Bit.Trip Beat
Encyclopedia
Bit.Trip Beat, marketed as BIT.TRIP BEAT, is an arcade-style
music
video game developed by Gaijin Games
and published by Aksys for the Wii
's WiiWare
download service. It was released in 2009 in North America, and released in Japan and PAL regions in the same year. It was later released for the Windows and Mac OS X
through the download service Steam in 2010, while Namco Bandai
published it for iOS
on iPod Touch
, iPhone
, and iPad
in both Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Beat HD versions.
The WiiWare version is controlled by tilting the Wii Remote while holding it on its side. Players are placed in control of a paddle on the left side of the screen which, much like Pong
, is tasked with deflecting squares that are coming from the right side. Each successful hit creates a sound effect that contributes to the background music, which was composed by an anonymous composer at Petrified Productions. A soundtrack was eventually released for the game's music, including some songs by micromusican Bit Shifter who composed the Title Screen and Credits music.
Since its release, Bit.Trip Beat received generally positive reception, holding an 80 and 80.15% from Metacritic
and GameRankings, respectively. Wired
named it the fifth best Wii game of 2009, while IGN
named it the eighth best WiiWare game. The most common praise for it was what multiple reviewers describe as addictive gameplay, stylish visuals, and a great soundtrack. However, certain reviewers criticized its short game length and high level of difficulty. It has spawned five sequels since, including Bit.Trip Core
, Bit.Trip Void
, Bit.Trip Runner
, Bit.Trip Fate
, and Bit.Trip Flux
; with the exception of Flux, which plays as a reversed version of Beat, each game has a unique gameplay style to the last.
, as they come from the right side of the screen toward the left. It is controlled by holding the Wii Remote
sideways and tilting it toward and away from the player to make the paddle go up and down. Gameplay takes place in one of three different phases: Transition, Descent, and Growth, with each phase more difficult than the last. Before each phase a cutscene of the character Commander Video is shown. Phases are split into several parts, with each part ending with multiple rainbow-coloured beats. At the end of each phase is a boss. Either through getting a game over or beating the phase, players will then have their final scores tallied.
When the beats collide with the paddle, they make a noise, contributing to the background music. Players may push a button on the Wii Remote Each successful deflection earns players a set score. Beats may also move in strange patterns, such as beats that bounce back after being deflected or beats that pause for a moment. If the paddle misses a beat, it will deplete a meter on the lower screen slightly; if the meter is completely depleted, the background will change to black and the beats and paddle white. If the meter depletes again, players will lose and have to start the phase over. In order to get out of this, players must fill up a meter at the top of the screen before the lower meter empties again, bringing them to normal. If players fill it up again, it will bring them into a new style, where the music, graphics, and sound effects are changed, with the score per each successful deflection doubled. Each time the meter is filled up at this point, the score multiplier increases.
Special beats will, if hit, modify players' paddle temporarily in some way; some will make the paddle tiny, rewarding players for meeting a threshold of beats hit while in this form, or doubling paddles to prepare players for a sequence of beats that cannot be hit without two paddles. If the lower meter empties on this screen, players will return to the normal mode. Bit.Trip Beat also features a multi-player mode, allowing anywhere from two to four players to play cooperatively, all paddles working together to deflect the beats. The four player mode modifies the paddles to make them smaller to prevent the game from becoming too easy.
