Just Shapes & Beats is an action rhythm video game developed and published by Canadian[2] indie team Berzerk Studio. It was released on May 31, 2018, for Windows and Nintendo Switch, February 24, 2019, for macOS and Linux, May 10, 2019, for PlayStation 4 in the US, and May 30, 2019 for PlayStation 4 in Europe, Russia, and Australia. It was also released on June 30, 2020, for Stadia, and on May 31, 2022, for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. In this game, players control a colored shape and dodge pink shapes that move to the beat of background music.
| Just Shapes & Beats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Berzerk Studio |
| Publisher(s) | Berzerk Studio |
| Director(s) | Simon "Lachhh" Lachance |
| Designer(s) | Gildeguy Marc-Antoine Jean Gavin Jones Clement Lachance Hélène Lachance Simon Lachance Vincent Longpré Michael Molinari |
| Programmer(s) | Étienne Bedard Simon Lachance Olivier Lamontagne Shayne "Kojak" Wheeler |
| Artist(s) | Émilie "Em" Bourget |
| Composer(s) | Danimal Cannon Shirobon |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Nintendo Switch, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Bullet hell, rhythm |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
edit
Just Shapes & Beats consists of multiple levels based around individual music tracks—predominantly chiptune—by artists including Nitro Fun, Danimal Cannon, Noisestorm, and Pegboard Nerds.
The player controls the nanobot Hal represented by a cyan square. Players dodge attacks in the form of various obstacles that move in time with the level's soundtrack. These can include bullets, bombs, beams, bouncing waves, bosses, and more.[3]
Hal has two rings around him that indicate the player's current HP. Getting struck by an attack causes Hal to lose one of his rings. Players can take up to three hits in a level before respawning at the last checkpoint (or back to the start in the case of the boss battles). When a player takes three hits, they lose one life. Three lives lost within a single level results in a game over screen, with the text stating "It's Over" and Hal breaking into pieces. Tapping Enter (PC/Steam), A (Switch/Xbox), or the Cross button (PS4) multiple times causes the square to fix itself and changes the screen's text to read "It's NOT Over", allowing the player to continue from the beginning of the level. At the bottom of the screen, a bar with a white triangle at the end serves as the progress bar for each level. In story mode, minigames involving additional character movements exist as filler between levels.
Aside from the main story mode, the game offers playlist, challenge, and party (music only) modes; the former two can be played to collect "Beatpoints", an additive and accumulative scoring system based on the player's performance and amount of levels played. A "Hardcore" difficulty was added in 2019, which increases the difficulty of available levels by reducing reaction times and adding more attacks.[3][4]
Development
editThe first demo of the game was revealed at PAX 2016 and was meant to be released that summer. During the event, the release date was delayed from late 2016 to early 2017.[5] The game was eventually delayed again, with a launch date of summer 2018. On March 20, 2018, it was announced that the game would also receive a release on the Nintendo Switch.[6][7] On December 4, 2019, the Just Shovels & Knights update was released, containing 4 remixes of pieces from the Shovel Knight soundtrack.[8] On June 25, 2021, the studio announced that "The Lost Chapter" would be added to the game in an update on July 23. The update consists of five new tracks, including a remix of "Spider Dance" from Undertale. As its title suggests, the update brings back a "lost" segment of the story mode which was planned but not implemented in the initial release. On April 21, 2022, it was announced that the game would receive a release on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles on May 31.[9][10]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (NS) 83/100[11] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8/10[14] |
| Edge | 7/10 |
| Nintendo Life |   [12] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[13] |
On review aggregator Metacritic, Just Shapes & Beats has received 83/100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]
Accolades
editSource:[15]
- PAX Prime, 2014[citation needed]
- Indie Megabooth Alumni
- PAX East, 2015
- Indie Megabooth Alumni
- SideQuesting Team Choice Award
- Destructoid Best of PAX
- Golden Joystick Awards, 2018[16][17]
- Best Audio Design nominee
- Best Indie Game nominee
- Independent Games Festival Awards[18], 2018
- Excellence in Visual Art
References
edit- ^ Theriault, Donald (June 21, 2018). "Nintendo Downloads". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ "Berzerk Studio (@berzerkstudio)". Twitter. Archived from the original on September 28, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ a b "Review: Just Shapes & Beats". destructoid. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
- ^ Watson, Matthew. "Just Shapes & Beats - CONTENT ARCHIVES FROM 2014 TO 2020". www.opnoobs.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-30. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
- ^ McAloon, Alissa (April 23, 2016). "Just Shapes & Beats is stressful, chaotic, and I absolutely love it". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Osborn, Alex (March 20, 2018). "GDC 2018: 14 Games Announced for Nintendo Switch in March 20th's Nindies Showcase". IGN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Moyse, Chris (March 20, 2018). "Reaction-based bass blaster Just Shapes & Beats coming to Switch". Destructoid. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ "Just Shapes & Beats Digs Up Exclusive Shovel Knight Remixes For Free DLC". Nintendo Life. 2019-12-04. Archived from the original on 2023-12-30. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (24 April 2022). "Just Shapes & Beats Will Come To Xbox In Late May". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ Gilbert, Fraser (21 April 2022). "Just Shapes & Beats 'Finally' Jumps To Xbox Consoles This May". Pure Xbox. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Just Shapes & Beats for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 5, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Lane, Gavin (June 7, 2018). "Just Shapes & Beats Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Ronaghan, Neal (June 4, 2018). "Just Shapes and Beats Review". Nintendo World Report. Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
- ^ Moyse, Chris (June 4, 2018). "Review: Just Shapes & Beats". Destructoid. Destructoid. Archived from the original on June 9, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ Studio, Berzerk. "Just Shapes & Beats". justshapesandbeats.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-12. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
- ^ Hoggins, Tom (September 24, 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Sheridan, Connor (November 16, 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Fogel, Stephanie (January 3, 2019). "'Return of the Obra Dinn' Leads IGF Awards Nominees". Variety. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.