UNBEATABLE

Unbeatable wears an undeniable amount of flair, but as of writing, it comes with its fair share of rough patches that have yet to be smoothed over.

UNBEATABLE is a labor of love, a game that celebrates music and wants players to love its tunes and vibe with them. The story is not always entirely coherent, but all the characters are lovely to interact with. The visual style is clearly anime-inspired but has unique touches, even if the world can seem a little empty. The game’s music is so good that even the menu tracks are bangers. Play the Arcade mode to unlock all its songs and steadily push the difficulty level up. But don’t forget to get through the story, even if it requires turning on the assist mode to get through some rhythm sequences. UNBEATABLE is a great experience for anyone who loves music and a ton of challenging fun for rhythm game enthusiasts.

Unbeatable blends rhythm, rebellion and nostalgia into a punch straight to the gut. A two-button riot that plays more like an emotional concert tour, even when chaos creeps in. Let the riffs take over—this one strikes exactly where it should.

UNBEATABLE is a standout rhythm game that fuses stylish anime-inspired visuals with a bold narrative and a unique combat-based music system. Its story mode surprises with emotional depth and memorable characters, while the arcade mode delivers replayability through over 70 tracks and a satisfying challenge curve. Though its two-button control scheme may take time to master and some gameplay segments in story mode feel bloated, the game’s commitment to its artistic vision and mechanical flair make it a must-play for rhythm fans seeking something fresh and fearless.

Musically, thematically, and mechanically masterful, with some minor jank lightly souring the experience.

UNBEATABLE is a clear passion project that proves the rhythm genre can be about much more than just flashy tracks and timed button presses. Its story is engaging, the characters are vibrant and full of energy, and the soundtrack is packed with absolute bangers.

Combining a full narrative adventure with Rhythm-based gameplay is not something most would think about doing. D-Cell Games somehow accomplished this with a fantastic soundtrack, intriguing characters, and an animated flair that’s unlike anything else. The imperfections are certainly there with an over-reliance on exploration, jarring narrative elements, and some of the gameplay issues. But the game as a whole, nails the positives so well that it’s well worth pushing through to experience in its entirety.

Playing UNBEATABLE makes you feel like you’re watching pirated episodes of your favourite show. Its janky narrative structure and limited content make it feel appropriately criminal to grow attached. However, while frustrating at times, these jagged edges are part of the charm. UNBEATABLE feels like an unapologetic guilty pleasure.

UNBEATABLE is an excellent experience, and one that I’ll likely be playing far into the future through its included Arcade mode. The vibes are immaculate, and I’m pretty well satisfied with the overall package. But a bit more time expanding the story and fixing up some notable issues could easily have taken this game from “great” to “spectacular.”

Ultimately, what do I score a game like Unbeatable that has such observable problems but some of the most heart-pumping emotional resonance I’ve experienced in games throughout this entire year? What cute, little video game review cliche can I lean on to help me out of this predicament? D-Cell itself offered a cheeky, little take at how review scores can be perceived, and I figure why not send that ball back over the net? I was thinking a seven at first, but Sonic Adventure 2’s problems are way more frustrating than Unbeatable’s. And I am a little shy as a person. So let’s go with that.

UNBEATABLE is the quintessential breakout punk band that delivers a brilliant debut album, albeit flawed and lacking some polish. The rhythm gameplay is endlessly satisfying and replayable, the soundtrack is fantastic and the final third of the story strikes a serious emotional chord. There are plenty of bumps along the way, but this band goes much further than you'd initially expect.

Overcoming a lacklustre start to its story mode with some bugs and other minor issues, UNBEATABLE manages to become an incredibly memorable and poignant journey. Eloquently exploring themes of community and the blood, sweat and tears that come with creating art, it winds up being a stylish adventure with a lot of heart and a fantastic celebration of all things music and rhythm games. Playing it almost feels like you’re in the middle of a mosh pit, receiving blows and elbows to the face as you watch your favourite band. You’re getting knocked about, and your footing isn’t always stable and able to keep up with the noise, but damn if it isn’t some of the best and most passionate things worth living for.