The iOS release of Bit.Trip Beat has several new features. This includes leaderboards, downloadable levels based on other titles in the Bit.Trip
series, achievements, and the ability to either use the built-in accelerometer or the iOS series' touch screens. Its multi-player mode allows for both off and online multi-player. Similar to the iOS version, the Windows
and Mac OS X
versions feature leaderboards and achievements. This version adds an easy mode and the ability to post high score data to either Facebook
or Twitter
.
and initially published by Aksys Games
. It was designed by Alex Neuse, its art by Mike Roush, and its programming by Chris Osborn. Their publishing agreement with Aksys was formed due to Neuse's personal relationship with its president, Akibo Shieh, with whom the two of them had wanted to work on a game together before. Despite the amicable relationship with Aksys, the budget and development time were less than they would have wanted, though they put up with it due to their good relationship and the challenge of developing with those limits. Because of being only three people, the developers had to do more than what they normally would have to. Before its reveal, Gaijin released a teaser on IGN
. Its title was originally 8-Bit Beat, though this was changed to Bit.Trip Beat. Early on, the developers could only afford one development kit, causing them to have to interrupt each other's work to use it. One of the first ideas made for the game was to give it an Atari 2600
art style.
It was initially proposed as "Pong
with music". While described as being "not a big selling point" by Roush, the enthusiasm given off by Neuse convinced him to stay and work with him on it. Roush attributes the development of Bit.Trip Beat on WiiWare over competing services Xbox Live Arcade
and PlayStation Network due to both coming off from the development of a Nintendo DS
game before it and Neuse's Nintendo fanboyism. Its development time spanned three and a half months. He explains that it was easier to switch from the DS to Wii than it would be to switch to an entirely different company's platform. Neuse noted music video game Rez
for inspiring Beat, calling it one of his favourite games of all time. The developers designed its controls with the intent of hearkening back to the era of "spinner controls" traditionally used in paddle games. Initially, they used several different kinds of controls, including having players control it with the d-pad
, the analog stick
, and by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen. However, they eventually settled on holding the controller sideways and tilting it. Boss battles were added near the end of development; while Neuse did not want to feature them despite his love for the video game trope, he felt that the game could benefit from them. However, due to the short time spent creating them, he finds them to feel rushed, even though they add to the game. Neuse explains that, while wanting the game to remain open to interpretation, Beat shows CommanderVideo's journey from the ethereal
to the corporeal, ending with CommanderVideo becoming aware of himself and saying "I am only a man."
Near the end of development, the developers realized that they had mistakenly forgotten to localize the game, including error messages, such as those telling if save data has been corrupted. As such, they believe that they diminished its accessibility in other regions as a result. A bug, interpreted to be intentional, prevented the game from saving unless players achieve a high score. This only affected the North American version, as the other versions came out after it was fixed. A traditional patch was not easily accomplished on the WiiWare
service, which Game Set Watch speculates drove them to their method of fixing it, which included putting up two save files that included high scores for the first two levels, thereby unlocking the third level.
; however, they realized that they should make the music more appealing to more people, making them change the style to simply chiptune-inspired. They outsourced the music to noted micromusician Bit Shifter. Bit.Shifter used Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System
samples to compose the songs. Gaijin Games released the soundtrack for Bit.Trip Beat, which contains ten songs. While given a limited release initially, it was eventually given wide release on services such as Amazon MP3
, iTunes
, eMusic
, and others.
on March 16, 2009 in North America and May 1, 2009 in PAL regions. Arc System Works
published it in Japan on April 28, 2009. It was released for iOS
in North America on September 30, 2010, where it was published by Namco Bandai
. The iOS release was accompanied by an HD version of it for the same platform. Aksys also published it for Microsoft Windows
and Mac OS X
through the Steam service on November 2, 2010 in North America. Because they had no money for marketing, they launched a viral marketing campaign, which consisted of the above-mentioned teaser video, screenshots, and a CommanderVideo web site, all of which were well-received; however, according to Neuse, the hype for the game died down too far before the game's release, which he feels hurt its sales potential. While a release for the Xbox 360
's Xbox Live Arcade
and the PlayStation 3
's PlayStation Network has been mentioned as possible in the future by the creators, they noted that it was difficult to accomplish.
