Bit.Trip Beat, the unique musical pong style game that appeared recently on WiiWare, is coming to iPhone and iPad within the next month. The original version of Bit.Trip Beat has been ported wholesale to the Apple platforms, retaining all of the original stages and difficulty levels.
Your objective in Bit.Trip Beat is to move the on-screen paddle in order to reflect incoming shapes. With each reflected shape a note is played, adding to the ongoing soundtrack. Those familiar with the game Rez will understand how music is integrated into the game; a more robust soundtrack is a sign of success. If objects fly by untouched, the graphical and musical styles will switch to something far more retro. In this retro mode, the colors are all shades of grey and the soundtrack is more akin to the bleeps and bloops of an Atari. Players can work their way out of the retro mode by hitting a higher percentage of projectiles, and alternatively players can enter a “hyper” mode by doing well in the starting setting.
Bit.Trip Beat can be a difficult game, and as approaching projectiles adopt new movement patterns this truth becomes glaringly apparent. For the iPhone and iPad versions of the game, Bit.Trip Beat supports both touch and accelerometer controls. The accelerometer controls don’t offer the same precision as the touch, but the version of the game we were shown was in its earlier stages. Of course, a mode that requires intense focus on the screen is likely hampered by the need to aggressively tilt the device.
We were only able to handle the iPad version in today’s hands on, but one can imagine that playing a game centered around precision is significantly more challenging on a smaller device. The extra real estate on the iPad came in handy when using the touch controls, and I found that the touch controls suited me more than the original Wii remote tilt controls. The touch controls allow the player to touch anywhere to control the player sprite, meaning your finger should never get in the way of the action.
Namco is adding some new features to the game to sweeten the deal for iPhone and iPad users. The game will allow four player multiplayer sessions across both iPhone and iPad together. We don’t know how the multiplayer scenarios will play out, but the cross platform support sounds both useful and promising. Namco is also working in conjunction with the original developers, Gaijin, to create downloadable add-on levels. These levels will be in addition to all of the original levels that will be included at the time of purchase.
Bit.Trip Beat has already proven itself on the Wii, and the iPad version looks to live up to or even supersede the original. Bit.Trip Beat will be available soon for iPhone and iPad.
