“You will have no other Rhythm game besides Me”, and I, at the words of that plasticky guitar, believed it a little. At the time, however, I could not have foreseen the sad defeat of Guitar Hero, nor that one day I would find myself dancing frantically waving two laser swords, with the risk of being interned with the full VR headset. Don't make that face: I'm talking to you about Beat Saber, courageous production forged by the Czech team of Beat Games, which surprises us with an admirable test of dexterity in the very delicate field of virtual reality.
We spent a few pleasant hours in the company of the title for PlayStation VR, putting a strain on our reflexes and challenging those of our friends: here is our final verdict.
Guitar Hero, ma con le lightsaber
Of course, the comparison with the timeless musical title might seem risky, and after all we can't reduce the entire (and varied) panorama of rhythm games to just Guitar Hero. In my personal experience with this genre, however, only the evergreen just mentioned was able to have as much fun as the protagonist of this review. Beat Saber it is in fact a concentrate of adrenaline so powerful it is addictive, but what makes it so special? First of all, let's try to understand something more by taking a closer look at the gameplay.
Beat Saber's formula is as simple as it is original: holding two lightsabers - one in each hand, using i PlayStation Move - we will improvise aspiring Jedi within a virtual stage, which will recall those in style and atmosphere hypnotic neon worlds admired in Tron. In front of our eyes red and blue cubes will materialize - just like our 'lightsabers' - fired at us at a speed that will vary according to the selected difficulty: on each polyhedron an arrow will be depicted, which will invite us to throw the blow in the direction indicated, or a dot, in the simplest case in which we will have to limit ourselves to slicing the cube.
The main challenge will therefore consist in the shred the lighted cubes to the rhythm of music, directing our shots so that the colors match and trying not to miss even a single target. The score multiplier will benefit us for well-aimed shots and will penalize us in the event that we rotate the wrist badly ('bad cut') or avoid a block ('miss'). On the other hand, some variables will make things more interesting, such as malus, obstacles or particular conditions posed by the challenge: let's talk about the explosive mines that we will have to avoid hitting or the retractable arrows that will hide the direction in which to direct the slashes, putting not only reflexes, but also our mnemonic abilities are severely tested.
As if that weren't enough, in most of the levels we will risk colliding with some virtual walls which will force us to improvise dodges or even crouch in the middle of the game - a much more difficult task than it seems. In these situations it could be very easy to trip over some obstacle in the surrounding environment or in the same (always bulky) power cables. PlayStation VR, we therefore advise you to play in a very spacious room and at least 1,5 / 2 meters away from the TV.
In this regard, Beat Saber manages to reproduce the movements captured with the PlayStation Camera extremely accurately, minimizing latency and also returning satisfying feedback whenever we cut a cube - via the vibration of the PS Move. They will also be simple details, but they certainly contribute to increasing the level of involvement, already very high in itself thanks to the surprising quality of the visual and sound sector.
Going back to talking about game content, a tracklist of about 15 tracks it will captivate us instantly with its powerful and captivating sounds. The number of songs is not particularly generous, but Beat Saber will make up for it by allowing us to play each piece in different ways and at different degrees of difficulty, from the recommended level for beginners to the less accessible one reserved for experts - recommended only for those who have really grinded dozens hours in this rhythm game.
Focusing on the game modes, we first interfaced with Free play, the ideal place to freely challenge all the songs with the possibility to activate and deactivate any obstacles; within it we will also find the Practice sub-mode, where it will be possible to adjust the speed of the song - and, therefore, of the cubes - to familiarize yourself with the unique game system. We find then Party, playlist dedicated to multiplayer game and which will keep track of the scores of each participant, bringing them back into a ranking that we will view after completing all the selected songs.
What sets the newer PlayStation 4 port apart from earlier versions of the Beat Saber is represented by the new one Countryside. We are talking about a singleplayer mode divided into about fifty levels, characterized by an increasing level of difficulty and by the presence of even more intriguing rules and challenges. We could consider it the best opportunity to get in touch for the first time with the peculiar formula of the musical title, but it touches to specify how the game can suddenly become frustrating already in the early stages of the Campaign, running the risk of discouraging the novice player - and not just him.
Summing up and without leading to further turns of words, Beat Saber is without a doubt one of the funniest games I've ever been able to play while wearing the headset PlayStation VR.
The one developed by Beat Games is a fun, adrenaline-pumping rhythm game, an experience imbued with power addictive. Whether you are a lover of the reference genre or not, the game will offer you an unmissable opportunity to have fun alone or in the company of a few friends - and it will also make you do some healthy movement, which certainly does not hurt.
The only ones reside first of all in a rather poor tracklist, but with a high replayability potential, and in any case destined - as announced by the developers themselves - to be expanded with future updates. Then there would be the fluctuating level of challenge of the campaign, for which it will be advisable to do a little practice in the Free Play mode, and take the opportunity to let yourself be captivated by the neon lights of the virtual stages and by the electrifying music that will bewitch us from the very beginning. first minute of play.
Pro 
- An addictive game formula
- Surprising work on the visual and sound front
- Songs to say the least exciting
Cons 
- A bit sparse tracklist
- At times frustrating campaign