Artist Mike Terpstra created two posters for the game, depicting Commander Video standing above a city. Bit.Trip Beat has been featured as part of a series of videos made by Nintendo
called "Developer's Voice", which shares "in-game footage and insight who worked on the title". After the release of the first demo of Bit.Trip Beat for WiiWare, Gaijin Games
CEO Alex Neuse claimed that the demo brought sales of the game up to their initial projections, later claiming that it needs to be played for players to understand it. A demo was released for the iOS version titled Bit.Trip Beat Blitz. During a Steam sale, Bit.Trip Beat was sold in the Indie Pulse Pack for $5.00, which included Audiosurf
, Beat Hazard, Rhythm Zone
, and The Polynomial. It was released on sale for $1.99 for the iOS launch. For Halloween
in 2010, Namco Bandai dropped the prices of both Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Beat HD to $0.99 each on the iOS. The Windows
and Mac OS X
versions of Bit.Trip Beat were available for 10% off of $9.99 for the first week of its release.
's Ben Kuchera noted it for being a quality title on the WiiWare
service, which he states has been lacking in quality titles. He praised the trailer as exciting, while anticipating that it will be a "joy to play." Kotaku
's Mike Fahey commented that it looked like a "blast to play." IGN
's Steve Butts commented that while its combination of Pong-like gameplay and rhythmic gameplay could result in people referring to it as "Pong Pong Revolution", it was hard not to be "captivated, tested and utterly exhausted" by it.
Since its release for WiiWare
, Bit.Trip Beat has received generally positive reception, holding aggregate scores of 80/100 and 80.15% on Metacritic
and GameRankings, respectively. GameSpot
's Lark Anderson praised it for its addictiveness, music, and visuals; however, he criticized the number of levels, lack of online leaderboards, and for a confusing premise. Destructoid
's Jonathan Holmes called it one of his favourite games of 2009. IGN
's Mark Bozon described the gameplay as basic, but fun. He also praised the aesthetic quality of the game, describing the music as "extremely well-composed and complex" and the graphics for successfully achieving an old school style with its visuals. He also named it one of the 15 best WiiWare games. Wired
s Gus Mastrapa named it his fifth favourite Wii game of 2009, calling it "one of the biggest surprises of the year", calling it "hard as hell". It was well-received by Official Nintendo Magazines Simon Bramble, who described it as a "fresh take on Pong" and praising its value and aesthetics. However, he noted its few levels left them wanting, even though they were large and unique.
Edge
called it "short and difficult", though praising the developers for its use of "rhythm and conditioning to such powerful effect." They also noted that the game could have improved if the three levels were broken up into several more smaller segments. In MTV Multiplayer's review of one of its sequels Bit.Trip Flux
, editor Jason Cipriano noted that while good, it was too difficult. Eurogamer
's Simon Parkin described it as a "brisk, radiant creation" as well as a "nostalgic celebration". However, he did feel that Gaijin was "struggling" to come up with ways to increase the difficulty by the third phase, citing a unique type of beat that obscured the screen to an extent with their "flair". NGamer
's Nick Ellis called it a "superb reinvention of Pong" and "unashamedly retro". While also praising the music and addictiveness, they criticized its high level of difficulty and eye strain that it may cause.
IGN's Lucas M. Thomas named it the eighth best WiiWare game, noting the fact that Pong creator Ralph Baer had played Bit.Trip Beat as evidence of its quality. He also compared it to Nintendo
's Art Style
series, calling it addictive and a good value, but also brief. IGN also featured it as a part of their "WiiWare Showcase" series, describing it as a "quick trip to a catchy musical game." Authors Jeff and Steve Fulton noted Bit.Trip Beat as a good example of a "post-retro game". They later note that it isn't appropriate to call it Pong, as while it shares some elements, it is very different. They also noted that, sans the visual and audio enhancements, it succeeds as a post-retro game as being an idea that could have been accomplished on the Atari 2600
, but with the rhythmic premise, would make it impossible back in the day. Bit.Trip Beat was awarded with "The Michael Jackson Award for Best Video Game Music" by PC World
, praising the game's use of sound effects to enhance the music. By the first half of 2009, Destructoid's Chad Concelmo named Bit.Trip Beat one of the best games of the year, as well as four other Destructoid editors.
