BPM: Bullets Per Minute

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is an addictive, innovative, and punishingly hard roguelite shooter-slash-rhythm game - and it's great

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"BPM: Bullets Per Minute" is a rhythm-based shooter game where players must shoot, jump, and dodge to the beat of intense rock and metal music. Fight against hordes of enemies and bosses in procedurally generated levels, using a variety of weapons and abilities. With permadeath and high replayability, BPM offers a challenging and exhilarating experience for fans of rhythm and shooter games alike.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 11,661 reviews

music2,246 positive mentions

story47 negative mentions

music
5,243 mentions
43 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in "BPM: Bullets Per Minute" is widely praised for its energetic and engaging heavy metal soundtrack, which is integral to the gameplay as players must shoot, reload, and dodge to the beat. However, many reviewers note that the limited variety of tracks can lead to repetitiveness, particularly since each level features only one song, which can become tiresome over extended play sessions. The addition of custom music support has been positively received, allowing players to enhance their experience with their own preferred tracks.
- “The music is on point, the sound design is some of the best I've heard.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing and it feels so, so good to play.”
- “The music is fantastic, the gameplay is fun, and its weaknesses of looking a bit rubbish and being poor at telling you stuff are far from deal breakers.”
- “The music (at least for the first level) is repetitive and annoying.”
- “The music is very simple and gets boring pretty fast.”
- “The music is the exact same every single run and becomes really damn tiring listening to the same track over and over and over again, especially the track in the first level.”
gameplay
2,489 mentions
43 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "BPM: Bullets Per Minute" is characterized by its unique rhythm-based mechanics, where players must shoot, reload, and dodge to the beat of the music, creating a fast-paced and engaging experience. Many players find the core gameplay loop addictive and satisfying, praising the combination of FPS action with roguelike elements, though some criticize the lack of depth in enemy variety and mechanics, as well as the visual design that can hinder gameplay clarity. Overall, while the game has its flaws, particularly in terms of balance and tutorialization, the innovative mechanics and strong soundtrack contribute to a compelling and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “Crunchy, super satisfying gunplay, bonkers rogue-lite mechanics and a stonking soundtrack all gel together in gaming perfection.”
- “Incredibly satisfying gameplay, music is top notch.”
- “The gameplay loop is basically perfect.”
- “The game doesn't even try to explain its own basic mechanics or gameplay loop for you the player so that you could actually properly play and enjoy the game.”
- “There's also barely any explanation of any of the mechanics in game so prepare to jump between the game and the wiki frequently (turn it into a minigame and see if you can do it according to the rhythm).”
- “The entire beat mechanic just feels more tedious than fun and makes playing the game much more 'busy' than it needs to be.”
graphics
1,015 mentions
23 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players finding the art style to be overly saturated and harsh on the eyes, often making it difficult to distinguish between enemies and the environment. While some appreciate the unique aesthetic and the ability to adjust saturation settings, others criticize the visuals as garish and distracting, detracting from the overall gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are seen as a polarizing aspect, with opinions ranging from admiration for the bold design choices to frustration over their impact on visibility and enjoyment.
- “Normally not a fan of roguelike games, but I love the visuals and the gameplay feels pretty smooth.”
- “The developers took a chance with the art style, and I love it, but for those who find the red coloring of the first area too much, try turning down the saturation in the graphics settings.”
- “Gameplay is great, music is outstanding, and visuals are brilliant.”
- “The graphics are not great or even good.”
- “Jumping straight to the topic: the graphics are atrocious and I cannot come up with any single reason on earth why the developers made the game look like that.”
- “The visuals are harsh, seeing things can be difficult and some very large enemy attacks effectively blind you because there's no color.”
replayability
288 mentions
44 % positive mentions
51 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, primarily due to its roguelike elements, character variety, and procedurally generated levels, which keep gameplay fresh and engaging. Players appreciate the diverse unlockable characters and the ability to customize their experience, although some note that the overall variety of items and mechanics may feel limited over time. While many find the game addictive and endlessly replayable, a few critics mention that it lacks depth compared to other roguelikes, potentially affecting long-term engagement.
