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What are the best Rhythm games on Steam?

7

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Jul 11, 2018

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7 Options Considered

Best Rhythm games on Steam	Price	Steam Rating	Co-Op
-- Beat Hazard	$9.99	Very Positive	Very Positive
-- Crypt of the NecroDancer	$14.99	Very Positive	2 Player Local
-- Audiosurf 2	$14.99	Mixed	Mixed
-- Thumper	$19.99	Very Positive	Very Positive
-- Frederic: Resurrection of Music	$5.99	–	–

Beat Hazard

Top Pro

Music based gameplay

Use your own music to change gameplay and spawning enemies, which allows for endless replayability through the way it generates random content. See More

Top Con

Not a rhythm game

Music intensity affects your damage, number of enemies, and the visuals, but you aren't actually hitting any buttons to the beat. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Easily change strobe effects

There is a setting in the game that allows users to change the strobe effects in the game, which may help those that do not enjoy the effects or find them medically dangerous. See More

Top Con

Default settings are very flashy

The default strobe settings may not suitable for people with a sensitivity for strobe effects. Though this can be changed in the setting to lower how much strobing is going on in the game. See More

Top Pro

Multiple difficulty modes

There are multiple difficulty modes in the game allowing for anyone's preferred skill level of gameplay as well as Insane, and suicidal if you really want to fail or experience a challenge. See More

Top Pro

Multiple ships/characters for replayability

Several characters and their ships are available to choose from in order to change up the gameplay. See More

Top Pro

Fun multiplayer

You can easily play with your friends, making for a more competitive game, which can be fun. See More

Top Pro

Internet radio support

Users are able to select an internet radio station for their music in game to then play endlessly. See More

Top Pro

Bragging rights through Steam achievements

Players can compete with one another through Steam achievements in the game. There are global leaderboards where one can compare their score against all other players making for a good method to judge how good one is as well as allows one to have some bragging rights. See More

Crypt of the NecroDancer

Top Pro

Fantastic soundtrack

Crypt of the NecroDancer has one of the best soundtracks you'll hear in a video game, featuring EDM, synthwave, and even heavy metal music. Each song has a unique tempo, rhythm, and feel to it, so you'll never get tired of listening to them. See More

Top Con

Beat detection can be a bit spotty

The game allows using own music, but the automatic beat detection can often be quite off and has to be adjusted manually. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Controller Support:Full

Platform:Win / Mac / Linux / PS4 / Xbox One

Top Pro

Lots of options for different skill levels and play styles

Characters such as "Bard" provide an easy mode without making the game feel lame. Other characters provide an extreme challenge for more advanced players. Lots of different weapon and armor combinations keep the game feeling fresh and support different play styles. Players also respawn after each level, meaning a less skilled player is rarely out of the action for too long. Great tutorials for both basic and advanced strategies. Good difficulty curve. See More

Top Con

Be prepared to share

Coop requires players to share money and items, which can leave two under-equiped characters instead of one well equipped character. Players also share one screen, meaning they need to agree on which general direction to proceed in. Going in different directions can cause players to get stuck or attract multiple groups of enemies. Players also share one beat counter, making combos harder to achieve. See More

Top Pro

Unique gameplay

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a rhythm rogue-like dungeon crawler. All actions can only performed on the beat. Adding rhythm as an element to a dungeon crawler allows having each enemy move in a different patter related to the beat and interesting powerups such as tempo increases. See More

Top Pro

Supports USB dance pad

Fun for a couple or a group to get up off the couch and use a dance pad. Special dance pad mode to make the game a bit easier to get started on. See More

Audiosurf 2

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Top Pro

New modes added over the original title

There are quite a few new modes included in this game over the original title, which allows for more replayability. Wakeboard is the standout new mode, where players are pulled along and need to collect blocks to fill a grid. There are also developer created modes that offer variations of the core Mono mode. See More

Top Con

No way to find leaderboards for track you may want to use

It is not until a musical track is used that one can look at a leaderboard for it. For those that use niche type music it is annoying to have to use the track first to even see if others are playing it. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

Top Pro

Soundcloud integration

User can log into Soundcloud to then use music from the service int he game. It is easy to do and offer a vast amount of music. See More

Thumper

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Top Pro

Unique blend of rhythm gameplay and racing-like speed

Thumper is a rhythm game mixed with fast-paced action, setting itself apart from other titles in the genre. Your "character" is a vehicle that runs on rails in a track, with certain speedbump-like indicators on the road that show up in sequence. You have to press the button prompts in time with your vehicle driving over the indicators, ideally to the correct rhythm to the beat to rack up points. It can be tough going at full speed and catching all of the button prompts while staying in-sync with the song, but the payoff is incredibly satisfying. See More

Top Con

Short playtime

A single playthrough will only take you about seven hours. However, if you go for a completionist playthrough to chase after high scores, then you'll get an extra dozen or so hours out of the game. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Platforms:PlayStation 4, Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, iOS

Genre:Action, Rhythm

Top Pro

Intense controls and responsive feedback

Other than visual cues, the visceral feedback you get from timing your button presses just right helps keep you on-beat. Getting that timing down rewards you with an addicting rumble, helping you feel the rhythm in your hands. With your vehicle moving at such crazy speeds, pressing the right buttons on-beat simulates the feeling that you're really in the driver's seat, listening to the music playing at full volume all around you. Pressing the buttons correctly with feedback helps keep you glued to the game, motivating you to go after higher and higher scores. See More

Top Con

Might be difficult for players who are new to rhythm games

Thumper can be too hard if you've never played a rhythm game before. Because everything moves at such high speeds right from the start, you may miss a lot of the button inputs and get discouraged. Even for experienced players, it takes some practice before getting used to the flow of gameplay. See More

