City of Beats Review (PC)

My robot dashes to avoid the splash zone of two robots that lob slow bombs. I shoot a continuous stream of normal bullets, complemented from time to time by the secondary attack. One of them hits a time-delayed explosive and I make sure to get out of its area of effect. A few smaller robots are shooting from one side of the arena but there’s little chance of them hitting me.

The two opponents blow up so I dash to their locations to pick up the very important resources they drop before another set drops out of the sky, ready to challenge me. We resume the deadly dance. I try to make sure that they land no hits, using both visual and audio cues to avoid incoming strikes. I should worry more about my energy use but I’m too focused on simply laying down a constant stream of fire.

I need to avoid health loss as much as possible because there are still five encounters to go before the boss and I have no way to get back HP. My android is upgraded to deliver damage over time and strike with improved critical chance. That will help kill the boss and his minions faster but there’s also a chance that they’ll simply overwhelm me and end the run.

City of Beats is developed by Torched Hill and published by Freedom Games. I played on the PC via Steam. The title mixes combat with rhythm game concepts and uses a rogue-lite structure.

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The narrative takes players to this music-powered city, populated by androids. A powerful and evil cybernetic mind, called the Zeitgeber, aims to control all others and the only way to stop it is to destroy its three shells. Each of them dominates one sector of the city. Players inhabit another android and set out in an effort to save the city, helped by a small supporting cast that includes a robot dog and a sentient TV screen.

It’s a decent if not original cyberpunk premise. There are a few small surprises along the way but the focus is not on the narrative. Most of the game’s writing is utilitarian and does a good job of explaining concepts to players and guiding them as they fight against the Zeitgeber.

Gameplay is entirely built around music, especially its underlying beat. Players enter an arena, the soundtrack starts, and then everything, from weapons fire to enemy movement, is driven by the rhythm. Synchronizing with the beat allows players to know when fire is incoming and when is the best time to launch their own attacks. It’s often easier to read the game sonically than use the visual cues that City of Beats also provides.

The player’s android avatar can dash and each of his weapons uses both a normal and an alternate fire. Overcharging is a good way to deal more damage but can also fry the android for a short time, increasing vulnerability. Enemies drop resources, some of which are used only for a run while others are persistent. When an arena is cleared, a bigger reward pops up, with gamers able to choose an upgrade to improve their weapon, their resource collection, or their energy management.

The game uses a rogue-lite approach, with a capable boss at the end of a series of encounters. There are merchants and chances to regain some health, but they are limited. Most nodes are all about combat.

On death, the robot avatar is reconstituted on a hub platform. You can always step into the always-available air taxi and go right back to the fighting. But it’s a good idea to spend accumulated resources to improve stats, buy newly unlocked weapons, and get extensions (accessible only after defeating the first boss shell). I’ve tended to invest in extra health first but other approaches are certainly viable.

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City of Beats offers plenty of potential builds and arenas are procedurally built for each run. This means players will learn from each battle but there’s also space for a combination of enemies to deliver deadly surprises.

The game starts off relatively easy but the level of challenge rises steadily. Some mini-bosses will almost certainly kill the player on the first encounter. The same will probably happen when going up against one of the shells of Zeitgeber. Investing in permanent stat boosts makes things easier, as does mastering the unlocked weapons.

Players also have the option of turning off damage reduction in the Options menu. It’s a great tool to have, especially when momentum starts to stall around the second boss encounter. Start with the 25 percent option.

Use that damage cushion to pay more attention to the soundtrack, aiming for a flow state. Avoiding damage is always more important than killing opponents. The temptation to dash to gather resources is strong but I found it’s a better idea to only pick them up when it’s safe (some upgrades help with that).

City of Beats doesn’t deliver a richly detailed cyberpunk world but manages to do a lot with limited resources. The fog-filled world allows the developers to create small but varied combat arenas atop skyscrapers, with each city district adding its own details. Enemy designs are simple, with more details for the bosses, and allow players to keep their eyes and ears focused on the combat, dodging and shooting at the right time.

The game’s soundtrack is one of the highlights. It’s futuristic, synth-heavy, and designed to be noticeable even when players are focused on the combat. It is very good on its own and works perfectly with the core gameplay loop.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion