The story of Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians takes players to the underwater world of Symphonia, where there are three guardians that produce music to keep the world in harmony. Players take the role of Beatbuddy, who must work together with his sister Harmony and his companion Clef to rescue their sister Melody from the diabolical Prince Maestro. The plot of the game is delivered by a man whose voice is remixed as he talks to the point you will believe he will burst into a rap song at any moment. Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians features a fun storyline that often tries to be funny through the duration of the game, and though it falls flat a few times, it's still a very enjoyable experience and one that makes you care about the main and supplementary characters that pop-up in the game from time to time.
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians has a gimmick that relies on the various items in the environment to produce the tracks playing in the background. In addition to some other cool environmental items, there are bass drums that fling Beatbuddy off in a direction when touched and snare lines that can impede Beatbuddy's progression through a stage if touched while they are the wrong color. Each stage has its own themed world such as the bright and colorful Mine and the overgrown Jungle seen at the start of the game, but each world has its own song associated with that particular world from a different composer. The game has fantastic music, and the soundtrack includes award-winning artists such as Austin Wintory, Parov Stelar, Sabrepulse and La Rochelle Band. All of these ideas combined seem very good in concept, but there are a limited numbers of items in the world of Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians, and you've basically seen the basic idea behind puzzles at the disposal of the developer by the end of the first chapter. Few other ideas such as spinning wheels and lasers are added in later in the game, but these are still essentially the same puzzles made a bit more challenging and slightly longer.
One major concern with Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians that could deter players from enjoying the game is in the game's controls. The game takes place underwater for its duration, and naturally, the controls are a bit floaty and can cause some problems while attempting to carefully navigate tight corridors. It doesn't help that the ragged rock walls tend to jut out or form holes that can trap Beatbuddy when attempting to quickly dash through a corridor of spikes or how the controls make it difficult to navigate the Beatbuggy through a lair of jellyfish when not dashing along with the beat. There are tons of health containers littered throughout stages, but all it takes is one misstep to be killed in one hit and have to restart a puzzle. Players are rewarded for their efforts however when finding the large hidden beatpoints that unlock a piece of Threaks' journey to create the game. There are 60 collectibles to unlock in total (10 for each of the game's 6 worlds), and they tell an interesting story that is well worth reading for fans of the game.
The two things that are instantly noticeable when starting up a new game of Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians is that the soundtrack is fantastic and the graphics are equally good. While playing through the game, it's difficult not to bob your head along to the beat of each of the unique tracks in the game, especially when you stop moving in the game long enough for Beatbuddy to begin breaking it down for the player's amusement. Beatbuddy looks great when doing his little dance or while he is swimming along the currents with or without an item in tow. The game's environments are even more impressive, and a careful color palette helps give each world its own unique feel and make the game that much more enjoyable. The one problem with the game's graphics is minor, but the foreground images sometimes overlap the action on the screen and can be distracting when trying to solve puzzles. Still, Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians is one of the better looking games released this year, and likely has the best soundtrack you'll hear in any game for all of 2013.
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians isn't a game for everyone, and its relative short length of about 4-6 hours can make it a tough sale at $14.99. The game is currently available for 10% as a special introductory price during the first week on Steam though making it the best time to purchase the game before it eventually lands on sale. Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians easily has one of the best art styles and soundtrack combinations that we've ever seen in the history of gaming. Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians' shortcomings keeps the game from being a masterpiece, but it's still a really fun time that fans of music and rhythm or even platform genres can appreciate. The game seamlessly combines gameplay with music to create a unique experience like few other games have. Listen to the sweet tunes of Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians on Steam today!
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians is now available exclusively on Steam for PC, Mac & Linux and can be purchased for $14.99. For more information on the game, check out the official Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians website.
Game Features:
Game Information:
Developer: Threaks
Publisher: Reverb Publishing
Platforms: PC (reviewed), Mac & Linux
Release Date: August 6, 2013
