Review: BEATABLE
BEATABLE is the newest addition to the vast array of rhythm games available in virtual reality. Given the saturation of this genre, it’s essential to bring something fresh to the table in order to stand out and succeed. While BEATABLE certainly attempts to innovate, the question remains: does it do enough to outshine its rivals?
Release Date: April 10th 2025
Developer: XR Games
Publisher: XR Games
Price: £7.99
Reviewed On: Meta Quest 3
* Access Provided For Review *
Tap, Clap And Snap
BEATABLE kicks off with a fresh approach in the rhythm game genre, particularly in virtual and mixed reality, by integrating your real-world surroundings into the gameplay. Rather than relying on virtual objects to strike the notes, players will engage by tapping on their desks or performing physical movements to navigate through the music.
This method ensures that the gameplay remains simple and accessible, making it easy for anyone to jump in and enjoy the game. It’s an excellent way to introduce virtual or mixed reality to friends and family who haven’t experienced it yet. The game avoids unnecessary complexity by limiting the types of notes to just tapping and occasionally holding your hand down on a selected physical surface. In addition to the notes that appear on your surface, you’ll also be clapping or snapping your fingers, enhancing the pick-up-and-play experience.
To calibrate your selected physical surface, whether it’s a table, desk, or countertop, you’ll need to place both hands flat on it. This action will establish the four areas where notes can land. Once that’s done, you’re all set to choose your track and dive into the tapping, clapping, and snapping. The game features thirteen unique tracks across various genres that you probably haven’t heard before, including some from the studios Zombieland VR game soundtrack. Each track offers multiple difficulty levels, ranging from easy to expert, encouraging players to come back and improve their scores or tackle the highest difficulty.
I noticed that among the limited selection of tracks, only a few really drew me back for repeated play, which can be a drawback when original songs are used. I believe the team should prioritize adding some licensed and popular tracks through DLC in the near future. Given the competitive nature of the genre, it’s essential to keep players engaged to prevent them from drifting back to other games. Additionally, introducing mod support could be a great way to expand the song library quickly, similar to what Trombone Champ did shortly after its release.
The way the notes function means that the game relies entirely on hand-tracking, so you can avoid hitting your controllers against surfaces or each other while clapping. While using a physical surface enhances the tactile experience, it does have its drawbacks. Although the hand-tracking is well-executed and the team has provided options for sound calibration to improve accuracy, challenges arise at higher difficulty levels. The rapid pace of the notes and actions can sometimes outstrip the hand-tracking capabilities, resulting in missed notes that may not be your fault. This can be particularly frustrating when playing on tougher settings, as it could determine whether you succeed or fail the song.
Clean And Clear
The straightforward nature of the gameplay has enabled the team to maintain a similar approach with the game’s visuals, making the virtual reality experience immersive and effectively utilising your home environment in mixed reality. Regardless of the mode you choose, the interface remains user-friendly, clearly indicating upcoming notes, which is crucial for a rhythm game. Equally important are the visual audio cues that appear when you hit a note; these are designed to be noticeable without being distracting, featuring sparks that enhance the experience. Additionally, your performance is visually represented by the colour of the notes: gold indicates your failure bar is full, grey shows you’re below full, and red signals you’re nearing failure. While the visual cues are impressive, I found the audio feedback lacking. The music is only loud and clear when you failure bar is full volume, which means that even if you’re not close to failing, the audio clarity diminishes. I believe the volume should only decrease when you’re on the verge of failing, and there should be an option to disable this feature entirely, allowing players to enjoy the music at its best quality at all times and use the well designed visual cues.
The game offers an immersive experience in both virtual and mixed reality, with each mode being visually captivating and thoughtfully crafted for optimal gameplay. A cluttered background can detract from the experience, which is why many virtual reality rhythm games adopt a minimalist design. BEATABLE, for instance, embraces a straightforward synthwave aesthetic that keeps the focus on the note tracks. However, the game truly excels in mixed reality, where it projects the tracks onto your selected surface, allowing you to play in the comfort of your own space—my favorite way to enjoy the game.
One of my favorite activities in the game menu is toggling between virtual and mixed reality. The team has executed this feature in an incredibly impressive manner. With just a snap of your fingers on both hands, you can seamlessly transition between the two modes. It’s often the small details that truly stand out, and this is definitely one of those instances.
Comfort
The Verdict
BEATABLE makes a strong entrance into the crowded rhythm game market by incorporating a fresh twist: it allows players to use their own physical surfaces as part of the gameplay. By tapping on chosen surfaces, clapping hands, and snapping fingers to hit the notes, the game offers a highly tactile experience that takes advantage of the headset’s hand-tracking features. However, this innovative approach does come with some challenges. The hand-tracking can struggle to keep up during fast movements at higher difficulty levels, leading to missed notes that can be detrimental in these settings. If XR Games can resolve these hand-tracking issues and add popular licensed tracks through DLC soon, BEATABLE could become a must-have for VR gamers. Currently, it provides a fun, albeit brief, gaming experience, but without licensed music, it risks being overshadowed by more established titles in the genre. This would be unfortunate, as the game clearly has significant potential.