UNBEATABLE Review - Out of Sync
I won’t hesitate to put my hand up for a rhythm game review when offered; it’s a genre I have deep affinity for, going back to the PS1 days of Bust a Groove and cemented completely with the PSP and the DJMax series. When Unbeatable came along I jumped at the chance, especially to try out the ROG Ally provided to Player2 courtesy of Microsoft. Unfortunately for me, Unbeatable is a hybrid rhythm game that spends more time wallowing in its weaknesses than playing to its strengths, at least in the Story Mode.
I struggle to think of any rhythm game where the story was a highlight ahead of the gameplay itself, but lord does Unbeatable try as it weaves a tale of an alternate future where music has been banned and yet everyone has a name based on some sort of musical concept like Beat and Quaver. HARM, the antagonist organisation enforcing the anti-music laws really push the authoritarian/establishment theme with music the force that can overcome, unite and even heal.
The biggest issue with this story-forward approach is that the actual experience of going through the narrative blends visual novel and walking sim gameplay with very poor connective tissue between scenes and sequences. If it were a film, I would describe the edit as stilted and jarring, resulting in the player regularly feeling like they must have missed something. It has been a long few weeks, but there is such a dearth of actual rhythm action in the first two chapters that I fell asleep twice playing Unbeatable, feeling little engagement with the world or characters in these first few hours. Steadily the rhythm sections increase and some are incorporated into the game in inventive ways, but it didn’t quite save the overall experience for me, especially as I found much of the dialogue to be trying a little too hard. While the narrative does eventually pay off and the developers have some worthwhile and heartfelt things to say, I can’t help but feel there was a better way to get there. Perhaps a few more patches will see the rougher edges smoothed out over time – developer D.CELL has already put a lot of effort into squashing bugs and other issues.
There’s an undeniable charm to the visual style, but repetitive limited animations detract from the moment-to-moment gameplay, more notably when running around larger areas with little to do but find the exact trigger to push the story forwards. The camera is a mixed bag as well, some angles making in very difficult to make sense of a space and see other characters or objects on screen. Some are so off-putting it reminded me of Silent Hill or Resident Evil where such purposeful disorientation builds tension and suspense rather than annoyance. The overall aesthetic is strong with bold colour choices and some clear nods to Jet Grind Radio mashing up anime, comic book and street art styles to great result.
Were this review to end here, it doesn’t read so positive for Unbeatable – but its Arcade mode is a godsend, and where I would advise people spend a good portion of time when the story mode is dragging its feet. Unbeatable uses the standard mix of press/hold/mash for input in time with the music, but rather than scrolling down vertically in four more bars, Unbeatable uses a horizontal system similar to Taiko no Tastujin or Theatryhthm, with a high and low line moving notes towards the centre of the screen from both left and right, occasionally flipping horizontally to have Beat facing the left or right. This took some adjusting to as I’ve trained myself to really only focus on the very top of the screen in traditional rhythm games in order to react as quickly as possible. Having notes come from multiple directions, especially the left and right as well as from above and below, pushed me to work more reflexively until I became used to this setup. Five difficulty levels of note charts give each song a good amount of replayability and offsets the fact that unlike DJMax or similar titles where difficulty can also be increased by moving between 4-8 lanes or notes, Unbeatable always keeps the same amount. With over 70 tracks once the Story mode is completed, there’s no risk of feeling shortchanged by the music selection.
Unbeatable has heart and grit, but those things alone aren’t enough to propel something to the highest of heights. A more focused Story Mode with enhanced pacing and smoother edits would have improved the overall experience, but the real longevity of play is found in the robust Arcade mode that should keep rhythm fans happy and challenged for weeks if not months.