, commenting that the combination of Pong-like gameplay and rhythmic gameplay usually "works beautifully". While describing its gameplay as "simple yet addictive" and its aesthetics as "primitive yet beautiful", they criticized the game length, high difficulty level, and a lack of multi-player. They also noted that the Wii version was superior. Indie Games' Tim W. featured the Windows
and Mac OS X
versions as part of the web site's Best Of Indie Games feature. Fellow Indie Games editor Michael Rose strongly suggested buying it, describing it as a "far more insane" version of Pong. However, he did criticize it for having few, long levels that could be difficult for people who have difficulty keeping focus. Mobile gaming developer Zach Cage called Bit.Trip Beat one of his favourite games released in the past 10 years. IGN's Charles Onyett called it "fluid and creative", though deriding its high level of difficulty. He praised the game for its aesthetics, calling the music "catchy" and the visuals "irresistible" to long-time gamers, though feeling that the graphics can get distracting at times. He also praised the developers for the inclusion of online leaderboards.
GamesRadar
's Andrew Hayward praised the premise of the game as well as the iOS' touch controls. He also named it one of the 50 best iPad
games of 2010. Gamezebo praised the iOS version for its aesthetics and gameplay and criticized it for its difficulty like they did with the Steam version; however, while it features the multi-player mode that they criticized the computer version for lacking, they criticized it for its "chaotic" nature and connection issues. IGN
's Levi Buchanan found that while it was aesthetically pleasing and fun, it was too difficult. Adrenaline Vault
's Michael Smith recommended that iOS device owners buy it, citing quality gameplay, graphics, and music, the latter two he says are good even if certain players do not like 8-bit. While he typically advises readers to "try before you buy" when buying a $5 iOS game, he cites Bit.Trip Beat as an exception.
Ars Technica
's Ben Kuchera called the iOS version "near perfect". He described its "rhythm game meets Pong
" style as working well on the platform. GamePro
s Ryan Rigney featured it as one of their App Store Games of the Week of October 1, 2010. They called it a combination of music video game Audiosurf
and Pong, praising Gaijin Games for mixing the old with the new. UGO Networks' Jason Cipriano called it addictive in their article on iOS games with achievements. Wired
s John Mix Meyer listed it as one of the iPad
's "10 Biggest, Baddest Games", commenting that while alone its elements were not strong enough to make a game, combined they are great. It was nominated for the Excellence in Audio award at the Independent Games Festival
in 2010; it ultimately lost to Amnesia: The Dark Descent
. Game Set Watch's Eric Caoili speculated that if Bit.Trip Beat is successful on the iOS platforms, that Namco Bandai
may publish more of them.
, which uses the d-pad to control the gameplay instead of motion controls. The third game in the series is titled Bit.Trip Void
, which puts players in control of an 8-bit ball. The fourth game is titled Bit.Trip Runner
, the first game to put players in direct control of CommanderVideo. The fifth game in the series is titled Bit.Trip Fate
, a side-scrolling on-rails shooter that again puts players in direct control of Commander Video. The final game in the series, Bit.Trip Flux
, features similar mechanics and ideas to Beat, including featuring the same guest musician and its Pong-like gameplay. The developer attributes the return to this gameplay mechanic as Commander Video returning to "his simplest energetic state". However, it was designed to be easier than its predecessor, with no Game Over possible.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
music
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
video game developed by Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games is an independent video game development studio, best known for their BIT.TRIP series of video games. The studio was founded in 2007 by Alex Neuse and is located in Santa Cruz, California.-History:Gaijin Games initially emerged in 2004...
and published by Aksys for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
download service. It was released in 2009 in North America, and released in Japan and PAL regions in the same year. It was later released for the Windows and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
through the download service Steam in 2010, while Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
published it for iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
on iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
, iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
in both Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Beat HD versions.
