BeatBlasters III Demo

Music is a subject that can start vicious confrontations between groups of people, even if it is supposedly created to make you relax and enjoy yourself. The only thing that appears to be true in most cases is the fact that everyone likes music, although genres and artists vary from person to person. As such, video games featuring music-based mechanics might not be enjoyed by everyone in equal measure, but it’s worth a try.

BeatBlasters III is a colorful platformer in which your main purpose is to use electronic music as a weapon, in order to defend yourself against enemies and even create shields to protect other characters as well. The beats and the rhythm decide the pace as well, because you must feel the tracks in order to recharge your powers and score combos to increase your score.

As such, the story revolves around Joey and Gina, two teenagers with headphones on that get lost in a fascinating world filled with all kinds of ludicrous sights, after a mad butcher takes vengeance on them for listening to music. You get to choose either of the two cool kids to play as, and although their moves are somewhat similar, the actual mechanics do not change at all and it doesn’t really make any difference on the gameplay.

Although the game tries to trick you into believing that every stage is different, the underlying mechanics barely change at all. As such, some levels ask you to defend a certain object from the enemy, while others feel a lot like escort missions. However, you always have to defend something and destroy wave after wave of repetitive enemies, so originality is not exactly a strong point.

Combos are achieved by tapping the power keys in tune with the beat, and this also recharges your special abilities. The gimmick is nice at first, but then you realize that you cannot attack while this is happening, and the characters use energy at an ungodly pace. Thus, you are constantly charging your powers and it takes more time to do this than to actually use them. Thankfully, at least the music is good and you can enjoy the tunes while frustration levels build up.

All things considered, BeatBlasters III truly had the potential to be something much greater, if only the gameplay was not such a bore. Hence, while the game can be fun if played in short rounds, the overall product is not really worth the bother.