UNBEATABLE is an unapologetically stylish and vibrant rhythm narrative-adventure game that combines engaging rhythm gameplay, stunning audio-visual presentation, and a colorful cast to meet. However, it's clearly unpolished with its number of technical and visual issues, unfortunately lending itself to a dampened gameplay experience, as well as a painfully slow paced narrative that can scare off other intrigued players. Nevertheless, with a bit more shine, it will become an UNBEATABLE gem in the rhythm scene in its own right.

UNBEATABLE delivers an ambitious blend of a stylish 90s anime narrative adventure and a deep arcade rhythm game. While its captivating soul and aesthetic are undeniable, the story suffers from pacing issues, a lack of polish, and technical bugs. Yet, the robust and musically varied rhythm arcade mode offers an immensely enjoyable and compelling experience.

At the end of the day, Unbeatable is a solid rhythm title with great audio-visual presentation and and a heartwarming narrative, though some lackluster pacing and inconsistent voice application make it a trickier recommendation than I would have expected.

The developers postponed the game's release by a month at the last minute, and we can't help feeling that the game would have benefited from a little more delay. Unbeatable is unpolished and unfinished. It's rebellious and punk, sure, but at times it's also frustrating. With the addition of story mode and the integration of numerous mini-games, Unbeatable tries to be too many things at once, and as a result, the game doesn't always hit the right note. But for the modest price of 28 euros, you can't possibly feel cheated.

There’s no denying that Unbeatable is a very special game. Yet as hard as I tried to love it, I constantly found myself being thrust out of the experience whenever the story took a weird left turn or suddenly decided it was time to do yet another mundane task that had no bearing on anything. When it was finally time for the last song, I was more than happy to let it play out and enjoy it for what it is. At the same time, I knew I wouldn’t be clamoring for an encore.

UNBEATABLE absolutely offers tons of style and an exceptional soundtrack, but sometimes I felt a bit let down by the execution of the story and its rhythm game elements. The idea behind the narrative is amazing and I love the plot, but I hated the sharp transitions that sometimes made it feel choppy. The traditional rhythm game moments are fantastic, especially in the arcade mode when you can savor all the tracks and take on challenges, but sometimes the rhythm minigames missed the mark for me. It very much feels like a title where, while it’s quite enjoyable now, I think it will be even better in a few weeks after some patches.

UNBEATABLE is a good rhythm action adventure game, with it highlights being its visual style and the arcade mode. The story is fine, but can feel all over the place at times with a script that isn’t the best, but the music through the game is good and there are a couple of standout tracks. It has been a while since a decent rhythm game came out, so it is worth giving UNBEATABLE a shot.

Even when it digresses, the game always finds its way back to a compelling central rhythm.

These ideas are best conveyed when it hands things over to its music, which booms during fights between protesters and rotten law enforcement, or thrums with melancholy as we see superimposed images of two family members who will never see each other again. Some of the plot specifics here are vague and only partially explained, but the soundtrack smooths over the edges by getting across the emotions that matter, like the cataclysmic grief and loss that beautifully undergirds the entire story. To put it simply, when its music does the talking, Unbeatable lives up to its name.

Unbeatable is an extraordinary game to see and to hear: the animations, the style that looks like it came straight out of a ’90s anime, the colorful imagery of a world where music has no right to exist. And yet it does exist: loud, punk, rock, rebellious, coming from deep within, and at other times it embraces you, gently and warmly. However, the sum of its parts is far below what one would expect. It is too imprecise to be a good rhythm game: the note charts are confusing, input windows are off, and the feedback from the notes leaves much to be desired. On top of that, even after such a long wait and last month’s delay, the bug and glitch situation is still far from ideal. With a heavy heart over this missed opportunity, we hope that Unbeatable can at least serve as a foundation for something greater, through continuous updates, additional tracks, and new options.

UNBEATABLE is an ambitious and conceptually interesting rhythm game, but it fails to successfully realize its creative vision. The execution is clumsy and leaves much to be desired, indicating that the team needed more development time—especially to polish its Story Mode.

Unbeatable suffers from an identity crisis, pairing a decent arcade mode with an uneven story mode that buries its rhythm gameplay beneath a bit too much padding.

It is difficult to tell if I am judging Unbeatable harshly because of how good it should be or I’m being too forgiving over how good I want it to be. At the end of the day, it’s a moot point. Unbeatable, as an experience, is not where it needs to be.