Audiosurf 2 Review (PC)

Audiosurf impressed lots of music game fans back in 2008, when it appeared on the PC platform, and since then, a loyal following has eagerly awaited a second iteration. After having spent quite a few years on the project, independent developer Dylan Fitterer released Audiosurf 2 as a Steam Early Access title last year.

Now, after having incorporated plenty of feedback into the game's beta version, Fitterer has released the final edition of Audiosurf 2, offering fans and newcomers its special rhythm experience.

Does Audiosurf 2 manage to deliver a stellar performance or should you keep on surfing past this music game? Let's find out.

Gameplay and multiplayer

Audiosurf 2 doesn't have a story or anything remotely close to a narrative, so it relies on its gameplay mechanics to delight fans and keep them coming back to its different modes and maps.

The core gameplay is simple in theory, as you control a tiny space ship, in most modes, that cruises in a three-lane path. You need to hit blocks to increase your score, while avoiding spikes. You accumulate blocks on your equalizer-like display and earn even more points when you top everything up.

In practice, Audiosurf 2's main Mono mode delivers a fantastic rhythm experience as the blocks, the path, and the speed manage to sync up very well to any type of song you're currently enjoying. The result is a hypnotic experience that's intense and addictive.

While the game doesn't have its own soundtrack, you can employ the songs you already have on your PC by using the in-game browser and the auto-detected files. Unfortunately, the actual search mechanic is a bit erratic and the game doesn't allow you to set a main music folder for easy access. As such, if you have your music scattered throughout your computer or stored in multiple sub-folders, you'll have to click around quite a lot.

Fortunately, you can also employ all the tracks found on popular music service SoundCloud. There are easily accessible categories such as Most Popular, but also Song of the Day. If you log into your own SoundCloud account, you can easily see tracks from your favorite users and artists.

Vibrant colors in Audiosurf 2

Without a doubt, the Mono mode is the most attractive one, but Audiosurf 2 also delivers quite a few other interesting experiences. There's Puzzle, which comes in casual and a few other variations, in which the blocks have different colors and you must match them in your equalizer columns to earn the best score. If you complete the track on empty, you also get bonus points.

Those that really want to test out their skills can go into the Ninja mode, which is more about not hitting spikes than collecting blocks. If you end a track without a collision, you also get bonus points.

There are also a few more outlandish modes, such as Wakeboard, which adds way more jumps to the regular Mono mode, but also a few hands-off ones, including one that acts just as a visualizer, or one in which the computer collects all the blocks for you.

Besides these modes made by the developer, Audiosurf 2 also has Steam Workshop integration, which means that you can browse through the 200+ others modes made by the community ever since the title went into Early Access last year.

There are five skins included, ranging from the regular Audiosurf 1 original to a few colorful and futuristic ones, like Stadium, Mystical or Neon, and a really impressive Dusk one that turns your ship into a car that's racing down the highway at sunset.

Just like with the modes, besides the regular ones, there are 300+ skins available on the Steam Workshop, so you can certainly pick from lots of great user-made creations.

Last but not least, while some modes offer a bit of a multiplayer experience, to more or less success, the main online aspect are the leaderboards. These are grouped for global, regional, and friends, and you can even input your email so that you're notified when a friend dethrones your score.

Two random real-time scores are also displayed during a song, so you can see just how you're progressing when compared to other people. However, until you get pretty talented, you'll mostly be upset to see that others are way more skilled at Audiosurf 2 and are reaching huge scores before you even get into the tens of thousands.

Dusk skin in Audiosurf 2

Visuals and sound

Audiosurf 2 boasts not just a fluid visuals but, throughout the different skins, also some great effects that don't affect the responsive framerate. While you might not like all of the possible skins made by users, you'll no doubt spot some great ones. The only minor downside relates to the user interface, which is a bit too simple.

The sound aspect of the game is, of course, crucial, and while there's no actual soundtrack, the different audio effects are good and don't interrupt the actual song that's being played during a round.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion