Game Review: Sonar Beat

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC

Sonar Beat is a rhythm game that previously saw release on PC and the PlayStation 4. It's now available on the Nintendo Switch, a console that is no stranger to great rhythm titles. Sonar Beat is a bit different though as it's a smaller indie title that features gameplay that takes place entirely within a radar interface. Unique doesn't always mean good though, so let's take a deeper look at this game and see if it's for you.

I'm not sure what to talk about when it comes to story because I at first didn't think that Sonar Beat even had one. Weirdly enough, the Nintendo Switch eShop description mentions that you're on a "super-secret nuclear submarine" that is under attack, with the note patterns being enemies that you're fending off. I'm not sure if attacks of this kind would be done to the beat of music, but it's a story that isn't present in-game so you can probably overlook it.

Every single gameplay run starts with this...

Get used to this screen, you'll see it a lot.

Unlike most rhythm games that throw notes at you, or scroll up and down, Sonar Beat moves in a circular pattern with notes appearing as blips on the radar-like screen. It is a rhythm game, and that means that each level is centered on a particular song. You hit the notes with either the B button or the touch screen, score points relative to accuracy, and build up a multiplier depending on how long of a streak you've maintained. This is all standard rhythm game stuff so far. What makes Sonar Beat a bit different from most other games in the genre revolves around what happens when you miss a note. You have a total of three times to hit any particular not in-game. If you miss a note the first time it moves closer towards your "location" in the sonic center. You now have two more chances to hit the note as it moves to a closer ring on the interface and changes color. These new inner notes actually are no longer in time with the music itself but must be hit as fast as possible as they will eventually cost you a life. If you take too many hits, it's game over no matter how well you were doing in the level otherwise.

Looking kinda pretty here.

I definitely wanted to "Bale Out" more than once.

Notes come in two main types, single and held. A single note is just that, one note that you press in rhythm, sometimes quickly if there are several lined up together. Held notes are... well, held at various lengths and must be both pressed in time with the music as well as released in time too. As previously mentioned, missing notes move them closer to you with held notes being of a particular nasty variety. Held notes are hard enough to hit when they're in the main line of gameplay, and are all but impossible to hit when they're on a closer ring and have to but hit in conjunction with other notes. This gameplay style means that you're basically punished for every mistake you make. This sounds like a normal thing, but you'll find that things quickly get out of hand on some of the harder levels. You'll be fighting to clear the second and third rung notes while completely ignoring whatever is going on in the main line. Unless you play the song perfect the first time around, you're basically fighting a losing battle of button mashing trying to set things right. This means that if you miss even one note in a level you might consider restarting the entire thing to avoid that kind of nonsense. Not exactly a fun thing to do in rhythm games.

"Gush" is one of the combo names.

"Maelstrom" is better though.

Graphically Sonar Beat isn't a whole lot to look at as the radar-based gameplay make it rather simple by nature. Things do liven up as levels play out though. Fish-like graphics show up, colors swirl, waves appear, and other graphical flourishes keep things visually interesting. It's not a boring game to look at by any means and it runs smoothly for the most part. There is a problem concerning its performance on the Nintendo Switch though: long load times. Everything takes weirdly long to load in Sonar Beat, which is odd considering how simple everything is. If you get a game over and have to restart, a very common occurrence by the way, you'll be sitting there for quite a while before you get a second chance. I'm not sure if this is due to poor optimization or what, but it is something you're going to experience a lot.

Being a rhythm game, music is going to be important, thankfully Sonar Beat delivers on this front. The levels feature some cool electronic pop tunes that I wouldn't mind listening to outside of gameplay. The problem here is that you'll be hearing them a LOT if you're having trouble with the song's respective level. There were many tracks that I initially really liked that I grew to hate after being forced to keep listening to it over and over again after each game over. Add to this the fact that any track's cool sounding sections usually mean a bump in difficulty and I quickly wished I'd never have to hear any of these songs ever again. Some people might find a sense of accomplishment after beating a difficult level, but I found myself despising the game more and more as I went on. I didn't hate my time with it, but Sonar Beat did a great job breaking down all the goodwill I had to it when I first booted it up.

How am I even supposed to clear all those?

Guess I just won't...

One of the things that make the Switch version different than previous releases of the game is the addition of touch screen support. Too bad it's not the best way to play the game in my opinion and I quickly switched away from it after realizing this. Button-controlled gameplay uses the B button for main notes, and the Y button for secondary notes. I didn't really mention this earlier, but if the notes you missed happen to align with new notes in a level you have to press two buttons to clear them. This leads to some awkward game play if things are getting intense, and is arguably the reason why things devolve to button mashing as it feels very inaccurate at times. Also, using the B button for main gameplay is kind of weird because every other in-game action is done using the A button. This made it so that I'd often press the wrong button each and every time I restarted the game as A would select everything then suddenly B would play the game. Since Sonar Beat is a simple game in just about every other aspect it's a wonder why the controls weren't also simplified.

Sonar Beat is a very short game, and it gets most of its gameplay time through repetition due to its high difficulty. If the game were structured more like a standard rhythm game you'd be done with this completely in under an hour. As it is you'll either give up in that same amount of time, or do what I did and keep trying until you're able to power through it in a few hours. There is a New Game+ mode, but trust me in that you won't want to go through this game again. There's not a lot of game here, and what is here lacks depth and substance. The thing is Sonar Beat currently retails for $2.49 on the eShop and at a price that low I think you'll be getting some entertainment out of it if you're a fan of rhythm games.

Eventually you will probably win.

What are these song titles though?

Sonar Beat gets the lightest of recommendations from me. It's a small game with a small price. It's very difficult, requires near perfect gameplay runs, and isn't exactly the most rewarding experience. It's not a game that is for casual players as its high level of difficulty will drive away most, but it is quite unique all things considered. The low price tag changes a lot of my views as I don't feel it's a total waste at its current MSRP. With that said, you might want to consider picking up just about anything else as the Switch has quite the assortment of rhythm titles. If you do pick up Sonar Beat though, maybe start a drinking game each time you get a game over. That sounds like the great way to get a party on its feet within an hour.

For More Information on Sonar Beat:
https://hiddentrap.com/games/sonar-beat-is-nos-available-on-ps4/

---

Story: C (Doesn't count, but I GUESS there is one?)
Gameplay: C
Graphics: B+
Music/Sound: B-
Value: B-

Overall: C+

Pros:
+ A unique take on the rhythm game genre.
+ Great music that can easily get stuck in your head.
+ Colorful graphics and animations keep the game from getting boring.
+ A low-price tag make this an easy casual purchase for those looking to try out something new.
+ There is an unlockable New Game+ mode if you're up for that kind of thing.

Cons:
- There's an extreme learning curve to the gameplay that some might not get beyond.
- Control issues occasionally rear their ugly head and this can be troublesome do to the extreme precision required for this game.
- Uneven difficulty means that the game rapidly devolves into button mashing if you make a few mistakes.
- You'll find yourself replaying the same levels, even the early ones, over and over again until you clear them.
- Outside of replaying the same levels over and over, the game is very short.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

---

#Sonar_Beat