Technic Beat Preview

The game looks like it would be a simple thing to achieve, but Technic Beat is anything but simple. Even when you pop up the tutorial, it begins by telling you how easy it is. Then the tutorial starts moving through the game’s paces and you find out that this is about timing, moving markers to create chains, bending pitch sounds and a host of other techniques that make for a somewhat complex arcade-like outing.

Technic Beat is the PlayStation 2 release from Mastiff and Arika. The official explanation of the game makes it seem easy enough:

“In Technic Beat, players listen to music represented in the game by radiating concentric rings of sound. Picking up the beat, they dance into the middle of the rings and try to “catch” the music. If successful, they achieve the power to manipulate the sound rings and create entirely new music. As players progress and gain skill they are rewarded with spectacular visual displays, bonuses, and power ups.”

Then you start to play. Catching the music means timing an expanding inner circle and trigger the controller at the moment that expanding inner ring merges with the outer ring. You can receive one of four grades for that – from perfect down to bad.

But this is not merely about running over to and standing in the middle of one circle to time the rings meeting. This has to do with multiple markers appearing, moving markers to create chains, intersecting other rings, choosing a smart path in the time limit to get as many great and perfect scores as possible. Should you not do it, you don’t move on.

The game has several modes of play: Arcade, Free, Level Certification, Puzzle, and Sudden Death as well as a Replay Mode, Records and Tutorials.

There are several different environments, and three avatars to start with. The game sports a three-dimensional look, and it almost looks as though you are playing on top of a pinball machine top. Some of the effects are terrific and three-dimensional, but some are two-dimensional pieces of color fluff that dance off the edge of the playing surface. The game is quite colorful.

The controls are not hard to understand, but challenging to use. The sound of the game is a mixture of a techno beat (surprise), synthesizers and midi sounds. And then there is the audience and narrator, both of which this game would be better off without. If you fail, the audience laughs.

The game received was a preview build of a title that is involved and obviously geared for older players who like reflexive games. Despite a look that would appeal to the demographic, Technic Beat is not a game for younger players simply because of the involved nature of the game, which may actually be simpler than the explanation. But few younger players would care about chords and pitch-altering abilities and the arcade-style gaming is not enough to hold attention for very long.

Technic Beat is a game that tests the reflexes and ties it all to a musical theme. The avatars are not all that appealing, but the game has a rich three-dimensional look. Do not pick this up if you are looking for a simple music-creation game. If you want challenge and the ability to mess with some musical scales, then this may be a title you will want to check out.