Two of my favorite gaming genres are rhythm and first-person shooters. A few titles have taken on this blending of genres, in the cases of Metal: Hellsinger and BPM: Bullets Per Minute, both to great acclaim. The central mechanic of doing more damage if you shoot to the beat of a song is so simple, yet enthralling. It’s a crossover that makes a lot of sense, and I’m surprised there isn’t a bigger market after these successes. In the meantime, ROBOBEAT is here to add to the fun. So, how does this rhythm FPS stand up to similar titles like this?

The absolute most important part of a rhythm game is if its screen sync works well. Modern monitors tend to suffer in this department due to built-in vertical sync not being all that accurate, but I’m glad to report that ROBOBEAT‘s BPM detection is picture-perfect. You can feel a tangible bonus to hitting enemies perfectly on-time as opposed to off-beat, and that alone earns ROBOBEAT a lot of points in executing its central mechanic with no fuss. Add on enemies spawning right on the beat, too, and you can get into a seriously-immersive flow in each and every room.

The other vastly-important feature in a game such as this is the soundtrack. ROBOBEAT doubled down and ensured that its music was off the chain. With a varied score that’s industrial metal, EDM, and heavy metal, there’s a track for everyone to put on. The best part is that you can change the current song at any time. Even though there isn’t a shortage of songs, the game will hone in on the BPM of the currently playing track on the fly, meaning that the moment you aren’t vibing with a current song, you can switch it in seconds and keep on shooting.

ROBOBEAT is just a few steps short of rhythm FPS perfection. As it is a Rogue-like, there are different guns and abilities to acquire on runs. Sadly, these are in distressingly short supply as the diversity and quantity leave a lot to be desired in comparison to genre compatriots. The combat feels great in spite of this, except for one particular enemy type that heat-seeks you quite a bit too rapidly after you slay it, accounting for the majority of my damage in every run. If it weren’t for that enemy, I’d have cleared the game in a few runs, though, so it’s a double-edged sword.

If there was a little more fine-tuning in enemy aggressiveness and more to offer in its Rogue-like elements, ROBOBEAT would be a home run. Despite its shortcomings, it’s still a stellar time for any rhythm FPS players at a great low price of $19.99. It’s sitting at the coveted “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating a mere few weeks after release, indicating the general public loves this interpretation of shooting to the beat. Grab ROBOBEAT on a sale if you’re so inclined to take down some enemies in sync with a great soundtrack.

A PC review copy of ROBOBEAT was provided by Kwalee for the purposes of this review.

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ROBOBEAT

$19.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Divine Rhythm FPS Combat
• Banging Soundtrack
• Excellent Visuals

Cons

• Poor Upgrades
• One Frustrating Enemy