Genre : Music/Rhythm
Developer: Gaijin
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1 – 4
Retail Price: 600 Wii Points ($6)
Availability: WiiWare
Commander Video is not a character content to rest upon his laurels. Thusly, the Bit.Trip series forges bravely on and continues with its third entry, subtitled VOID. While the concept remains simple enough to grasp, this one isn’t quite as difficult to master. This is the easiest Bit.Trip entry yet, but is it wise to dumb down the difficulty this far in?
Worry not -- there is no 8-bit version of 'Black Hole Sun' found in the game, no matter how fitting a title it is for this screenshot
VOID breaks away from the deceptive simplicity found in the two preceding games and allows you the freedom of full-screen movement. The analog stick directs a “void” around the screen, which is used to absorb black dots. The higher the rate of absorption, the bigger your void becomes. Press a button to return to normal size and gain points based upon how big you’ve become. Avoiding white dots is equally important. Touching one will shrink your void back to default size while erasing any points you may have amassed at the same time.
Managing your size and continuing to grow while avoiding the whites creates a risk-reward scenario, and is the game’s central hook. Touch enough white dots or miss enough black dots and you’ll enter into the familiar near-death screen. Either gather enough blacks to claw your way from the brink of obvlivion or continue to fail and meet your demise.
The dots come in patterns tied to the music, and it’s up to the player to use a combination of memorization and reflex to get through the levels. Unfortunately, the concept doesn’t lend itself that well to the rhythm side of things and the gameplay feels disconnected because of this. Also, the songs don’t sound nearly as inspired or unique as they did in the previous two games. Hearing a fully featured version of a stage’s song is the reward for good play — it’s a somewhat degraded reward when the song simply isn’t that good.
As always, the game makes more sense in motion
This is probably the most accessible Bit.Trip game since each level now has three checkpoints and a limited continue function. Series veterans, however, will find VOID something of a cakewalk. It’s an odd place for the developers to begin thinking about the accessibility of the series. They’re two games in and have established something of a reputation for the initially overwhelming-yet-eventually manageable pattern layouts, something of an old-school approach to game design. The third entry certainly looks as though it’s been designed the same way, but the truth is it’s hollow underneath.
VOID shouldn’t necessarily be avoided by fans, but they should go in knowing that this is more of a holdover until the next entry arrives. It’s a step back when one weighs it against what has come before it. That being said, it’s also the perfect entrypoint for interested parties who’ve yet to dive in and become acquainted with the Bit.Trip brand — those who start here will find things only get better.
