Unbeatable introduces itself with a simple, yet punchy premise: we find a group of teens in a band, on the run from and getting into fights with the local authority. The twist? Instead of playing out as a traditional story-driven game, the beating drum of the experience is structured around rhythm-based gameplay.
Sequences such as dreams and combat encounters are all guided by Unbeatable’s take on the classic Guitar Hero notes-on-a-fretboard style gameplay, in which prompts tell you which buttons to press in time with the music. Here, it’s only two buttons: up and down. And while there are more traditional gameplay moments–like minigames where you must memorize movement patterns and react to the beat of different tempos–in a similar fashion to Rhythm Heaven, it’s the harmonious intersection with all the game’s other sections, which would normally play out as mere cutscenes, that makes Unbeatable stand out.
A decade ago, right around the time that Rock Band and Guitar Hero launched their respective swansongs marking the decline of the domestic rhythm game era, it would have been novel to see a studio blend rhythm game mechanics into a narrative adventure. But Unbeatable is just one example of this approach; dozens of studios have been toying with the intersection of music games with other genres. Now, 10 years after the rhythm game heyday, they’re basking in a renewed appreciation of those elements.