The WiiWare version is controlled by tilting the Wii Remote while holding it on its side. Players are placed in control of a paddle on the left side of the screen which, much like Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
, is tasked with deflecting squares that are coming from the right side. Each successful hit creates a sound effect that contributes to the background music, which was composed by an anonymous composer at Petrified Productions. A soundtrack was eventually released for the game's music, including some songs by micromusican Bit Shifter who composed the Title Screen and Credits music.
Since its release, Bit.Trip Beat received generally positive reception, holding an 80 and 80.15% from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, respectively. Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
named it the fifth best Wii game of 2009, while IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
named it the eighth best WiiWare game. The most common praise for it was what multiple reviewers describe as addictive gameplay, stylish visuals, and a great soundtrack. However, certain reviewers criticized its short game length and high level of difficulty. It has spawned five sequels since, including Bit.Trip Core
Bit.Trip Core
Bit.Trip Core, marketed as BIT.TRIP CORE, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, Bit.Trip Void
Bit.Trip Void
Bit.Trip Void, marketed as BIT.TRIP VOID, is an arcade-style bullet hell rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service. It was first released in Japan in 2009, and later in North America and PAL regions in 2009 and 2010, respectively...
, Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner, marketed as BIT.TRIP RUNNER, is an arcade-style 'rhythm game' developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate, marketed as BIT.TRIP FATE, is an arcade-style scrolling shooter rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
, and Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux, marketed as BIT.TRIP FLUX, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
; with the exception of Flux, which plays as a reversed version of Beat, each game has a unique gameplay style to the last.
Gameplay
Bit.Trip Beat puts players in control of a paddle that reflects differently sized and coloured beats, similar to PongPong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
, as they come from the right side of the screen toward the left. It is controlled by holding the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
sideways and tilting it toward and away from the player to make the paddle go up and down. Gameplay takes place in one of three different phases: Transition, Descent, and Growth, with each phase more difficult than the last. Before each phase a cutscene of the character Commander Video is shown. Phases are split into several parts, with each part ending with multiple rainbow-coloured beats. At the end of each phase is a boss. Either through getting a game over or beating the phase, players will then have their final scores tallied.
When the beats collide with the paddle, they make a noise, contributing to the background music. Players may push a button on the Wii Remote Each successful deflection earns players a set score. Beats may also move in strange patterns, such as beats that bounce back after being deflected or beats that pause for a moment. If the paddle misses a beat, it will deplete a meter on the lower screen slightly; if the meter is completely depleted, the background will change to black and the beats and paddle white. If the meter depletes again, players will lose and have to start the phase over. In order to get out of this, players must fill up a meter at the top of the screen before the lower meter empties again, bringing them to normal. If players fill it up again, it will bring them into a new style, where the music, graphics, and sound effects are changed, with the score per each successful deflection doubled. Each time the meter is filled up at this point, the score multiplier increases.
Special beats will, if hit, modify players' paddle temporarily in some way; some will make the paddle tiny, rewarding players for meeting a threshold of beats hit while in this form, or doubling paddles to prepare players for a sequence of beats that cannot be hit without two paddles. If the lower meter empties on this screen, players will return to the normal mode. Bit.Trip Beat also features a multi-player mode, allowing anywhere from two to four players to play cooperatively, all paddles working together to deflect the beats. The four player mode modifies the paddles to make them smaller to prevent the game from becoming too easy.
The iOS release of Bit.Trip Beat has several new features. This includes leaderboards, downloadable levels based on other titles in the Bit.Trip
Bit.Trip
Bit.Trip, officially spelled BIT.TRIP, is a series of six video games developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for Nintendo Wii and Nintendo 3DS, Arc System Works for WiiWare in Japan, and by Namco Networks America Inc for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad...
series, achievements, and the ability to either use the built-in accelerometer or the iOS series' touch screens. Its multi-player mode allows for both off and online multi-player. Similar to the iOS version, the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
versions feature leaderboards and achievements. This version adds an easy mode and the ability to post high score data to either Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
or Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
.
