Review for Beat Saber. Game for Oculus Rift (VR), PC, PlayStation VR, Steam VR and Windows Mixed Reality, the video game was released on 20/11/2018 The version for PC came out on 21/05/2019
For those who have lived videogames since the beginning, it is clear how some genres in particular tend to have their fashion moments and then disappear into thin air and maybe come back into vogue long after. However, there is a genre of video games that has never stopped having its say, and it is that of Rhythm Game: from Dance Dance Revolution to Taiko no Tatsujin, from Osu! Ouendan to Guitar Hero, there are dozens of titles dedicated to musical rhythm and a huge flock of fans who will never betray them. Up until now, however, there has been a platform that hasn't been touched yet, and we're talking about virtual reality.
Beat Saber begins its journey on Steam and Oculus Rift, but also lands on PlayStation 4 to allow even a wider audience to play.
The gameplay of Beat Saber it is quite simple to explain: you need two Playstation Move controllers, one in each hand, and in our virtual reality we will see cubes coming towards us. With our two colored lightsabers, controlled by the movements of the Moves, we will have to cut the cubes of the corresponding color and of course to the rhythm of the music. Each cube also has an arrow that shows the direction in which it should be cut: if for example a blue cube with an arrow pointing to the left is coming towards us, we will have to cut it using the blue sword with a movement that goes from right to left.
Very simple and intuitive in pure theory and during the simpler levels, but when the speed is extremely high and the cubes on the screen are numerous, it becomes as hellish as the most renowned Rhythm Games at their maximum difficulty.
The game must obviously be taken step by step, as happens with all the news. If at the beginning our goal is simply to finish the levels, being careful not to empty our energy bar with errors, under penalty of Game Over, once we have reached a certain practicality with the game we will start trying to reach the scores taller. In fact, by taking advantage of the combos, it is possible to increase the point multiplier up to 8X, thus leading the player not to want to miss even a shot to reach the maximum score. Compared to other games of this type, however, it is not just a matter of pressing the right buttons at the right time, but it is about moving your body perfectly and in its entirety..
If part of our reflexes are dedicated to the destruction of the cubes, most of it will be concentrated on avoiding hitting the mines that will appear in our path or moving us in case a wall appears: real obstacles that will drain most of our energy bar if they are not avoided with them due attention.
Compared to the other Rhythm Games, where it is possible to reach the perfect score by pressing all the keys of the stage without errors, Beat Saber takes a very interesting step forward bringing perfection to an almost unattainable level and in which competition actually makes sense to exist. This happens because the score is not awarded only by hitting the right block, but the right angle to the arrow is also evaluated, and how close to the center of the cube the cut was made..
It goes without saying that any human being will be unable to achieve absolute perfection in this technique, especially in highly difficult stages.
If the gameplay is promoted with flying colors - being it fun, frenetic and original - on the variety of songs available, the mood is a bit lacking, as the latter are all very similar to each other. Although the consistency with the game world is good, mostly techno / electronic music, a greater number of types of melodies would certainly have been good for the title. They can be played freely, at our choice, or by following the excellent Campaign mode, which teaches us the gameplay step by step through challenges that become more and more intricate.
As for the experience in VR, we must admit that our movements are almost always read perfectly, 1: 1 and with very few cases of minimal lag. Nothing that could compromise our score or our test anyway. The strength of the game is that such an experience is ONLY possible with virtual reality, and it couldn't possibly be comparable in any other way, so good tracking of our movements was rigorous.
Beat Saber is hands down the best VR experience we've tested so far. It combines the realism and immersion of virtual reality with fast-paced, musical and energetic gameplay. The mechanics are original and are accompanied by an almost perfect tracking of the movements, which helps it all blend into a must have for all Playstation VR owners.
► Beat Saber is an indie-Music game for Oculus Rift (VR), PC, PlayStation VR, Steam VR and Windows Mixed Reality, the video game was released on 20/11/2018 The version for PC came out on 21/05/2019
