Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians

Nails the design, gameplay and mechanics. [Oct 2013, p.66]

This is a tremendously unique, wildly creative endeavor that is a blast to play and even more enjoyable to listen to.

Beatbuddy reveals a passion and dedication worthy of note, the result of which will repay the player.

Threaks' work is a success in almost every aspect. The German team has created a valid, original, amusing and amazing game thanks to an excellent mix of different genres and a perfect harmony between the soundtrack and the scenarios.

Beatbuddy’s soundtrack is simply fantastic, and the way it changes as you play is unique and interesting to play around with. The levels are long enough that you quickly become accustomed to each song and start humming along as you solve the simple puzzles. The overall length of the game is somewhat lacking, but the time I did spend playing was very enjoyable.

Beatbuddy isn't a flawless experience, but it's definitely something that PC players should check out.

Even with its notable flaws, my time with Beatbuddy was mostly positive. When I was in the groove, bobbing my head and solving puzzles the time seemed to fade away… to the beat of the music.

Quotation forthcoming.

Beatbuddy feels well worth the $15 sticker price on Steam for Mac, PC, and Linux. While sometimes it feels like its musical ambitions are inhibited by the game design, it's still a strong game in its own right and it's fun to see how the musical elements and enemies combine together as gameplay features.

Like how musical theatre uses songs to tell its story, Beatbuddy uses rhythms to instruct its gameplay. It could still be a good game without its music core, but the soundtrack elevates it to be a great one.

An adept fusion of music and gameplay.