Overview: The second game in the Bit.Trip series, BIT.TRIP CORE is a rhythm game where blocks appear on the screen and the players goal is to clear them with a laser. The laser can be pointed in one of the four D-pad directions (Up, Down, Left, Right). Blocks will cross one of these directions on the beat. At the exact same moment, give or take a fraction of a second, the player needs to fire the laser with a push of a button.
BIT.TRIP CORE (PC) (2012)*
*BIT.TRIP CORE (WiiWare) (2009)
Relevant Links:
BIT.TRIP CORE (Wikipedia.org)
BIT.TRIP CORE (Steam Store Page)
Bit.Trip Core (Wii) (MetaCritic.com)
20150503:
Setup: Difficulty: Easy. Windowed/Fullscreen: Fullscreen.
First Run:
I first played with the keyboard, trying to use WASD and space bar. Then, halfway through, I switched to using the arrow keys and space bar. Due to the positioning, this felt more comfortable.
One problem with using the keyboard is that my keyboard has Cherry MX Blue switches and is quite loud. As such, I initially missed a lot of the notes simply due to trying to keep the amount of clicking down.
With that being said, there was a lot going on and grasping the various patterns was difficult on a first run.
Second Run:
On the second run, I switched to using my Logitech Rumble Gamepad F510 and this felt much more comfortable than the keyboard.
First, it doesn't create any noise. Second, it has my left thumb on the D-pad and my right thumb on the (A) button. Third, related to the second note, I felt my fingers could coordinate more easily. Fourth, and quite unexpectedly, the controller rumbles on every beat! That's definitely a great feedback mechanism for a rhythm game.
Third Run:
This time I managed to beat the level. After beating it, the game transitions to the next level and I quickly lost. There were these dots that are arranged in columns of four which move across and I didn't realize that I needed to clear them.
In any case, I'm happy that I managed to beat the first level on easy.
Thoughts/Comments:
The pattern of blocks and rhythm aspects of BIT.TRIP CORE are similar to BIT.TRIP BEAT and any fan of BIT.TRIP BEAT should feel comfortable picking up BIT.TRIP CORE. With that being said, the game mechanics of BIT.TRIP CORE is completely different from that of BIT.TRIP BEAT.
In terms of controls and decision making, BIT.TRIP BEAT uses either a mouse to control up & down or two buttons on a keyboard/controller. In contrast, BIT.TRIP CORE uses five buttons to control direction and firing.
Thus, while BIT.TRIP BEAT requires a bit more precision, BIT.TRIP CORE requires a bit more decision making. However, both games benefit from multiple plays, because memorization of the block patterns is a primary key to success.
Throwing a strong memory into the mix, then BIT.TRIP CORE would be slightly easier than BIT.TRIP BEAT (because BIT.TRIP BEAT would still require the additional precision).
Recommendation:
BIT.TRIP CORE is a fun game, but like BIT.TRIP BEAT it lacks variety. Depending on the player, this may result in a short-lived gaming experience. From a slightly different point of view, any fan of rhythm games and/or perfection would probably get the most out of BIT.TRIP CORE.
BIT.TRIP CORE (PC) (2012)*
*BIT.TRIP CORE (WiiWare) (2009)
Relevant Links:
BIT.TRIP CORE (Wikipedia.org)
BIT.TRIP CORE (Steam Store Page)
Bit.Trip Core (Wii) (MetaCritic.com)
20150503:
Setup: Difficulty: Easy. Windowed/Fullscreen: Fullscreen.
First Run:
I first played with the keyboard, trying to use WASD and space bar. Then, halfway through, I switched to using the arrow keys and space bar. Due to the positioning, this felt more comfortable.
One problem with using the keyboard is that my keyboard has Cherry MX Blue switches and is quite loud. As such, I initially missed a lot of the notes simply due to trying to keep the amount of clicking down.
With that being said, there was a lot going on and grasping the various patterns was difficult on a first run.
Second Run:
On the second run, I switched to using my Logitech Rumble Gamepad F510 and this felt much more comfortable than the keyboard.
First, it doesn't create any noise. Second, it has my left thumb on the D-pad and my right thumb on the (A) button. Third, related to the second note, I felt my fingers could coordinate more easily. Fourth, and quite unexpectedly, the controller rumbles on every beat! That's definitely a great feedback mechanism for a rhythm game.
Third Run:
This time I managed to beat the level. After beating it, the game transitions to the next level and I quickly lost. There were these dots that are arranged in columns of four which move across and I didn't realize that I needed to clear them.
In any case, I'm happy that I managed to beat the first level on easy.
Thoughts/Comments:
The pattern of blocks and rhythm aspects of BIT.TRIP CORE are similar to BIT.TRIP BEAT and any fan of BIT.TRIP BEAT should feel comfortable picking up BIT.TRIP CORE. With that being said, the game mechanics of BIT.TRIP CORE is completely different from that of BIT.TRIP BEAT.
In terms of controls and decision making, BIT.TRIP BEAT uses either a mouse to control up & down or two buttons on a keyboard/controller. In contrast, BIT.TRIP CORE uses five buttons to control direction and firing.
Thus, while BIT.TRIP BEAT requires a bit more precision, BIT.TRIP CORE requires a bit more decision making. However, both games benefit from multiple plays, because memorization of the block patterns is a primary key to success.
Throwing a strong memory into the mix, then BIT.TRIP CORE would be slightly easier than BIT.TRIP BEAT (because BIT.TRIP BEAT would still require the additional precision).
Recommendation:
BIT.TRIP CORE is a fun game, but like BIT.TRIP BEAT it lacks variety. Depending on the player, this may result in a short-lived gaming experience. From a slightly different point of view, any fan of rhythm games and/or perfection would probably get the most out of BIT.TRIP CORE.
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