The Lazy man's guide to having a seizure
Usually when a game comes with only one or two men behind it's development, you can expect a solid idea, but not fully nor fluently executed.Issues like annoying bugs or bad controls tend to happen more often in games from the independent scene.So when purchasing a game like Beat Hazard, your must be aware that that involves a certain risk investment.
Gameplay
The game is a twin-stick shooter (even though you can use a keyboard and mouse combo if you prefer it) in a space setting.What makes this game different form other games in this genre is the use of music.You can either use songs that come with the game, or more importantly, the game can use songs from your HDD as well.Depending on the volume, pitch or bass in the song, the number of enemies,placement of power-ups, your firepower or boss number and size will change.It gives the game big repeatability options, because every song is a stage of its own. The four difficulty settings do make a difference, but it's still the song that dictates what kind of a game you'll be playing, a sporadic or 2-6 minutes of madness.The also features a XP system, which counts your total score.Reaching higher levels gives more power-ups on the start faster multiplier and etc.
Graphics
The overall look of the game is great.The effects, which change by the volume of the music, are eccentric to say the least.This is one game in which you should heed the seizure warning at the beginning.Sadly,this can't be said for the sprites used in the game for your ship and enemies as well as space junk.Usually, during a tense moment during a boss fight,the effects are so wild it's nigh impossible to differentiate your ship from debris or enemies, which results in cheap deaths.
Verdict
All in all, Beat Hazard is game that brings something unique to the table, and executes it mostly well. For the price of less then 15€ on Steam, it's easy to recommend it, but only if your are not prone to seizing.