- “The game also has great replayability between the roguelike elements, the difficulty levels, and the fact that all the characters change how the game plays (sometimes radically so).”
- “This is the perfect marriage of a rhythm game and a first person shooter with a roguelike format that gives it infinite replay value.”
- “The gameplay loop is addicting, the characters nuanced enough for replayability; I cannot stress how much you should pick this game up.”
- “A significant lack of unlockables harms its replayability; I honestly cannot stand the art style, the soundtrack is generic metal at best, and the gameplay is just a bit too clunky for my liking.”
- “The replayability is also severely lacking, despite being a roguelite.”
- “Comparing this to something like The Binding of Isaac, I think this will have a lot less replayability because of the lower variety of items and very limited interactions, combined with the aforementioned lack of difficulty.”
story
167 mentions
6 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
28 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its lack of story, with many reviewers noting there is no backstory, dialogue, or meaningful narrative elements. While some players appreciate the straightforward, arcade-like gameplay and high replay value, they express disappointment over the absence of any engaging plot or lore. Overall, the consensus is that the game prioritizes action over storytelling, leaving many wishing for at least minimal narrative content to enhance the experience.
- “Not much here in terms of story, but that doesn't mean the game isn't a blast to play.”
- “If these devs do another title, developing the idea to its full potential and bringing on board competent artists and a good writer capable of putting together a simple story and lore, we could be seeing something earth-shattering.”
- “I really hope that from this game there's maybe, I dunno, story add-ons? Preferably a free story update, which would probably get me to fall in love with this game as much as I did with Hades.”
- “There is no story in this game and it plays more like an arcade game, so it’s easy to pick up and replay.”
- “Most runs are quite similar, there is no story, not even the faint pretense of a story, enemies all blend together and the bosses are completely unmemorable.”
- “There's no story or presentation in this game, you just hit play and start killing monsters.”
optimization
119 mentions
19 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
22 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, long loading times, and frame drops, particularly in later levels. While some updates have improved performance, the overall consensus is that the game still requires further optimization to enhance the gameplay experience, especially for rhythm-based mechanics. Despite these issues, the core gameplay remains enjoyable for many, suggesting that with better optimization, it could reach its full potential.
- “It's also optimized quite well; the only downside is that some of the challenges seem a bit unfair, like the boss rush that doesn't give anything between bosses, but aside from that, this game is a solid 9/10.”
- “Rhythm detection is solid, performance is solid, the game looks great (though I'd appreciate hi-vis crosshairs, unless I'm blind and can't find that setting).”
- “Plenty of graphic adjustment options to aid performance on slower computers.”
- “In one word, performance: minutes-long loading screens, texture popping, stuttering every time you enter a new room, music that freezes seemingly at random — which in a game based around music, seems absolutely egregious to me.”
- “The game has constant frame drops and stuttering which make it near impossible to keep rhythm.”
- “It definitely needs work on optimization because the second-to-last level runs so poorly compared to the others that it's just unplayable even with potato settings.”
grinding
94 mentions
1 % positive mentions
12 % neutral mentions
87 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious, repetitive, and unfulfilling, often leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Many players feel that the grind is excessive, requiring long hours to progress without meaningful rewards, and the lack of balance in item acquisition further detracts from the experience. While some acknowledge that grinding may appeal to certain players, the overwhelming sentiment is that it detracts significantly from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I really wanted to like this game, but grinding away for 2 hours on the first level turned my brain to mush, listening to the same song over and over and over.”
- “This is a game that seems cool at first, but is entirely unrewarding and grows tedious real fast.”
- “The game is very grindy though, so if that's not your thing, you won't like this game.”
humor
68 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding the quirky gun mechanics, amusing character names, and bizarre dungeon designs to be genuinely funny. The integration of rhythm-based gameplay adds a layer of comedic charm, while the game's challenges and unexpected glitches contribute to its lighthearted atmosphere. Overall, the humor is seen as a significant and enjoyable aspect of the gameplay experience.
- “This game is hilariously fun and you've only got yourself to blame if you die.”
