Bit.Trip Fate

Bit.Trip FATE is a fun game, but definitely not the best in the series. While it is a good challenge, a lot of the time it feels more tedious than fun, especially for a rail-shooter type game that literally has you on a fixed rail. While not a bad game in any sense, there are better Bit.Trip games out there.

Whether you play with the keyboard/mouse setup or use a 360 pad, you’ll get solid controls. It’s a challenging, but rewarding game and its surreal audio/visual combination will be stuck in your head for quite some time.

Bit.Trip games are less like versions of established genres and more akin to interpretations of them. It's like Gaijin Games waved the correct badge to get in the door, but then took a hard turn and veered off the map after they got through. Bit.Trip Fate interprets shoot ‘em ups through an electrocardiogram line and renders it a tool for exploitation rather than a railed limitation. It’s weird, it’s distinctive, and it’s great while it lasts.

It’s a light, 2D arcade shooter that’s great for killing some time if you’re waiting for your wife to get ready, but if you’re looking for immersive gameplay and a deeper level of engagement, or beautiful, eye-catching graphics, you’ll be better off looking somewhere else.

Those in the market for a challenging retro shooter with a plethora of modern flourishes will find plenty to enjoy in bit.Trip Fate. While I prefer the colorful accessibility of the Runner series, Fate is the darkest and most gruelling chapter in Commander Video’s illustrious adventure, and at its low asking price, PC gamers should consider it a worthy addition to their Steam library.

FATE has all the touchstones of a BIT.TRIP game--the hunt for flawless execution, the grueling score optimization. It serves up the same boiled-down punishing appeal. [Nov 2013, p.74]

BIT.TRIP FATE is best suited to shooter fans who enjoy the challenge of besting their high score by repeating the same levels multiple times. It does provide plenty of challenge, and even on the default difficulty I had my hands full simultaneously watching my character and firing reticle.