Development and release
Bit.Trip Beat was developed by Gaijin GamesGaijin Games
Gaijin Games is an independent video game development studio, best known for their BIT.TRIP series of video games. The studio was founded in 2007 by Alex Neuse and is located in Santa Cruz, California.-History:Gaijin Games initially emerged in 2004...
and initially published by Aksys Games
Aksys Games
Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a video game publisher that specializes in translating and localizing Japanese video games for English-speaking markets. It was founded by Akibo Shieh in 2006. Some of its clients include Namco Bandai Games, Xseed Games, and Atlus USA. Aksys Games is best known for...
. It was designed by Alex Neuse, its art by Mike Roush, and its programming by Chris Osborn. Their publishing agreement with Aksys was formed due to Neuse's personal relationship with its president, Akibo Shieh, with whom the two of them had wanted to work on a game together before. Despite the amicable relationship with Aksys, the budget and development time were less than they would have wanted, though they put up with it due to their good relationship and the challenge of developing with those limits. Because of being only three people, the developers had to do more than what they normally would have to. Before its reveal, Gaijin released a teaser on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. Its title was originally 8-Bit Beat, though this was changed to Bit.Trip Beat. Early on, the developers could only afford one development kit, causing them to have to interrupt each other's work to use it. One of the first ideas made for the game was to give it an Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
art style.
It was initially proposed as "Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
with music". While described as being "not a big selling point" by Roush, the enthusiasm given off by Neuse convinced him to stay and work with him on it. Roush attributes the development of Bit.Trip Beat on WiiWare over competing services Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and PlayStation Network due to both coming off from the development of a Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game before it and Neuse's Nintendo fanboyism. Its development time spanned three and a half months. He explains that it was easier to switch from the DS to Wii than it would be to switch to an entirely different company's platform. Neuse noted music video game Rez
Rez
Rez, developed under the codename K-Project, Project Eden, and Vibes, is a rail shooter video game released by Sega in Japan in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a European Dreamcast release and United States PlayStation 2 release in 2002...
for inspiring Beat, calling it one of his favourite games of all time. The developers designed its controls with the intent of hearkening back to the era of "spinner controls" traditionally used in paddle games. Initially, they used several different kinds of controls, including having players control it with the d-pad
D-pad
A D-pad is a flat, usually thumb-operated directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern video game console gamepads, game controllers, on the remote control units of some television and DVD players, and smart phones...
, the analog stick
Analog stick
An analog stick, sometimes called a control stick or thumbstick, is an input device for a controller that is used for two-dimensional input. An analog stick is a variation of a joystick, consisting of a protrusion from the controller; input is based on the position of this protrusion in relation...
, and by pointing the Wii Remote at the screen. However, they eventually settled on holding the controller sideways and tilting it. Boss battles were added near the end of development; while Neuse did not want to feature them despite his love for the video game trope, he felt that the game could benefit from them. However, due to the short time spent creating them, he finds them to feel rushed, even though they add to the game. Neuse explains that, while wanting the game to remain open to interpretation, Beat shows CommanderVideo's journey from the ethereal
Ethereal being
Ethereal beings, according to some belief systems and occult theories, are mystic entities that usually are not made of ordinary matter. Despite the fact that they are believed to be essentially incorporeal, they do interact in physical shapes with the material universe and travel between the...
to the corporeal, ending with CommanderVideo becoming aware of himself and saying "I am only a man."