Top Pro

Really cool psychedelic visuals

Thumper looks stunning. The futuristic vibe with the flashing blues, purples, and reds everywhere. The road your vehicle travels on jets through a seemingly endless void that changes depending on the stage, such as showing off bosses that appear as large, abstract enemies looming overhead. The trippy visuals are pretty neat, making the game stand out more along with its unique gameplay. See More

Top Pro

Playing in VR adds a whole new layer to the game

Virtual Reality makes Thumper much more fun and intense. Along with the feeling of the controls putting you in the seat of the vehicle, you're actually put into the game itself, surrounded by the visuals. The lights, the music, and the rumbles all feel more up-close-and-personal, as if you're part of the environment itself. Thumper is compatible with VR on both PlayStation 4 and PC, so anyone with a headset for either platform will be able to try it out for themselves. See More

Frederic: Resurrection of Music

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Top Pro

Very approachable for all skill levels

Despite your skill level, you can still get as much (or as little) of a challenge as you crave. Easy is very easy, and a great introduction to learning the songs and nuances of gameplay. Even with loads of mistakes, you'll still be progressing the story. As you increase the difficulty level, the curve is very steep and each new level brings an increasing challenge that is sure to satisfy even the most devoted rhythm fan. See More

Top Con

The cutscenes are not interesting and tend to drag on

The cutscenes are often overly long and drawn out. The voice acting is mostly poor. The writing, while charming and humorous at times, can be cliche or laughable. They look good in their hand drawn style, but there is very little animation to hold your attention. Overall, they can be quite boring to sit through due to how they tend to drag on. See More

Specs

Platforms:Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Android

Top Pro

Hilarious and unique premise

You'll be playing as long dead musical composer Frederic Chopin, risen from the dead in order to rid the world of greedy producers and overproduced, soulless pop music. It's up to you to show everyone what real music sounds like by traveling the world and dueling other musicians using upbeat versions of old classical compositions. Each unique location you visit is backed by story-driven cutscenes filled with silly characters, humor, and pop culture references. See More

Top Con

Very short

The game only takes about an hour to play from start to finish. See More

Top Pro

Simple, easy to grasp gameplay

As is common in the rhythm genre, each level consists of notes falling from the top of the screen as you attempt to furiously tap along to the beat. Your piano is laid out front and center with an emphasis on big keys, so hitting the right note at the right time isn't harder than it needs to be. After you've correctly played each song, you'll be whisked away to the next location where you'll watch a cutscene and then play your way through a new song. See More

Top Con

Song selection hurts replayability

While the songs themselves sound great, there are only twelve in the entire game. If you decide to replay the game on a higher difficulty, you'll still be playing the same song selection over and over. See More

Top Pro

Enjoyable remixes of old classical music

Old classical musical compositions are reimagined as upbeat and pounding tracks that compliment the rhythm based gameplay well. Each and every song is an interesting and modern remix of a classical Chopin song. It's pretty neat to hear the classical pieces rearranged for modern listeners. See More

Floor Kids

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Top Pro

Fun multiplayer mode

Floor Kids features a fun two-player mode in which you can go head to head against a friend on any song you've unlocked. During the songs, you'll take turns breakdancing during verses trying to get your scores as high as possible. When the chorus hits, you'll both be playing at the same time, attempting to outmatch your opponent on the frantic beat in realtime. It can be quite fun watching your friend breakdancing and giving it their all, only to turn around and attempt to outdance him with own your own cool combos and moves on your next turn. See More

Top Con

Music can get repetitive after a while

The music is great, but limited. There are only around 20 tracks total. After a while, hearing the same songs over and over begins to feel a bit repetitive. See More

Specs

Platforms:Nintendo Switch, PS4 (soon), Xbox One (soon), PC

Genre:Rhythm, Action

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Top Pro

Lots of fun dance moves to play around with

There are several different dancing styles with each style having their own library of individual dance moves. Having a wide variety of moves to pick and choose from means you'll always have a way to please the crowd, pull off the moves you personally find enjoyable, and work towards becoming the breakdance champ. Additionally, there are eight unique characters, and all them have their own stylized movesets, combos, and strengths. This sheer variety of moves available means you'll always find something cool to dance to the beat with. See More

Top Pro

Great, immersive soundtrack

Dancing along to professionally produced musical tracks that you would hear in real breakdancing showdowns really ups the immersion factor. All of the tracks feature a frantic, fast-paced beat that are easy to get into, which helps make putting your dance routine together a really great experience. All the music in the game was written and produced by Kid Koala, a popular DJ who is best known for the musical groups Deltron 3030 and Gorillaz. See More

Top Pro

Satisfying freedom in your dancing

During songs, you can perform any dance moves you want, giving you a lot of freedom in how you express yourself. Staying in time with the beat and being able to hold moves such as headstands, freezes, and spins for as long as possible will increase your score, but which ones you decide to perform and string together is completely up to you. Putting together your own dance routines and interpreting the music in your own way, as opposed to being locked into predetermined patterns, is a very satisfying approach to the rhythm genre. See More

AudioSurf

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Top Pro

Can be casual or hardcore

Depending on the speed/difficulty that is set by the car chosen by the user they can have a slow casual experience or a fast paced hardcore experience is sped up. This is great if a bunch of different players in ones family or group of friends will be playing as well as for when the payer feels like changing up their own experience. See More

Top Con

Uneven experience depending on songs choosen

Vocals and different riffs on a guitar may speed up ones ship in the middle of a race, on top of this one must be conscious of what music they choose as some genres may be easier to play to than others. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Interesting puzzle mechanics for a rhythm game

Instead of rhythmically hitting certain blocks to the beat the player is actually tasked with collecting certain blocks on the track in order to create combos for a high score. See More

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