

The overworld, which is similar to Super Mario Bros. Music goes beyond individual levels in Just Shapes and Beats. You have been destroyed #justshapesandbeats #NintendoSwitch /pPWETDTRfi This leads to a ton of replay value, and also some controller breaking moments of frustration. Players have to learn the way levels react to songs, much like gamers have to memorize turns in a racing game. This attention to detail shines when a song's buildup coincides with something cool on screen or when the level transitions flawlessly with the music. Each level is designed from the ground up with a focus on a specific song. Just Shapes and Beats doesn't just have great music. This is a nice departure from other games that make players feel bad every time they die. The first two times players die, the screen displays an "It's Over" message, which changes to "It's Not Over" as players mash the A button. The way that Just Shapes and Beats handles failure is very encouraging. #justshapesandbeats #NintendoSwitch /G8DQEd9vHy Players get three chances to clear a level before they have to restart from the beginning. There are checkpoints, and a progress bar at the top of the screen to inform the player of their progress and just how close they came to clearing the level before dying. Various shapes will appear to the beats as players navigate their onscreen rectangular character through the onslaught of levels. Much like a rhythm game, practice will make perfect and Just Shapes and Beats rewards players who learn the levels. There is an attention to detail in the level design that is super immersive and incredibly difficult. Getting the Most out of Minimal Designīerzerk Studio has done a masterful job of creating a two-dimensional world out of music. Players must dash, dodge, dip, duck, dive and dance their way through what is best described as a modern playable interactive Winamp visualization plugin. One very important wrinkle is that the game removes the shooting from the shmup. The name sounds minimal, but the game is one of the most intense shmups to be released in recent history. The folks at Berzerk Studio have done just that with Just Shapes and Beats.

There have been many shoot-em-ups that have come and gone over the long arch of video game history, which makes it truly difficult to disrupt the genre.