Near the end of development, the developers realized that they had mistakenly forgotten to localize the game, including error messages, such as those telling if save data has been corrupted. As such, they believe that they diminished its accessibility in other regions as a result. A bug, interpreted to be intentional, prevented the game from saving unless players achieve a high score. This only affected the North American version, as the other versions came out after it was fixed. A traditional patch was not easily accomplished on the WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
service, which Game Set Watch speculates drove them to their method of fixing it, which included putting up two save files that included high scores for the first two levels, thereby unlocking the third level.
Audio
Originally, the audio was intended to be entirely chiptuneChiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
; however, they realized that they should make the music more appealing to more people, making them change the style to simply chiptune-inspired. They outsourced the music to noted micromusician Bit Shifter. Bit.Shifter used Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
samples to compose the songs. Gaijin Games released the soundtrack for Bit.Trip Beat, which contains ten songs. While given a limited release initially, it was eventually given wide release on services such as Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3 is an online music store owned and operated by Amazon.com. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management from the four major music labels , as well as many independents...
, iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, eMusic
EMusic
eMusic is an online music and audiobook store that operates by subscription. It is headquartered in New York City with an office in London and owned by Dimensional Associates. As of September 2008 eMusic has over 400,000 subscribers....
, and others.
Promotion and release
It was published by Aksys Games for the WiiWareWiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
on March 16, 2009 in North America and May 1, 2009 in PAL regions. Arc System Works
Arc System Works
is a video game developer and publisher based in Yokohama, Japan. It was founded by Minoru Kidooka in 1988. Arc System Works is best known for its arcade 2D fighting game, Guilty Gear and its sequels.-BlazBlue series:...
published it in Japan on April 28, 2009. It was released for iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
in North America on September 30, 2010, where it was published by Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
. The iOS release was accompanied by an HD version of it for the same platform. Aksys also published it for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
through the Steam service on November 2, 2010 in North America. Because they had no money for marketing, they launched a viral marketing campaign, which consisted of the above-mentioned teaser video, screenshots, and a CommanderVideo web site, all of which were well-received; however, according to Neuse, the hype for the game died down too far before the game's release, which he feels hurt its sales potential. While a release for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
's Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
's PlayStation Network has been mentioned as possible in the future by the creators, they noted that it was difficult to accomplish.
Artist Mike Terpstra created two posters for the game, depicting Commander Video standing above a city. Bit.Trip Beat has been featured as part of a series of videos made by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
called "Developer's Voice", which shares "in-game footage and insight who worked on the title". After the release of the first demo of Bit.Trip Beat for WiiWare, Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games
Gaijin Games is an independent video game development studio, best known for their BIT.TRIP series of video games. The studio was founded in 2007 by Alex Neuse and is located in Santa Cruz, California.-History:Gaijin Games initially emerged in 2004...
CEO Alex Neuse claimed that the demo brought sales of the game up to their initial projections, later claiming that it needs to be played for players to understand it. A demo was released for the iOS version titled Bit.Trip Beat Blitz. During a Steam sale, Bit.Trip Beat was sold in the Indie Pulse Pack for $5.00, which included Audiosurf
Audiosurf
Audiosurf is a puzzle/rhythm hybrid game created by Invisible Handlebar, a personal company created by Dylan Fitterer. Its track-like stages visually mimic the music the player chooses, while the player races across several lanes collecting colored blocks that appear in sync with the music...
, Beat Hazard, Rhythm Zone
Rhythm Zone
is a record label in the Avex Records Group which releases all kinds of urban contemporary Japanese music.-History:The label was founded in 1999 by Max Matsuura to address the need for a new urban music label, signing M-Flo as its first artist, then followed by Exile.In 2000, Koda Kumi was signed...
, and The Polynomial. It was released on sale for $1.99 for the iOS launch. For Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
in 2010, Namco Bandai dropped the prices of both Bit.Trip Beat and Bit.Trip Beat HD to $0.99 each on the iOS. The Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
versions of Bit.Trip Beat were available for 10% off of $9.99 for the first week of its release.
