| BEAT SABER
This rhythm game cuts through the competition
Before you even pick up your PS Move controllers for this PS VR rhythm game, you must make peace with the fact that you’re going to make an absolute egg of yourself. It takes the slicing and dicing of Fruit Ninja but requires you to match your swipes to the rhythm of its playlist. A tutorial acquaints you with everything going into this fruit salad, from blocks to bombs, and, while comprehensive, reveals little of just how you’re going to make yourself the butt of the yolk. The initial tracks in campaign mode ease you in gently with completion conditions that are almost forgiving. With the option to adjust the distance between your visor and the virtual floor beneath you, it is entirely possible to play these early stages while sitting down (as long as you don’t mind bum-shuffling along your sofa in order to avoid laser walls). But as the tempo amps up, it quickly becomes clear that this is far from the ideal position to play in.
UNBEATABLE
You won’t be pirouetting like the most graceful laser-sword initiate, but you’ll need to shift yourself if you want to go for the big points. Each cut from your titular sabre is individually scored, with wide, sweeping motions rated the highest. To meet certain score conditions for later stages, you’ll absolutely need to go for it and accept the egg on your face. Once you get the hang of these movements across the entertainingly varied campaign mode, it certainly scratches the itch left by Taiko No Tatsujin, and you find yourself making the exaggerated strikes like the drum master you always knew you could be. Coupled with the vibration feedback from striking your sabres against one another or slicing through blocks, each cut feels good.
Unfortunately, playing while standing presents its own challenges. Even in a spacious meeting room sequestered deep within OPM Towers, I feel the restraints of PS VR itself. Whether it’s getting tangled up in wires or battering colleagues, there are downsides to flinging your arms around like ever-so-slightly al dente noodles. You’d better mean it when you select ‘All Clear’.
At its core, Beat Saber will make even the most unco-ordinated player feel like a badass with two incandescent rapiers. The neon void in which play takes place doesn’t evolve much even as your skills do, and the set list will prove to be just a smidge too select for most tastes. When you’re deep in the zone, the sparse play area may well be an asset, though we couldn’t help but wish for the spectacle of more visually hectic rhythm titles. While the music selection is narrow and both the party and the freeplay mode feel far lighter than the lengthy challenge of campaign mode, Beat Saber is more than the sum of these parts. Your aching limbs will be testament to that.
VERDICT
“IT’LL MAKE EVEN THE MOST UNCO-ORDINATED PLAYER FEEL LIKE A BADASS.”
Feel the laser burn with this neon-lined rhythm game. Just make sure you have enough room to swing a cat strapped to a laser sabre when you play this one. Jess Kinghorn