Just Shapes & Beats

Genre: Bullet Hell Shmup / Music-Rhythm

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Just Shapes & Beats is an unassuming little package. It would be easy to see the unimaginative name of this game and the artwork and come to the conclusion that this is yet even more smartphone shovelware tossed onto the Switch to make a quick buck. However, dismissing it like this would be a huge mistake.

Just Shapes & Beats has you controlling a square as it moves around the screen trying to avoid colliding with any objects, much like a Bullet Hell Shmup. However, there’s no shooting in this game, and the only thing you can do other than moving to defend yourself is a dash move, which you’re temporarily invincible as you do. Beyond that, you must weather the assault of a screen full of hazards.

However, these hazards aren’t random – they are specifically choreographed to be in sync with the game’s soundtrack. As such, skillfully moving through them becomes a matter of paying attention to the patterns as they come up, and also listening to the beat.

For a game this music-focused, it helps that the soundtrack is phenomenal, featuring a variety of chiptune and EDM beats from a variety of artists, this game is amazing to listen to, and a real treat to watch in motion, as the simplistic shapes and colors move in a way akin to a lightshow… just be wary if you’re the sort that suffers from seizures.

The one problem with this game is that while the action is choreographed to the music, that doesn’t always make it predictable, and throughout the game, you will die to stuff that you will have had no way of predicting. A lot. This game is tough, and beating these levels doesn’t just require anticipation and observation, it requires memorization, and I really wish that weren’t the case, because I feel like the game would have been much more fun if players didn’t have to die dozens of times to memorize levels.

Still, even with this frustration, Just Shapes & Beats is a blast to see, hear, and play, and as long as you’re the sort who likes a challenge, this game is not to be missed.

tl;dr – Just Shapes & Beats is a Bullet Hell Shmup where you can’t shoot, you can only dodge as the screen throws all manner of obstacles at you to the beat of some amazing music. It’s a difficult, punishing game, but if you fancy a challenge, this game is well worth a look.

Grade: B+

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