NOISZ
- August 31, 2018
- Anarch Entertainment
Get on Steam"NOISZ" is a single-player visual novel game that combines music game and shoot-em-up elements for a unique experience. With 16 tracks, challenging boss fights, and deep scoring mechanics, players can expect intense gameplay and replayability. The game also features a full-fledged visual novel story with colorful characters and surprising twists, as well as dance pad support.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of bullet hell and rhythm mechanics, providing a challenging yet rewarding experience that keeps players engaged.
- The soundtrack is diverse and well-crafted, enhancing the gameplay and making each boss fight feel immersive and connected to the music.
- The community and developer support are strong, with active engagement and helpful resources available for players, making it easier to navigate the game's complexities.
- The game can be extremely challenging, especially for casual players, with some difficulty spikes that may frustrate those unfamiliar with bullet hell mechanics.
- There are issues with clarity in the story progression and settings menu, which can lead to confusion and a lack of guidance for new players.
- Performance issues, such as lag and stuttering, have been reported by some players, which can detract from the overall experience.
- music55 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its diverse and high-quality soundtrack, featuring various genres of electronic music that enhance the gameplay experience. Players appreciate how the bullet patterns and enemy attacks are intricately designed to sync with the music, creating an immersive and emotionally engaging atmosphere. The combination of challenging gameplay and rhythm-based mechanics makes for a rewarding experience, especially for those who enjoy music rhythm games and bullet hell shooters.
“The ending of the final route does a great job at meshing together gameplay, story, and music to create an emotional experience.”
“Not only are your own attacks locked to the beat of the music, but enemies' attack patterns are heavily based around the music as well, making for an incredibly immersive experience.”
“The music is diverse, amazing, and you can tell that each stage had heart put into every one, especially the ones found in the DLC. I encourage anyone who loves music, story, and even shmup games to give this a go and immerse yourself in this wonderful game!”
“Summary: I find the game very fun to play, even though I don't necessarily like a lot of the music used in the game.”
“As many songs later in the story are very difficult and require memorization and preferably a good style-core combination, you'd most likely restart the entire story and play through the comparatively easy songs of the first few chapters for a while before fighting the harder bosses again.”
“However, keep in mind that the game is a shmup (usually a frame-based game genre) and a rhythm game (with its time based on the music).”
- story54 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for being thought-provoking and emotionally engaging, with a well-crafted ending that integrates gameplay and music effectively. While some players find the narrative progression confusing and lengthy, the branching paths and multiple routes encourage replayability and deeper exploration of the lore. Overall, the story is considered a significant and enjoyable aspect of the game, complemented by a diverse soundtrack and engaging gameplay.
“But the story ended up being way more thought-provoking and emotional than I initially expected.”
“The ending of the final route does a great job at meshing together gameplay, story, and music to create an emotional experience.”
“The story is fantastic.”
“The only con I have for the game so far is that the story is very lengthy and can become a chore over time.”
“The [spoiler]conclusion to the story[/spoiler] appears to be in the re:||verse DLC, though, and that's frustrating no matter the circumstances behind it.”
“This wouldn't have been a problem if you were able to start from where the story branches, but you have to instead start the story again from the beginning each time you finish the previous story.”
- gameplay23 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is highly praised for its addictiveness and depth, combining bullet hell mechanics with rhythm elements that create a unique and engaging experience. Players appreciate the thoughtful design of various styles and modules, allowing for diverse strategies and challenges across different songs and difficulty levels. While some mechanics may benefit from further refinement, the overall blend of gameplay, story, and music delivers an emotionally resonant and rewarding experience.
“The gameplay is addicting and satisfying, as I expected from the trailers.”
“Gameplay is extremely thoughtful, with the different 'styles' and 'modules' providing numerous ways to approach each chart in the game, and there's no dominant combination either - it all varies depending on the specific chart you're playing.”
“The core mechanic of the game is phenomenal, as you're dodging between red shots, you'll be absorbing the blue shots with an activatable shield and trying to maintain your combo -- all hectic but very enjoyable.”
“Basic mechanics worked well enough, but it could feel better with more polishing and better sound effect choices.”
“The easiest charts are gentle enough to get you used to the gameplay; the hardest charts challenge you to your limits.”
“While the mechanics are some of the most unique things about this game, this game is more than just the mechanics.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its thought-provoking story and impactful ending, which effectively combines gameplay, narrative, and music to create a profound emotional experience for players.
“But the story ended up being way more thought-provoking and emotional than I initially expected.”
“The ending of the final route does a great job of meshing together gameplay, story, and music to create an emotional experience.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some players experiencing significant performance issues that hinder gameplay, while others report a smooth experience. This disparity suggests that the game's performance may vary based on individual system configurations, impacting overall enjoyment.
“I did enjoy the few stages I could play and would recommend it if the game runs smoothly on your system.”
“It looks like not everyone is encountering performance issues, and this game deserves more attention.”
“I wanted to give it a not recommended rating since the performance issues make this game almost unplayable, but it looks like not everyone is encountering this issue, and this game deserves more attention.”
“The optimization is so poor that it feels like I'm playing a beta version of the game rather than a finished product.”
“Frequent frame drops and long loading times severely hinder the overall experience, making it frustrating to enjoy the game.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as fairly clunky, but they complement the engaging soundtrack and action of the game, enhancing its overall appeal. While there are some performance issues and a lack of visual indicators for rhythm, the visuals are considered solid with potential for improvement.
“While the art style is fairly clunky, the game lags a bit on my computer, and there's no visual indicator as to the beat that a lot of rhythm games have.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized as both funny and cute, contributing to an enjoyable and lighthearted narrative experience.
“The story is very funny and cute.”
