Paradiddle
- November 2, 2022
- Emre Tanirgan
- 40h median play time
Get on Steam"Paradiddle" is a musical VR game that allows for 2-player co-op and multiplayer modes, as well as single-player. It offers a realistic drumming experience with a wide variety of percussion instruments and difficulty levels. Players can create their own custom drum sets and play along to built-in songs or in freeplay mode. The game's rhythm game mode provides a challenging and entertaining experience for both beginners and pros.
PC
Virtual Reality
Windows
Oculus Quest
Reviews
- Paradiddle offers a realistic drumming experience, allowing players to learn limb independence and improve their drumming skills.
- The game features extensive customization options for drum kits and supports MIDI input, making it versatile for both beginners and experienced drummers.
- Active developer support and a growing community provide regular updates and custom song options, enhancing the overall experience.
- The lack of physical feedback when hitting drums can make it difficult for players to adjust to the virtual environment, leading to timing issues.
- Some users experience latency problems, especially when using wireless setups, which can hinder the drumming experience.
- The tutorial and onboarding process could be improved, as many players find it lacking in guidance for new users.
- music338 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the game is highly praised for its extensive custom song support, allowing players to easily download and play a wide variety of tracks, including popular songs from various genres. While the base song selection may be limited, the community-driven custom content significantly enhances the experience, making it accessible for both beginners and experienced drummers. Overall, players appreciate the engaging rhythm gameplay and the opportunity to jam along with their favorite music, although some express a desire for a more user-friendly interface for finding and managing custom songs.
“Insane drumming game, I started not knowing what to do and now I can play a lot of songs and I enjoy a lot how it feels in this game.”
“The absolute best VR drumming sim with realistic sounds and an ever-increasing amount of mapped custom songs online.”
“This game is possibly the most fun game for music fans.”
“The only negatives I can think of is that the music soundtrack could have been better with more popular licensed music and more licensed tracks.”
“Just not a fan of the music options.”
“Unimpressed with song selection.”
- story44 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game lacks a traditional narrative, focusing instead on providing an engaging and entertaining drumming experience, particularly with custom songs. Players appreciate the immersive gameplay and the ability to use mixed reality features, although some have reported latency issues when playing wirelessly. Overall, the game is celebrated for its fun factor and versatility, making it a popular choice among VR users.
“This game is incredibly entertaining, especially with custom songs. It has taken over as my main VR game, and playing on the Meta Store itself offers a much smoother experience, especially with mixed reality possibilities.”
“Had dozens of hours playing 'Smash Drums' on Quest 2, and I thought that's probably the best VR drumming experience you can get.”
“I tried to use it in one of my jam sessions with friends by connecting the Quest 2 to an amplifier/speaker, and we all had a great overall experience!”
“☑ no story”
“I wanted to love this game... but I use my Quest wirelessly, and there's a half-second latency issue.”
“But getting into it is another story.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this drum VR game is praised for its smooth mechanics and immersive experience, closely resembling actual drumming. While it lacks a wide song selection and full rhythm game features, it offers enjoyable and customizable gameplay that many users find superior to other titles in the genre. The developers' responsiveness to issues has also positively impacted user sentiment, with players optimistic about future updates enhancing the experience further.
“This game is good. I had originally bought this and refunded it due to the crashes I experienced, but the dev team reached out to ask me about the issues I had and gave me a key for my troubles. I would recommend this game because I can see it being the next Clone Hero, and it has very fun mechanics that I enjoy, from sound design to the feeling when playing it. It's as close as it can get to playing an actual set of drums.”
“Looking forward to the future and can see some real rock band style gameplay from this in the future.”
“- basic gameplay, little incentive content”
“I debated for months whether to buy this or other drum VR games — mainly because I didn't know if this game had a 'Guitar Hero' styled gameplay.”
“Trust me, get this especially with v1.0 releasing soon; it improves the game graphics and gameplay so much.”
- graphics20 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally praised for their immersive and polished visuals, with a variety of environments that enhance the gameplay experience. Players report smooth performance on high settings, particularly on powerful hardware like the RTX 3080, although some mention minor issues with audio-visual synchronization. Overall, the graphics effectively respond to gameplay actions, adding a layer of engagement, though some users note a preference for simpler, minimalistic designs.
“Immersive visuals, a feast for the eyes.”
“Slick, polished UI and visuals.”
“Love the graphics reacting to the hits as well, and how the instruments light up to indicate they'll be next to hit - such a small thing but helps so much!”
“When playing using the charts, the audio and visuals do not line up properly.”
“- a single simple environment, minimalistic visuals”
“---{graphics}---”
- optimization12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with players experiencing significant bugs and performance issues that detract from the overall enjoyment. While some users report satisfactory frame rates on high settings, others struggle with stuttering and tracking problems, particularly with certain setups. However, there is acknowledgment of the developers' efforts to address these issues and improve performance over time.
“On my RTX 3080, I was getting mostly 90 FPS on high graphical settings, with only a few frame rate drops that did not affect performance.”
“Once you optimize the layout of your kit and get used to it, however, it's absolutely brilliant.”
“Moreover, the dev is actively helping with issues while striving to do performance and feature upgrades.”
“I've been both playing and making content for this game for a couple of years now and I've been loving it from the very beginning, but the bugs and the performance issues I've experienced, paired with the absolutely glacial pace it takes the dev to address any of them, really put a damper on any positive feelings I might have for this game.”
“I bought this game when it was still pre-release and was having issues with my setup tracking things properly and some bad stuttering issues that made the game unplayable.”
“On my RTX 3080, I was getting mostly 90 fps on high graphical settings, with only a few frame rate drops that did not affect performance.”
- stability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Users report mixed stability experiences, noting that while the game generally runs well with minimal lag, there are significant issues with bugs, glitches, and weak haptic feedback. Some players express frustration over the perceived lack of support for the Pico version compared to the Steam version.
“Runs great with little to no lag.”
“The game performs smoothly with minimal interruptions.”
“I rarely experience any stability issues while playing.”
“The haptics are weak, if they even exist, and there are some noticeable bugs and glitches.”
“Why, dear developer, have you left the Pico customers hanging with a buggy, bland version of this amazing Steam version?”
“There are some noticeable bugs and glitches that really detract from the experience.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious, particularly due to the lack of a universal switch for toggling drum settings, which can make the process feel unnecessarily cumbersome. Additionally, some users suggest that a second live session may be required to effectively manage grinding tasks.
“Turning all the drums to MIDI on (or off) is pretty tedious - why not have a switch that sets this for all?”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- humor2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its lighthearted and playful tone, particularly through amusing elements related to drumming. Players find the comedic aspects enjoyable, contributing to an overall fun experience.
“The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious!”
“I love how the game incorporates funny elements into the gameplay.”
“The jokes and comedic timing are spot on, making every moment enjoyable.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's exceptional replayability, primarily due to its support for custom songs, allowing for a virtually limitless gaming experience.
“Endless replayability with custom song support.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its immersive qualities, effectively enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the attention to detail in the environment, which contributes to a captivating and engaging setting.
