As its name implies, Kickbeat is a fusion of rhythm game mixed in with hard hitting martial arts moves. Back when it released on the PS3 and Vita, our writer Joe Donato gave it a slightly disappointing score, citing that the music choices didn't mesh well. I don't think I could disagree more. For the first time in a long while, I have found that Kickbeat Special Edition has probably some of the most varied songs in a rhythm game, not to mention songs that fit perfectly with throwing kicks and punches. When 'It's Showtime' from Southpaw Swagger came on as the first track and I watched as my character started to dispose of incoming enemies to the beat, I was already hooked.
As a connoisseur of rhythm games, I truly liked the idea behind Kickbeat. It actually borrows the fighting scene mentality from a whole bunch of action movies. The main hero, surrounded by goons for hire, as they try to take him on one by one is actually an action movie trope that perhaps isn't as prevalent now as it once was in 80s and 90s action movies, but it fit perfectly with Kickbeat.
Knowing the songs certainly helped, and I have to admit many of the songs I heard here I haven't heard before, so it was certainly a challenge. The basics are simple, as Lee or Mei, you gradually dispose of goons that surround you in a circle, through rhythmic button presses of the PS face buttons. On the easiest difficulty level, you'll get prompts as well as enemy highlights signifying who is attacking you next and which button to press. As you gradually move through the difficulty levels, these prompts gradually disappear, until you're left with no prompts at all, trying to fend off enemies completely on your own. Even as a rhythm game veteran, I couldn't accomplish this.
But it's certainly partially due to Kickbeat's slightly messy UI. Where Rhythm games succeed is the way they deliver the information visually to the player. Everything should be clear and concise. Seeing what's happening on screen clearly, as well as the button prompts is a natural way for you to get used to the mechanics and get better. However, Kickbeat delivers this information in a slightly messy manner. Enemies are always clumped together, so it's not always easy seeing which one's coming next, aside from them being highlighted on the easiest difficulty level.
However, easily the most disappointing factor, was that I couldn't pick between difficulty levels on the fly. You select a difficulty level in the beginning of the game, and you're pretty much stuck with it. If you then after five songs decide that you want to move up a difficulty level, you can't just continue the game where you left off, you have to start all over again on the higher difficulty level. That's a rhythm game no-no.
The actual gameplay, despite its insane difficulty spike once you play on anything but easy, is actually really fun. There are multiple campaign areas, each one ending with a boss that require you to attack them when you're special move is ready, while fending off the horde of enemies at the same time. The sweet martial arts moves combined with the stellar soundtrack that ranges from hip-hop, alternative, to techno all blends together for a unique rhythm game experience.
The PS4 version doesn't bring a whole lot of new to the table, besides a few extra songs, 1080p resolution and 60fps, however, if you enjoy Rhythm games and never picked up the last-gen version, you might find a lot to like here.
