When most people think of the rhythm genre, they think plastic instruments and bad singing. Games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero redefined what the genre could offer, but the genre has been largely passed over. Sure, you have the odd outlier like Elite Beat Agents or Audiosurf, but those have failed to make an impact like the big boys. LOUD on Planet X, from developer Pop Sandbox, will definitely fall short of being the next Guitar Hero despite its great soundtrack. This is because of the limited tracks, repetitive gameplay, and lack of any features outside of the main game.
LOUD on Planet X looks like someone took Plants vs. Zombies and mashed it up with Rock Band or a similar music-based game. On one side of the screen, we have a stage with a band performing. On the other side are four lanes, with aliens crawling, floating and squirming their way to the front.
Gameplay is very simple. Players have to press a button associated with each lane to shoot a blast of energy down the lane to destroy any aliens in the way. The trick is, the blasts can only be sent out on the downbeat of a given song. Build up enough of a combo, and you can use helpful items or even a powerful attack that will wipe the screen of enemies.
This means that I found myself tapping my toes, swaying and head bobbing to keep myself in the beat of the song. This helped me ensure my button presses were all on time, and the aliens were kept at bay. Getting thrown off could mean a game over if you can't correct yourself fast enough.
There are 20 tracks total (two songs from 10 artists) in LOUD on Planet X, and what really impressed me the most is the quality of the songs. Artists like Metric, Chvrches, Tegan and Sara, Health and more are featured. I was already familiar with most of the acts, which definitely helped me get into the music, but even the songs I didn’t know were entertaining.
Graphically, LOUD on Planet X is serviceable, but nothing special. While I played on a PS4, the game is also getting PC, iOS and Android releases. It was built with smartphones in mind, so the developers couldn’t allow the visuals to get too out of hand. What results is a cute, if basic, 2D animation style.
While the gameplay is somewhat simple and repetitive, three difficulty levels give players an incentive to tackle songs again. The ramp-up of difficulty did seem off, however. Passing songs on easy wasn’t hard, and I could complete most songs on the first try. Jumping up to medium increased the speed and quantities of the aliens, making each beat more and more important. Medium difficulty was very challenging, and each song a serious effort.
Going all the way to Hard was even more problematic, as you really can’t afford to mess up without getting swarmed by aliens. I found myself getting frustrated by the higher difficulty settings, especially since it seemed way more difficult to use power-ups and items without hurting yourself more by getting distracted from the enemies.
The best part (outside of the phenomenal soundtrack) is probably the price, with LOUD on Planet X coming in at only $6.99 for PC/PS4 and only $3.99 for iOS and Android. If all games had this good a soundtrack and price, we would be in gaming heaven. The low price is a double-edged sword, because you are only getting what you paid for. There's no challenge modes or anything else outside fo the 20 songs. Once you play through the songs, there's nothing else to do.
So what do you think? Are you interested in checking out LOUD on Planet X? What other bands do you hope to see make it into a music video game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
