups. There are some bosses as well, which size vary depending on the difficulty. They may shoot attacks which you won't see coming, resulting in death. The bosses may not be as difficulty, but their attacks can be annoying to dodge.
The visuals of Beat Hazard don't particularly stand out. Without bullets the background aren't any special, but when you start shooting the game starts looking great. Too much bullet on screen makes some enemies and attack impossible to dodge. There is a huge issue with the low enemy variety which really makes the game repetitive. The sound takes merit since you can take music from your library, but doesn't have iTunes support. Plus, aside from that Beat Hazard fails. The sound effects are almost non-existent, why?
It works as a worthwhile game, but Beat Hazard simply doesn't do enough. It does most things right including: using an old shooting formula and combining it with your music, and the awesome bullet. The sound effects and lack of modes are certainly disappointing but some people will be just about satisfied with what Beat Hazard has to offer for a short while. You may or may not like this game, but if you do, you might be spending some good time in it.
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Graphics = 8.0
The backgrounds may be a little plain if no bullets around. But if bullets are around, it turns in a visual wonder. Awesome bullets.
Sound = 7.8
Put your own music. Sound effects are way too weak.
Presentation = 7.2
Needs more enemy variety that's for sure. There are some achievements and rankings.
Gameplay = 7.3
Combines an old formula with your music, which is mostly a good idea. The bullets are awesome, but the enemies need to be more varied. Good amount of challenge.
Modes = 6.5
Too few modes to keep you coming back.
OVERALL – 72 / 100
Beat Hazard doesn't offer much, but the little there is can be entertaining for a few hours.