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Beat Hazard 3

85%Game Brain Score
music, gameplay
story, grinding
85% User Score Based on 786 reviews

Platforms

PCPCSteam DeckSteam DeckWindowsWindows
Buy Nowfrom $11.23
Buy NowGet on Steam€15.99Buy NowGet on itch.io Store

About

"Beat Hazard 3" is a shooter game with various modes including local multi-player for up to 2 players, both co-op and PvP, with split screen. Its gameplay is based on your music library, with each song creating a unique ebb and flow of enemies and power-ups. The game boasts wonderful mechanics, outstanding visuals, and a stellar soundtrack, now presented in a 3D procedural ship generation system, allowing you to explore your music collection in a new galaxy format.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes

85%
Audience ScoreBased on 786 reviews
music138 positive mentions
grinding12 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning 3D graphics and improved visuals compared to its predecessors, enhancing the overall experience.
  • The new Galaxy mode allows players to create and explore galaxies based on their music libraries, providing a unique and engaging way to discover new music.
  • The core gameplay remains addictive and fun, with the addition of new mechanics like the Dark Beam, which adds depth to combat by allowing players to destroy enemy shields.
  • The user interface is cluttered and confusing, making navigation through menus and the galaxy system tedious and frustrating.
  • The game suffers from performance issues, including FPS drops when many elements are on screen, which can detract from the gameplay experience.
  • Some players have reported bugs with the Open Mic feature and music recognition, making it difficult to use streaming services like Spotify effectively.
  • music
    786 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music aspect of "Beat Hazard 3" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the ability to use their own music libraries and streaming services like Spotify and YouTube Music to create unique gameplay experiences. However, some users have criticized the implementation of music synchronization, noting that the game often fails to effectively match gameplay elements with musical transitions, leading to a disjointed experience. Overall, while the game offers a fun way to engage with music through a twin-stick shooter format, it also faces challenges in its music detection and integration features.

    • “The ability to just listen to music and it affect your game is pretty awesome!”
    • “This game is simple and fun, huge addition to allow users to play any music that they are streaming really modernizes the game!”
    • “Beat hazard has always been an extremely entertaining music visualizer and beat hazard 3 just adds more to what was already a great game.”
    • “Very shoddy implementation of music services here.”
    • “The music sync is laughable--imagine if instead of just ambiently and slowly plopping asteroids and other garbage fodder, the music algorithm actually recognized pivotal transitions, and could spawn waves suddenly, as though in time with the music?”
    • “The visual effects I feel are a let down as I would have expected more than just flashing whatever color is on the screen and the enemy waves sometimes spawn completely out of sync with the dynamics currently in the music.”
  • gameplay
    210 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in Beat Hazard 3 retains the core twin-stick shooter mechanics familiar to fans, enhanced by new features like the dark beam and galaxy mode, which introduce additional challenges and exploration elements. While many players appreciate the improved visuals and the integration of music into gameplay, some criticize the repetitiveness and certain mechanics that can feel cumbersome or chaotic. Overall, the game offers a solid and engaging experience, particularly for those who enjoy music-driven gameplay, though it may require some adjustment for newcomers.

    • “The gameplay is fast and snappy, bright and loud.”
    • “This latest installment takes everything that made its predecessors great and elevates it to new heights, delivering an exhilarating audio-visual experience that truly immerses players in the heart-pounding world of music-driven gameplay.”
    • “The core gameplay that we all know and love is here and everything else is just icing on the cake.”
    • “Having played the original Beat Hazard a long time ago, I wasn't expecting much more than a shiny twin-stick shmup vaguely synced to my music... but Beat Hazard is only barely that, and the core gameplay is so boring that it almost felt like just watching a visualizer instead of actually playing a game.”
    • “Core combat is boring; your ship has a tiny amount of time before it hits full speed, your hitbox isn't visible, and the visual effects during gameplay are flatly ridiculous.”
    • “This is a major downside to me as it messes with core gameplay in a fairly negative way by turning it into an attrition test, and the shield enemies feel like bullet sponges even after their shields are down, which feels like artificial difficulty and not a great fit for the game.”
  • graphics
    110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in Beat Hazard 3 have received significant praise for their stunning 3D visuals, vibrant neon effects, and improved detail compared to previous titles. Players appreciate the dynamic visuals that synchronize with the music, creating a captivating gameplay experience, although some have noted that the transition to 3D can make hit detection more challenging. Overall, the upgrade to 3D graphics is seen as a natural evolution of the series, enhancing both the aesthetic appeal and gameplay depth.

