Bit.Trip: Beat is 2600 kinds of awesome

by JC Fletcher { Jan 14th 2009 at 11:53AM }

We knew on an academic level that Gaijin Games' Bit.Trip: Beat was a retro-style game that combined Pong and rhythm, which sounds pretty great. But it wasn't until the minimalist site for the Aksys-published WiiWare title opened and we saw this trailer that we fully understood the glory of Bit.Trip. Gaijin Games and Aksys have fully been forgiven for the silly viral marketing business.

It's the first game that comes to mind to attempt Atari 2600 nostalgia in a non-jokey way! And, in an incredibly risky and cool move, it actually uses authentic bleeps as the melodic elements at play in the game, albeit backed by full instrumentation. We are suddenly looking forward to this WiiWare release more than almost anything else.

Tags: aksys, bit-trip-beat, gaijin-games, retro, rhythm

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

TheCoats @ Jan 14th 2009 12:13PM

Holy WOW - that looks pretty sweet!

igorponweed @ Jan 14th 2009 12:26PM

Looks a bit easy. Hopefuly that is level one.

igorponweed @ Jan 14th 2009 12:31PM

Don't get me wrong, it looks awesome! But it semms very easy.

DasFoote @ Jan 14th 2009 12:29PM

When the video first started, I was thinking that you guys had lost your minds. Once it gets to the half-way-point, my jaw feel open!

Mr Khan @ Jan 14th 2009 12:42PM

Nice. A hybrid-rhythm game i could really sink my teeth into

Scotty @ Jan 14th 2009 12:44PM

That looks way cooler than what I had in my head.

LordD @ Jan 14th 2009 1:06PM

Very awsome, and nice music. Weird, I had a dream (while sleeping, not the MLK kind of dream) of a guitar hero/Shaun White Snowboarding mashup, before I heard of this game. And it played sort of like this, but in thirdperson, fancy 3d graphics and downhill, with guitar hero like pickups that made the music. I should totaly sue.

Btw, I like the pong stuff way more then the dream.

Ferco @ Jan 14th 2009 1:27PM

Sounds like Audiosurf

TheCoats @ Jan 14th 2009 2:49PM

one time like a couple years back (3ish to be exact). I got sick and this was the first time i had ever been sick while living on my own - so i went to the store to get some medicine and i got a 2 pack containing dayquil and nyquil....

anyway i drank some dayquil around 6 - then around 9 i drank some nyquil - i fell asleep and woke up around 10:30 and i swear to you i was witnessing geometrical shapes in neon colors and angels and calculations kept popping up and moving closer and further away

then i played geometry wars on ds sometime later and i swear they stole it from my lucid hallucination.

needless to say i have never taken dayquil or nyquill before this time and have not taken it since.....

Roto13 @ Jan 14th 2009 1:03PM

I'd play it.

Feba @ Jan 14th 2009 1:04PM

so it's basically Space Invaders Extreme for Pong.

Go1denchi1d @ Jan 14th 2009 1:29PM

I wasn't interested until it got to the sigmoidal dots. That's awesome! That game should have downloadable beats of retro Nintendo songs and a level editor. OMG that would be insane!!!!

LordD @ Jan 15th 2009 8:31AM

Ooo, I learnt a new word! =P

Josh @ Jan 14th 2009 2:08PM

Ah, I love all these new indie games popping up. I really want to get involved.

psyborg @ Jan 14th 2009 2:15PM

OMG ONLY 4BITSZ!!!1

Why not 16?

;)

Looks awesome, right up my alley.

wutdaheckman @ Jan 14th 2009 3:08PM

seems more like having to memorize when the dots will move to hit rather than much skill....

you can't advance until you lose first because you didn't know the dot was going to slow down and stop altogether.

DaisukeKiriyama @ Jan 14th 2009 3:51PM

I like how this is turning out.

I can't wait to spend the points on it.

Eon Shadow @ Jan 14th 2009 9:07PM

Just so you know, that viral ad campaign has more to it. Much more will be revealed with time and with more games they release.

Also, look for a crazy image in level 3, it'll have the letters RM in it. Just an easter egg tidbit.