Beat Hazard 2

There was once an arcade classing known as asteroids. One ship drifting through a seemingly endless black abyss, thrusting and shooting. There have been several different takes on this classic formula over the last half century. Some of them mere clones and other innovative indie gems that revolutionize the formula. Music and video games have always been cohabitators in the house of entertainment. Some of us have had the sublime experience of feeling as if we were literally gaming to the beat. However, until 2010 no one had mixed our home arcade and our jukebox like Beat Hazard 2. This game at its root is a twin stick arena shooter made to be play to the beat.

Gameplay

This game is played to the beat and the action is based on the music your give to the game. This makes your music collection or music streaming service part of the action. Beat Hazard gives you several ways to tune up the game.

The game will accept inputs from multiple sources. Your local pc music folder can be used as a source. For those without an ample music library you can stream from your favorite internet radio service. Lastly, the game now has an open mic feature. The open mic feature will allow you to use any music that is currently running on your PC. Once this feature is enabling the game will tune in to your PC’s audio. This means that you can now use audio from virtually any source your desire.

Once Beat Hazard has a musical score to work with. It will begin generating the level based on the input. The enemies generated vary from small asteroids, to giant meteors, to huge intergalactic spaceships with huge weapon arrays.
Once you have got the beat going get ready for fast paced arcade action. The player can blast away at the object on the screen while dodging incoming projectiles. As blast your enemies you will earn perks that allow you to upgrade equipment and abilities on your ship. The perks can be used to unlock powerups and hotkey abilities that can drastically increase your chances of survival.

Presentation

The second iteration of the game has gotten a visual makeover. It is a prettier companion than the previous title. The game leans heavily on neo bright intense visuals. Sometimes it appears the developers have made too many concessions to aesthetics the lovely visuals sometimes obscure the action.

The Conclusion

Beat Hazard combines your music library or streaming audio service with an arcade classic. This game will provide players with hours and hours of entertainment that is as diverse as their musical library will allow. The chaotic fast paced battles are where the game shine though the graphic presentation can be a bit gawdy over saturating the screen with colors from metallic neon palette.

Pros

• Roguelike Elements
• Classic Gaming Style
• Get Music from Anywhere

Cons

• May Not Be for Everyone
• Graphics Occasionally Oversaturate the Screen