Welcome to our review of the highly anticipated title on Switch call Superbeat Xonic EX.
When I say anticipated, I really mean it. This is one of the best rhythm games out there on Vita and I was delighted to find out it was coming to my favorite console, the Nintendo Switch. We even did a small interview with them in the past and I was personally acknowledged as being partly responsible for bringing it to Switch. It checked a mark off of my bucket list, to actually influence the arrival of a game on a console.
So here it is, both released physically and digitally at a premium compared to other consoles, is it worth the premium and the vast amount of microtransactions available? Allow me not to answer this question but to elaborate first on what I mean. On Vita, this game is being sold in my country at around 15 euros usually. On Switch, it is being sold at 45 right now.
About the microtransactions, the switch eShop has a variety of bonus tracks you can already buy at a lower price. Despite not being really expensive, other games have shed the microtransactions and have been including all options, Gear.Club Unlimited is one that I recently reviewed that did this. I can live with the price being jacked up, but at least give us all available content…
But enough about the financial side of things, my review is meant to inform you whether or not to buy this game and how it plays. As we all know, rhythm games are all about the fluidity of controls versus the proper beats. This game sure gets big chunks of this just right. When I say big chunks, I mean the idea behind this game is just the best.
Built around a circle to basically tap to the beat, it takes great control of the screen and how to play this game is just fantastic. But at the same time, this is where it goes wrong on Switch.
With the thumbsticks and buttons being on inverted sides on each Joy-Con, where it is top on one side, it is bottom on the other and it just does not play that will. My question here is: “was this done on purpose to make it harder or did they just not think this set up through..?”
It took me a long time to really get used to this way of playing, also the touchscreen controls were not the best, unlike that other big title already available, Voez did do a much better job at a much lower price point.
Next up for me, the music, this is where the game really excels in every possible way, I love this Asian pop style music and the Korean heritage clearly shows as the beats rock and the kpop feeling is all over the game. Much like other rhythm games, I often just put on a track and listen to it instead of playing. I would buy the soundtrack in a heartbeat if it was made available.
When you combine everything, the amazing beats, the horrid gameplay mechanics with the joy-con and the price point, it is now up to you whether to buy this game or not, I will not be rating this game as I am personally biased to love it. Wanting to be perfectly honest about my feelings, I do think this game is overpriced at the current price point.
