Beat Hazard Updated - Perkier

So, the nice guys at Cold Beam Games have just released a major update for their rhythm-based shooter, Beat Hazard. It's not your typical bugfix or minor changes update either as they're gearing up to release the new DLC, called Beat Hazard Ultra. The changes are quite drastic.



For those of you who have no idea what this is about or are wondering how does this compare to Audiosurf, fret not as it's more arcade shooter than music game. It's basically a dual stick shooter (Like Geometry Wars) but all the enemies are procedurally generated based on the music that is playing. In addition to that, your bullets gain strength depending on the intensity of the song. So, fast tempo tracks will give you lots of bullets while slow ballads will leave you dodging enemies as you desperately try to make every shot count.

In terms of gameplay, the biggest change would be the way the enemies behave now. Previously, enemies would fly around regardless of the tempo of the music. This meant that when there were slow sombre periods in a song, you're gonna be covered with dozens of enemies and not enough bullets to even go “Pew Pew Pew”. This also rules out a lot of epic rock ballad tracks like Meatloaf's I'd Do Anything (But I won't do that) where the middle sections will require you to dodge enemies for about a whole minute.

I'm not a bad shot, honest... I was trying to take the screenshot!

Now, enemy movements are also based on the tempo. Thus, when your bullets run dry, the enemies crawl around glacially as well. All in all, a good twist.

The biggest change would be the introduction of the Perk system. In the original, as you played the game, you would level up depending on how many points you earn. Each level awards you with a bonus that would make the game easier for you. Stuff like improved multipliers, more power ups, etc, that's all gone. Instead, its opted for a Modern Warfare style perk unlock system, where you unlock perks as you level up. The catch is that you can only bring in a limited number of perks at any given time. Another new power up introduced is money which is used to upgrade your perks.

The perk system is annoying at first for someone who hit maximum level prior to this update as you now have to start from scratch, but this new system does have its advantages. You can now customise your build to suit certain songs so you can really maximize your abilities. Song too hard? Swap out the high score multiplier and take more bombs. Song has a lot of slow tempo sections? Increase your dare devil (Increases your multiplier if you don't shoot for a short while) multiplier. It's a nice feature that gives the game a bit more strategic depth.

They just wanna give me hugs, I just want to give them sparkles

Other new features include some new free indie tracks for the game (For the closet clubbers in you) and weird stuff like Twitter support (A first?). They've updated the graphics a little by making all non-bullet entities have a nice black outline around them, making them more distinguishable. Pretty hefty update for an indie dev.

Annoying bits though are with the inevitable release of Beat Hazard Ultra, which will introduce multiplayer with a slew of extra gubbins to this game, it has the potential to disrupt the original's balance. Just looking at the Perks list for that DLC, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as they're all pretty balance breaking. Some allow you to equip more perks, one gives you more lives, etc. I understand they want to sell Ultra, but this sounds a little too obviously like a “Pay 2 Win” type of DLC, which if companies like EA or Activision tried to hawk to us, would surely be met by unanimous gamer rage. Small gripe really and it remains to be seen how this will handled after Ultra is released.

Can't afford to go out clubbing? Beat Hazard provides the same visual effects, music and beer goggles!

If you're into dual stick shooters, you'll find that this game is rather shallow as there's only 4 enemy types and 2 bosses. Like Audiosurf, it's more the thrill of playing a game to your favourite tracks, so if you're a philistine that has no interest in music, stay away from this. Otherwise, I'd actually suggest you wait for Ultra to be released (Later this month) with hopefully a discount. If you own this game already, no harm in trying it... Plus, they've erased all the leaderboards and scores, so you have to fight your way back up there again.