If I am known for nothing else in my time here, let it be that I love indie games and I will play the hell out of a roguelike. So, in my search for more indie games to play and share with you, I came across KILLBEAT.
It’s an isometric roguelike, similar to Hades. But the added bit here is that you can attack to the beat of the in-game music to increase damage. And in the short time I spent with the demo, I have decided that I need more of it.
Killbeat lulls you into a Tetris effect-like zone
When you start the demo, you’re given no narrative context for what’s happening. You fall from the sky, land with a gun, and everything is bouncing to the beat of the music. What I love most about these opening moments is that KILLBEAT does a great job of letting you get accustomed to the beat. The first area has no enemies and can be used to get a feel for the music.
Once you feel like you’ve nailed down the rhythm, you’re free to progress to the next area and get your first taste of combat. Your first weapon is a pistol that deals exactly 1 point of damage if you hit off-beat. I even tried rapid firing to see if I could get the enhanced damage when the beat hit. Nope.
That shot has to be fired off with the beat to get the full effect. From what I can tell, there is a very slight bump if you’re just off, so KILLBEAT isn’t punitive about not catching the beat. But when you get into the zone, there is close to a Tetris Effect level of calm that takes over. It feels great.
I was lulled into a false sense of security by the early enemies. But I was quickly brought out of it. It didn’t take long to get my first new gun, a pump-action shotgun. One shot, reload, and fire again.
If you reload on beat, you get an instant reload. Although I immediately regretted choosing the shotgun over the rifle, I eventually got the attack rhythm down. I will say that once I got the timing right, the boss battle that followed felt pretty easy.
But I think that there’s more to it than just this, and I look forward to seeing it when I get the full version. KILLBEAT is out now for PC on Steam.
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