The “games as a service” term has certainly grown to garner a negative connotation within the gaming industry, at least on the side of consumers. Many gamers prefer the self-contained product most games used to offer, but as of the last handful of years, more and more games continue to try and find ways to actively continue development of a game after it’s already been released. In doing so the game must offer ways to get the gamer addicted to continue to come back, one factor of course, is the game fun to play? The other is, what sorts of things continue to be released into the game that cost money? And is it worth it to continue to invest into it? Not many have succeeded in this regard, but you know exactly of the ones that have, there’s the usual titles like Call of Duty and Fortnite, but then there’s the smaller ones that continue to do great, like “Rocket League,” “Among Us,” and even “Fall Guys.” Publisher Team17 is now throwing their hat in the ring to hopefully have a cash-cow winner with their new release “Headbangers: Rhythm Royale.” Developed by Glee-Cheese Studio, a very talented studio that came out with “A Musical Story” last year which I very much loved (check out my review HERE), is putting their rhythm game expertise spin on this online party game, and believe it or not, they may just have something here.
The overall package is served to us with a very silly, but charming cartoony aesthetic starring a series of pigeons. For those who haven’t played “Hatoful Boyfriend” this will probably be their first experience playing a game starring pigeons, and the developers were wise to give them very comedic personalities with goofy faces. No longer do they have pointed beaks, but instead very round lips. Odd? Yes, but it’s a choice that for some reason works. To me, they give off “Minions” vibes, but are cuter and less annoying. It wouldn’t be a game of service without being able to fully customize and unlock clothing for your pigeon. But what exactly do you do in this game? This online party game currently offers twenty-three different minigames in its current “Season One” as they’re labeling it. Many of the minigames offer a form of rhythm related challenges, but all are quite silly and funny in design. Not all of them are as easy as they look. Some of these games are easily inspired by other types of mini games you may have seen before. Some emphasize skill, others put your speed and reflexes to the test. Almost every game craves a true sense of tempo. There’s invariably a cunning game ready to throw you off, complete with its own batch of challenging obstacles. To intensify the pandemonium, bonus rounds hide within the mini-games, demanding you twirl your flamboyant head, grab elusive items, and confront opponents using sly offensive tactics to block your view.
Regardless of the outcome, your character evolves, revealing new aesthetics, sounds, and a host of other enhancements. The truly eye-catching ensembles are a prize reserved for those who embrace repetition, conquering a string of mini-challenges to earn them. Playing such an online focused game before its launch was not the best experience; it was hard to have enough players jump on and compete against them. So, I had to deal with several instances of getting booted out of a waiting room for waiting too long. I also don’t believe I got a chance to play every single mini game there was to offer. Before I end this, it was to my great surprise, “Headbangers: Rhythm Royale” shuns microtransactions entirely, opting for an in-game currency approach that tells me that Team17 is committed to playing the long game into approaching this the right way and garner a large audience by its quality. I do love rhythm games, and this one has potential for a lot of fun moments. Will this game always not have microtransactions? I seriously doubt it, eventually I do see this title becoming free-to-play and then that’s when the microtransactions come. Before that happens though, I’m excited to continue playing once the game is fully released to really get a feel of the wackiness “Headbangers: Rhythm Royale” has to offer.
7/10
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Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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