And now it’s time to end this Bit.Trip series with the last two games.
Bit.Trip Fate, released in 2010 in the US and Europe.
The game is a horizontal scrolling shooter, though Commander Video is moved on a set path similar to a Sine wave called the Vibe, you use the two analog sticks on the PS4 controller (or any alternatives for other systems) to shoot enemies, with all of them leaving out power-ups. Collecting enough will take you up a mode, which are the same as the other games, though like other sequels, it adds another: GIGA, which is what you’d expect when you reach the upper mode, if you haven’t yet read the other Bit.Trip reviews.
But there are some friends to help you out from time to time giving you much better firepower for a short period of time. Meat Boy, a cameo character from Super Meat Boy, fire a big shot that can even take down enemy fire. Mr. Robotube can fire in a double-helix pattern, hits hard and can be difficult to use. Commandgirl Video is the spreader (shut up!), bullets spread out in two directions (again shut up!). And Junior Melchkin will fire lasers that passes through enemies to also fire another. But once you go GIGA, their fire damage increases.
This game’s challenge comes from your heart…as in Commander Video’s heart is his weak point as you have to make sure that enemy fire doesn’t hit his heart, otherwise he goes down a Mode.
Actually, notice how I didn’t mention that you shoot enemies to the beat of the tune…though in this case, the beat fits no matter where the timing of the tune is.
It’s a really interesting and experimental shooter, but boy does it torment you with Bullet Hell, which is where the challenge kicks in. But at the very least, does not annoy me in the slightest, nor does it feel repetitive, mostly because I felt on edge half the time, making for an immersive experience whilst still having the style of a Bit.Trip game.
The graphics are decent, harkening back to previous games that wasn’t Runner. The music…yeah, I’m not a fan of dubstep though there are some pieces I do like, and this game doesn’t have those good pieces, but for those who like dubstep, you might take a liking to it.
Overall, Bit.Trip Fate is a decent game, giving you shooter with puzzle elements done well. I enjoyed my time so that’s another game on the like list.
Now onto the final game in the Bit.Trip series.
Bit.Trip Flux, released in 2011.
So…the game is pretty much Beat again, but instead of the paddle being on the left, it’s now on the right. All that’s new are the blob obstacles to avoid from time to time, there are checkpoints to make the game less of a headache so you don’t have to start from the beginning of the game (unless you quit the game) and the multiplayer has shrunk from 4 to 2.
My thoughts on Beat remain the same here, though I oddly had a slightly better time with it. Also, why did the developers feel the need to make the final game another version of Beat, is this all about coming full circle. I mean there is some kind of a plot involving Commander Video, but it’s only important to those who look very deep into it.
So that’s it for the Bit.Trip series. I don’t think much of it, though I do have some favourites like Void, Runner and Fate. The rest aren’t to my tastes, but it’s great that I don’t hate all of them, and there are going to be one or two that will appeal to many people. It has a lot of variety whilst still having its own identity in the process.
If you want these games in one package, you can get Bit.Trip Complete on the Nintendo Wii and Bit.Trip Saga on the Nintendo 3DS. Or you can get The Bit.Trip for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
And for those who are wondering whether or not I’ll be taking a look at Bit.Trip Presents… Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, not now, another day.