- “Because that really is what this is, it's also got that roguelike 'it is not possible for a normal person to finish this run vs literally just stand still and hold down the trigger until you win' diversity of builds that makes it pretty funny sometimes too.”
- “There's a great sense of subtle humor and plenty of charm to go around.”
stability
58 mentions
14 % positive mentions
3 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues such as long loading times, texture popping, and stuttering during gameplay. While some players noted that it runs well on lower-end PCs and has potential, the overall consensus is that the game is currently too buggy and unpolished to be considered complete or enjoyable. Despite these issues, a few users found it relatively bug-free and praised the core gameplay, suggesting that improvements could enhance the experience significantly.
- “It runs great on low-end PCs without sacrificing graphics for those with high-end builds.”
- “The game is relatively bug-free and cleanly designed, but requires looking up the wiki for most items, which are poorly explained.”
- “And the game seems to be mostly bug-free.”
- “If the first thing you have to do to play the game is open up a guide on how to use the menu without getting stuck in a loop, your game is buggy as shit.”
- “But as it stands right now, 16.79 euro is not worth it in my opinion, as there are far too many bugs and glitches in the game still to call this a complete game.”
- “In one word, performance: minutes-long loading screens, texture popping, stuttering every time you enter a new room, music that freezes seemingly at random — which in a game based around music, seems absolutely egregious to me.”
atmosphere
22 mentions
55 % positive mentions
32 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging blend of gameplay, impactful music, and unique visual style, reminiscent of classic titles like Doom. While many players find the atmosphere satisfying and immersive, some critique the oppressive use of high contrast colors as detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the combination of rhythm elements and a compelling soundtrack significantly enhances the game's atmosphere.
- “Great gameplay, great soundtrack, and great atmosphere.”
- “Music was fire and so was the atmosphere.”
- “It's unique style also really helps add to the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the game.”
- “The game's atmosphere is very akin to Doom, with the music being so impactful during moments of action.”
- “There are no glory kills or over-the-top gore, but their pace and atmosphere are similar.”
- “The pacing, the atmosphere, the items, the enemies, and most of all the music and rhythm element set this game apart.”
emotional
20 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting the exhilarating feeling of empowerment and mastery as they navigate challenges and engage with the music-driven gameplay. The combination of a captivating soundtrack and dynamic mechanics creates a sense of joy and satisfaction, with many reviewers rating their emotional experience highly, often citing it as a key reason for their enjoyment. Overall, the game evokes a mix of excitement and emotional investment, making it a memorable experience for players.
- “I like this game as much as I like my emotional damage.”
- “The first couple of minutes of playing it made me feel absolutely amazing.”
- “To give a serious 'out of 10' rating for this game, I'd have to give this a solid 9 out of 10 based solely on how the game made me feel while playing it.”
character development
14 mentions
57 % positive mentions
21 % neutral mentions
21 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highlighted by its impressive artwork and diverse abilities, offering players a range of options for customization. While the main character designs are praised for their creativity, many enemy designs are criticized as generic and uninspired, suggesting a disparity in the overall quality of character design. Despite these shortcomings, the game remains enjoyable due to its engaging gameplay and aesthetic appeal.
- “Incredibly enjoyable artwork, a really good soundtrack, a plethora of different aspects to abilities and arsenals for character development.”
- “Super cool character designs.”
- “Besides that, it's a really fun game to play; the character designs look sweet as well.”
- “The character design in this whole game is very well done, but the mobs are kind of generic, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “While the artwork and soundtrack are enjoyable, the character development feels lacking and doesn't offer enough depth.”
- “The character development aspects are overshadowed by the generic nature of the mobs, making it hard to feel invested in the characters.”
monetization
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game heavily relies on advertisements, which some players find intrusive and distracting from the core rhythm gameplay. While the game is enjoyable, the focus on ads detracts from the overall experience, particularly in a genre where music is a key element.
- “The challenge is just the ads and being on beat, or at least what they register as on beat.”
- “I do enjoy the game, but when you're advertising a rhythm game, you do have to realize that part of the appeal will be music.”
- “Graslu told me to play this and I got his achievement, and all along he just wanted free advertising.”