Bit.Trip Fate Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Bit.Trip Fate
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: Yes  
  • Reviewed on:
A review of Bit.Trip Fate on PC

Bit.Trip games have delivered some great experiences over the years and, after a full-fledged sequel in the form of Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, Gaijin Games has just released onto the PC the older Bit.Trip Fate, which had been exclusive to the Nintendo Wii until now.

Promising a different experience than Runner but still with a penchant for endless scrolling and pixelated style, Bit.Trip Fate is looking like a great game that will certainly delight fans of the franchise and those who like challenges.

Does it manage to achieve its goal or should CommanderVideo go on new adventures? Let's find out.

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Start out weak ...
... and upgrade skills

After Bit.Trip Runner 2, which took the series into a new direction that abandoned the 8-bit pixel art for a more stylized one that was a bit closer to reality, Fate goes straight back to pixelated environments, although you can see here and there that the experience isn't just a 2D side-scroller.

You once again control CommanderVideo who, instead of running like he always does, now floats through space while shooting at his foes. Instead of traditional side-scrolling shoot-em-ups, in Fate you're tied to a certain path that constantly undulates and moves around.

You can go forward or backward on that rail but the constantly scrolling nature means you can go back only for as long as the screen allows it. What's more, if you shoot, your movement speed is drastically reduced.

Shooting enemies earns you pick-ups that conveniently fall right on your rail. Collecting them in quick succession upgrades your life counter, ranging from the regular Super or Ultra to the impressive Giga.

Every time you get hit by an enemy, you're bumped back one life level, thereby reducing the potency of your own weapons. If you're on the last level and you get hit, you enter the Nether zone. Here, if you score a few more drops in quick succession, you're brought back to life. If not, you're forced back to the start of the level, in classic Bit.Trip style.

This can become rather annoying especially due to the boss fights; bosses, with very few exceptions, use lots of cheap tactics and have absurdly huge health bars and extremely small vulnerable areas, meaning it will take a lot of trial and error before taking them out.

The game would've benefitted immensely from a mid-level checkpoint system, like in Runner 2, in order to help draw in gamers who are quick to anger or who hate repetition.

Breaks in terms of gameplay are offered by special power-ups in the form of CommanderVideo's different allies, each offering various new abilities for a certain time that come in handy when facing off against lots of foes.

Enemies are quite varied and range from regular bots that fire a few shots, to annoying little machines that spray the whole screen with bullets, and who can withstand a lot of damage. On your linear path there are also different types of obstacles and, in case you're not careful, you can lose a bit of your health.

For those who want an easier time, Gaijin implemented a new Easy mode, while those who like a challenge can check out the new Hard difficulty.

In terms of visuals, while Fate looks a bit too retro when compared to the impressive Runner 2, it's still quite enjoyable and features all sorts of impressive colors and hues throughout its campaign.

Like any Bit.Trip game, however, the true jewel is the soundtrack, which complements the action on the screen and features all sorts of great tracks inspired from classic chiptune music but also with heavy influences from dubstep or house.

Controlling the game with a mouse and keyboard is quite simple and very precise, seeing as how you're guiding the crosshair with the mouse point, but you can also use a controller, although that's a bit less precise, as you're only shooting in a general direction.

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Fight regular enemies ...
... and big bosses

Conclusion

Bit.Trip Fate is a pretty good installment in the series and offers a fresh experience for longtime fans and a good point of entry for new ones. Its pixelated style will win you over but you need to be a glutton for punishment to withstand some of its latter levels, which become more and more complex even on the new Easy difficulty.

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story 6
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 7
audio 10
multiplayer 0
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 
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