    • “The graphics are stunning, and compared to its predecessors, the game has added tons of new content.”
    • “The new 3D graphics look great and the style of the ships and tech is outstanding.”
    • “The game dazzles with vibrant and dynamic visuals that synchronize with the music, creating a mesmerizing spectacle of light and color.”
    • “It's just not for me, I don't like the new graphics the game has; it goes against this kind of gameplay as making everything 3D makes it hard to see if you're going to hit something, as you're not sure what your hitbox is (this wasn't a problem in previous entries).”
    • “These AI icons have a contrasting style with the overall Beat Hazard aesthetic, making the game feel cheaper than it actually is.”
    • “Now, I will preface this by saying that Beat Hazard 3 does not exactly supersede Beat Hazard 2; you'll need a relatively strong device (or at least a working graphics card) to play on its highest intensities.”
  • story
    36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game lacks a traditional narrative, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics like shadow missions and procedural ship generation, which some players find engaging. While the graphics and music integration enhance the experience, many users express frustration over missing features from previous titles and the reliance on online functionality for certain missions. Overall, the story aspect is minimal, with players primarily interacting with the game through its mechanics rather than a cohesive narrative.

    • “The graphics have taken a huge leap compared to previous titles, and only adds to the great experience of playing your music as the storyline, not to mention the galaxy feature, introducing you to similar artists/genres/songs that you enjoy.”
    • “Also, during a galactic campaign, you might even feel tempted to replay missions/tracks for a higher score to upgrade your mothership.”
    • “Not stopping there, if a song is at least two and a half minutes long, the song will generate a procedurally generated ship upon completion that you can bring to the next mission.”
    • “☑ no story”
    • “Some features from the previous games are still missing, like the perk upgrade system and ship modules, a couple of weapons, or meaningful rewards for completing shadow missions.”
    • “My only issue is that I don't like the shadow missions that require online functionality like capturing planets from other players or beating other player high scores; I can't always be online, so there's a lot of ships I want to make elite that I'm not able to work on, and that sucks.”
  • grinding
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly due to cumbersome menu navigation and the fuel mechanic in galaxy mode. The difficulty in managing personal music playlists further exacerbates the experience, leading to a disjointed and frustrating gameplay flow. Overall, many reviewers suggest that the grinding requires an unrealistic time investment, likening it to needing "a second life."

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The sheer act of moving through menus was tedious.”
    • “First, galaxy mode is fairly tedious with the fuel mechanic.”
    • “Overall, trying to play with your own music is extremely tedious and there doesn't seem to be just a mode where you can start playing on a playlist from your PC and get a bunch of levels after another and just vibe out for an hour.”
  • replayability
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability, largely due to its fun gameplay and the ability to integrate personal music libraries, allowing players to chase personal bests on various tracks. While some gameplay elements can feel repetitive, the reliance on user-generated content and a vibrant online community enhances its versatility, providing endless hours of entertainment. Overall, players find it to be a worthwhile investment with infinite replay potential.

    • “Infinite replayability.”
    • “For starters it's fun as hell, but adding in the ability to play your own music library... the sheer amount of time it'd take to play through my music library alone let alone the replayability of single songs chasing that personal best... well, to say I personally feel this was my best purchase of the last year sums it up.”
    • “It becomes apparent that this game's internet features and niche community were its selling points; much of the gameplay is repetitive and depends on user-generated content to supply the game's replayability and return on investment.”
    • “It's a testament to the game's versatility and adaptability, providing endless hours of replayability.”
  • humor
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is characterized by playful banter and lighthearted interactions among characters, with moments of laughter and witty remarks that enhance the overall enjoyment. Players appreciate the comedic exchanges, which add a fun and engaging layer to the gameplay experience.

    • “Kenpachi: laughing, this is getting good!”
    • “Hisagi: chuckling, I'm betting on a total meltdown.”
    • “Yoruichi: laughing, this is priceless.”
  • stability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's stability has improved with a more expansive galaxy system, but users still report persistent technical issues, including buggy menus and significant framerate drops during intense moments.

    • “I'm sure you're aware of some of the technical issues that are still in the game, like the buggy menus in the galaxy mode and mothership editor, or the framerate dropping significantly when ships load in for the first time or when too many explosions happen at once.”
  • emotional
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players appreciate the developer's genuine involvement and commitment to the community, highlighting his approachability and responsiveness to feedback. This emotional connection fosters a sense of belonging and alignment between the developer's vision and the players' expectations.

  • optimization
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is currently in early access, with a focus on optimizing the new galaxy feature to enhance player enjoyment. Users note that ongoing improvements are aimed at ensuring a lasting and enjoyable experience.

    • “The game is still in early access, and the new galaxy feature is the key addition that is being optimized for your long-term enjoyment.”

Buy Beat Hazard 3

3h Median play time
3h Average play time
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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