Retro/Grade
Review
A laser light show for your monitor
by Christopher Coke
reviewed on PC
Spaceship Hero, cont.
In practice this system works very well. Spotting notes is easy when the screen isn't cluttered. Color coding everything based on its lane makes knowing your next move a cinch. Doing well isn't a lazy man's game, however. On more than one occasion I had to make multiple jumps, avoiding enemy fire and collecting my own with only milliseconds to spare. These experiences were satisfying but not without the occasional frustration. Getting to each note without taking damage sometimes required memorizing layout, so perfectionists beware: that rewind button has a limit. I know. Note placement is also independent of the accompanying tone, so anticipating where to move isn't as simple as following the music.
Zoning out to the bright neons and motion blurred backgrounds is easy and a delightful way to sink into the experience. Like other rhythm games, the music is important and Retro/Grade delivers. Levels are a cacophony of synth, bass, and kick drum. The electronica groove meshes extremely well with the game's visual style. My only gripe is that the soundtrack eventually becomes familiar. Tracks feel a bit too similar toward the end, but given that the soundtrack is 50-minutes and themed, it serves its purpose well.
Starshine or Star Wars?
The game is at its best when the pace is steady but not frantic. A full but unhurried pace matches the music wonderfully. More importantly, when too much crowds the screen it becomes hard to spot notes amidst the other glowing projectiles. I died more than once because it simply took too long to sort the good from the bad with damage rolling in like rain. The rewind button is of some avail, as is lightspeed, but memorization was more reliable. In some points it felt necessary.
Difficulty spikes aside, the game is a spectacle. Each level features a full 3D background that often pulses to the beat of the song. The lighting effects in each lane burst and flow with an electric radiance. Even outside of the gameplay, the menu items are starry and shifting, breaking apart and re-forming as you move through them while static elements pop and sparkle. Played with a nice set of headphones, the experience is a bit hypnotic – and that's not hyperbole. Also, the pilot's consistent head bobbing is adorable. It had to be said.
System Overload
Unfortunately, the return value of Retro/Grade is diminished for experienced rhythm fans. While the game packs a challenge mode stuffed with unlockables, assignments, and level variables, the player actually has to feel compelled to complete them. After journeying through the campaign, I felt finished. This is perhaps where freshness meets familiarity on opposite sides of the spectrum. Experiencing the game is fun and worth the cost of entry, but at the end of the day, Retro/Grade is at a disadvantage with only a single soundtrack. Whether you're moving left-to-right or right-to-left, chaining note multipliers on these songs was exactly how I had spent the campaign. It was a blast, but when it was done I was content to step away.
Credits
Retro/Grade is an experience rhythm fans should have. 24 Caret Games have masterfully embedded the rhythm genre into its most unlikely setting, and the result is a game that is both unique and proven fun. Having debuted on the Playstation Network in August 2012, Retro/Grade joins an increasing list of great console games making the jump to PC. While the challenge modes weren't for me, they do add to its longevity for interested players. That along with six different difficulty tiers also provide a reason to return down the line. Unfortunately, the soundtrack needed a little more variety to hold its initial charm, and the pace got a bit too frantic to always seem fair, but its highs outweighed its lows in nearly every circumstance. Consider this game recommended.
8.0
fun score
Pros
A laser light show for your monitor.
Cons
Visual confusion, too samey towards the end.
