Unbeatable Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

It takes practice to get good at rhythm games. Don’t let nobody tell you otherwise. That coordination, endurance, and speed you see with the best gamers out there, most of it didn’t come naturally. So, you can always start your journey with rhythm games at whatever point and time. And the latest entry to join the bunch is Unbeatable. 

This one’s a unique sheep, bold, colorful, and dotting that charming ‘70s anime aesthetic. It mixes 2D stylized anime characters and 3D environments to bring you something truly drop-dead gorgeous. But is it perfect? The story, at least, or the gameplay? The gameplay is certainly the center of attraction, and it has to keep you hooked to return for more runs.

In our Unbeatable review, we’ll explore all that’s on offer and whether it’s all worth it.

A World Where Music is Illegal

Much to my surprise, Unbeatable does, in fact, have a story. And a pretty deep one at that. Nothing rushed or thrown into the mix for the sake it. If anything, it might tend to drag a bit with its lengthy cutscenes and dialogue. But it never becomes annoying or boring. And thus, proves worth following.

Just briskly and briefly, Unbeatable’s story is one profound one. It has so many relatable and emotional themes than you might intially expect. The thing is that is doesn’t give everything away right out of the bat. You might even be a little confused at the start. Onward, though, your questions begin to get answers. Some lead to more questions. But you’re always engaged to want to reach the climax and end.

The beautiful, hand-drawn, retro anime world we find ourselves in has banned music. What?! You can’t even hum in the shower because the cops will arrest you and throw you in jail. A desperate time, indeed, for any musicians. Beat, Quaver, Treble, and Clef come together to form a band. And trouble follows when the cops attack. But there’s another sinister enemy, the Silence that I’ll leave for you to discover. 

A Fun Romp

Overall, it’s a pretty decent story about rebels, who, as you might expect, look fun and have popping styles and characters. Their personalities and banter are the fabric that holds the story together, even if it sometimes adds fluff and unnecessary exposition. You genuinely are interested and heck, even rooting for this bunch of misfits looking to bring down the system and restore music to its rightful place in people’s hearts. 

It’s a heartfelt story that balances humor nicely with more serious themes of finding your voice. Of self-discovery and dealing with personal struggles and trauma. Surprisingly deep and can get you off-guard with some moving arcs. Meanwhile, the HARM cops represent the authoritarian rule. And the story goes on to address their control, some of which you might find relevant to our world. 

At the center of it all is music. This is the weapon that the band uses to bring down control. It’s the center of the conflict and integrates well with the illegal concerts the band puts on. And when the cops and the Silence crash the party, music swells with emotion. During the fights, it rocks on, fueling the rage against the oppressors. Merging music and story has always been the norm, but in Unbeatable, the execution is deep and emotional in ways that cut through your soul.

Music Meets Combat

When you’re not deciphering animated cutscenes and dialogue, you’re exploring. Unbeatable not only looks sharp and clean. It’s also detailed with varied places. But the exploration isn’t as open or expansive. Most of what you do it talk to quirky characters and complete side quests. You can also play minigames from baseball to bartending that are rhythm-based.

Anyway, when that distraction is over, you head to the combat sections. These are orchestrated as musical performances where the stage serves as both the, well, performing stage, but also the battlefield. The cops and Silence monsters are your enemies, and you attack and defend yourself via rhythm-based combat. 

The controls use two buttons for your left and right sides. Cops and monster enemies will be coming from either side. Your job is to press the respective button to the beat of the music to take them down. But of course, it’s more complex than that. You can move around, so you’re not always stagnant. Further, each side has two lanes: top and bottom. And as the cops and monster enemies fly along the lanes, they will have different notes. 

A basic note only needs a single press of a button. But you can get notes that require pressing both buttons at the same time, double-tapping the buttons, and spamming the buttons (fun, oh, fun). Or you might dodge the notes altogether. These are simply to add extra challenge that competes with the best rhythm games, which typically have four lanes. 

Plus, you can always switch up the songs and tweak the difficulty. These can speed up attacks, switch up camera movements, add more notes, and so on. If at all the button layouts get confusing, you can always switch them up, too, from directional up and down, or remapping them.

To the Beat of the Music

Besides the story mode, Unbeatable adds an arcade mode. This is just plain rhythm-based challenges. It’s probably where fans of rhythm-based games will head straight to. And fortunately, it comes with lots of fantastic, catchy music. The soundtrack is pretty diverse, from garage rock to soulful grooves and melodies. It prepackages 100% original tracks from the story, but also remixes, with varied artists, instruments, acoustics, and collabs. I doubt you’ll miss a favorite album to rock out to, going back over and over. It’s a shame there’s no OST outside the game yet. 

The music is among the features that grabbed people’s attention first. Just from the trailer, it was already a banging composition that translates into the arcade mode. And from here, you can get your bite of what you prefer. Whether it’s energetic music that will get your palms sweating, atmospheric types that slow you down, or specific, full tracks that simply blow you away. With these types of games, of course, not every piece will be catchy. Some may even get repetitive, possibly annoying after multiple playthroughs.

Fortunately, you have 70+ original songs. But even then, there are challenges you can use to renew your interest. If beating your own high scores grows on you, there’s a global leaderboard to challenge yourself with. Or you can chase specific challenges that test your precision and timing. In turn, you get exciting unlocks that reward you with new songs and cosmetics. 

A Few Things to Note

Just a few slight issues. Animated cutscenes and dialogue can sometimes cut too soon. And it can get you off-guard when combat cues in. At times, it can feel choppy and noticeable enough to derail your experience. When dialogue and voice lines overlap, too, they can detract from the experience and immersion.

It’s a shame, too, that the arcade mode uses one stage when the story mode’s musical performances feature varied stages. Otherwise, visuals look sharp and clean. And the story is well written and told most of the time.

Verdict

I suppose the rhythm-based section of Unbeatable might be its strongest pillar. It uses a simple control system and builds on it with varied notes and difficulty. No matter where you are in your journey with rhythm-based games, Unbeatable welcomes you with open arms. It devises a stellar soundtrack you can’t help vibing to, and encourages sharpening your skills with its challenges and additional layers of complexity.

But the story, too, surprises with its deep and emotional themes. It casts misfits who feel relatable in their personal struggles and journey to finding their voice. In a world where music is illegal, the cast forms a band and shows us the power of music, how it evokes emotion through the story, but also on the battlefield. Unbeatable’s music, themes, and combat are so well-woven together in beautiful ways that are so moving and leave a lasting impression.