REVIEW: KickBeat: Special Edition

KickBeat – Special Edition is from the creators of Pinball FX2 and CastleStorm. This is the first rhythm based game to come to the Xbox One, and it comes in the form of a fusion of kung Fu based fighting/ capoeira like rhythmic dancing and some very high energy euphoric music.

Personally for myself a rhythm based game has been long overdue, I was looking to quench that Guitar Hero/ Rockband thirst, and to some degree this has done just that.

Graphics and Settings:

Zen Studios have done something very innovative with this game; They have some beautifully hand drawn animations with a unique art style. It was well thought out and this sort of style lends itself to the story the game tells. It’s also very refreshing.

The game’s story revolves around a love-struck and very unlikely hero who is drawn into battle for the control of the world’s music -which is in a form of magical sphere (Obviously ^Hooksan). The two main protagonists are Lee and Mei, both guided by Master Fu -the leader of an ancient secretive sect of monks called the Order of the Melodic Fist. These monks act as the guardians of the sphere of music and have done so for centuries (Evidently not such great guardians).

Lee is chosen to fight to reclaim the music that has been stolen by evil radio station ‘Radio Earth’, who’s head honcho -Mr. Halisi (Owner of Entertainment Earth ) – seeks to use music for power and control even stealing Justin Beiber’s songs, a step too far if you ask me.

Graphically it looks good. However, do not expect to be blown away. It’s fresh and exciting, yet the cut scenes can become repetitive (if not a bit disorientating) in the mist of playing through a song or boss battle.

The fighting visuals are crisp and vibrant, yet feel lacking in variation, however don’t let that sway you as it certainly does a good job in keeping it relevant to each song and stage.

Gameplay:

Throughout the story you will be flying from one location to another. One moment you are in Tokyo the next, Chicago. The level artwork reflects the atmosphere of the locations pretty well and the increase in difficulty really challenges you at times (especially the last song).

I would also highly recommend trying out the training mode, as this will allow you to understand the fundamental basics (queue “wax on, wax off” training montage).

The campaign does a great job of creating a relevant story to tie the game together and plays out like an old Hong Kong movie.

Ultimately KickBeat pits you against various enemies that surround you in a circular arena. Instead of seeing a 2-D interface, you actually control and react to 3-D characters that comes in forms of different types of enemies. All require a different button or technique to ‘hit’ the move.

What really sets this games apart is that they took the rhythm based genre and turn it on its head. Zen Studios have truly innovated by getting rid of all the bars, arrows, button icons and so forth that have been the traditional rhythm action cues. Here they have been fully replaced with the 3-D characters. The removal of these action cues allow you to focus your attention on what those enemies are actually doing, which is extremely useful as the game is equally efficient at distracting you. Instead of the action cues mentioned, the enemies have a coloured aura to identify when and how they are going to attack.

Unlike most other rhythm games, you have a health meter on hand which makes sense in the fact each song is essentially a fight, getting hit will deplete your health bar, get hit enough and you will fail the song, beating your enemies up will earn you Chi which works just like Rock Band’s star power, once activated it will earn you more points and is most effective when going for a high combo rate, this will gain you a higher rating for the song.

Soundtrack:

This is where the game may split the audience down the middle. The songs are outdated, but nostalgic at best but utterly dismal at worst. I figure they were trying to offer a taste of everything, however it just lacks the big hitters like other rhythm games. Nonetheless i was still enjoying the majority of the tracks and they fitted to the story well.

The Song list is as follows:

KickBeat – Special Edition Song List:
•Pendulum – Self vs. Self, Propane Nightmares (Celldweller Remix)
•Celldweller – Switchback, I Can’t Wait
•Marilyn Manson – The Beautiful People
•Shen Yi – War Dance
•POD – Boom
•Papa Roach – Last Resort
•Blue Stahli – Takedown, Scrape, Ultranumb
•Southpaw Swagger – It’s Showtime
•Pre-Fight Hype – It’s Goin Down
•Voicians – Fighters, The Construct
•Rob Zombie – Scum of the Earth
•Styles Beyond – Nine Thou
•Pre-Fight Hype & Southpaw Swagger – Tug-O-War
•enV – Destination, RPM, Vee, Shakestopper, OCP, Bloom

However not all is lost if the above doesn’t take your fancy. It has been mentioned you can add your own tracks, although I have yet to see this on the Xbox One version so I will update this with confirmation.

Conclusion:

Overall this game has a solid foundation and pulls of some interesting ideas. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for this generations first iteration of a solid rhythm game, or anyone who likes heavy music and Kung Fu.

The story behind the game is actually very well done and the artwork is great, however I wish your two main protagonists had more variation in their story progression.

If you are looking for a quick game to pick up and play this will be a great addition to your library, I just hope it is supported with more songs down the line to add to its longevity.

^Jack @Jack_XboxMAD​