Beat Souls (2021)

For $10 I do think you'll get your money's worth. If you're looking to kill a couple of hours with a rhythm game there are worse options. Just don't expect anything with staying power.

Beat Souls is easy to learn but hard to master; it’s also easy to like but hard to love. A lot of promise upfront unfortunately doesn’t carry through the rest of the game, which is a shame considering how finely tuned the entire experience is. I wish I could remember a single song or recall a fun beat pattern where I really connected with the game; instead, I’m left with the feeling that I would have put up with Beat Souls if either music or mechanics had been better. Still, if you’re wondering about how jazz or vaporwave-inspired tracks would work in a genre flooded with higher energy tunes, Beat Souls won’t break the bank for curious minds with disposable income to spare.

Beat Souls manages to hold the player's attention but only for a little while. Its colorful and dynamic style matches the original music from each opponent well, but it eventually becomes tiresome over time. If it had more variety in its songs and characters, it would definitely be a great show. Right now, it's like a fun garage performance that loses appeal before the end.

Beat Souls is an enjoyable game in the music/rhythm genre but it isn’t a must-play by any means. It’s got a decent set of tracks so long as you enjoy JPop music and you can get plenty of playtime out of it for the price. If it had more variety in the music and wasn’t so busy on-screen then I could recommend it more easily.

Beat Souls does genuinely deserve the –Souls title. This game’s Hell Mode is genuine hell and I challenge anyone to see what kind of a level they can achieve in it.