Pre-release
Ars TechnicaArs Technica
Ars Technica is a technology news and information website created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Ars Technica is known for its features, long articles that go...
's Ben Kuchera noted it for being a quality title on the WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
service, which he states has been lacking in quality titles. He praised the trailer as exciting, while anticipating that it will be a "joy to play." Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
's Mike Fahey commented that it looked like a "blast to play." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Steve Butts commented that while its combination of Pong-like gameplay and rhythmic gameplay could result in people referring to it as "Pong Pong Revolution", it was hard not to be "captivated, tested and utterly exhausted" by it.
WiiWare release
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
, Bit.Trip Beat has received generally positive reception, holding aggregate scores of 80/100 and 80.15% on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, respectively. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Lark Anderson praised it for its addictiveness, music, and visuals; however, he criticized the number of levels, lack of online leaderboards, and for a confusing premise. Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
's Jonathan Holmes called it one of his favourite games of 2009. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Mark Bozon described the gameplay as basic, but fun. He also praised the aesthetic quality of the game, describing the music as "extremely well-composed and complex" and the graphics for successfully achieving an old school style with its visuals. He also named it one of the 15 best WiiWare games. Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
s Gus Mastrapa named it his fifth favourite Wii game of 2009, calling it "one of the biggest surprises of the year", calling it "hard as hell". It was well-received by Official Nintendo Magazines Simon Bramble, who described it as a "fresh take on Pong" and praising its value and aesthetics. However, he noted its few levels left them wanting, even though they were large and unique.
Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
called it "short and difficult", though praising the developers for its use of "rhythm and conditioning to such powerful effect." They also noted that the game could have improved if the three levels were broken up into several more smaller segments. In MTV Multiplayer's review of one of its sequels Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux, marketed as BIT.TRIP FLUX, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
, editor Jason Cipriano noted that while good, it was too difficult. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's Simon Parkin described it as a "brisk, radiant creation" as well as a "nostalgic celebration". However, he did feel that Gaijin was "struggling" to come up with ways to increase the difficulty by the third phase, citing a unique type of beat that obscured the screen to an extent with their "flair". NGamer
NGamer
NGamer is a British magazine which mainly covers Nintendo video game consoles and software, and also to a much lesser extent, Sony and Microsoft consoles. The first issue was released on 13 July 2006...
's Nick Ellis called it a "superb reinvention of Pong" and "unashamedly retro". While also praising the music and addictiveness, they criticized its high level of difficulty and eye strain that it may cause.
IGN's Lucas M. Thomas named it the eighth best WiiWare game, noting the fact that Pong creator Ralph Baer had played Bit.Trip Beat as evidence of its quality. He also compared it to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Art Style
Art Style
Art Style is a video game series created by skip Ltd. for WiiWare and DSiWare. The first game in the Art Style series, ORBIENT, was released for WiiWare in September 2008. Another two Art Style games, CUBELLO and ROTOHEX, were released during October 2008 while two more were added in 2010...
series, calling it addictive and a good value, but also brief. IGN also featured it as a part of their "WiiWare Showcase" series, describing it as a "quick trip to a catchy musical game." Authors Jeff and Steve Fulton noted Bit.Trip Beat as a good example of a "post-retro game". They later note that it isn't appropriate to call it Pong, as while it shares some elements, it is very different. They also noted that, sans the visual and audio enhancements, it succeeds as a post-retro game as being an idea that could have been accomplished on the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, but with the rhythmic premise, would make it impossible back in the day. Bit.Trip Beat was awarded with "The Michael Jackson Award for Best Video Game Music" by PC World
PC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
, praising the game's use of sound effects to enhance the music. By the first half of 2009, Destructoid's Chad Concelmo named Bit.Trip Beat one of the best games of the year, as well as four other Destructoid editors.
Later releases
The PC version has received fairly positive reception as well. Gamezebo described it as a combination of Pong and Guitar HeroGuitar Hero
Guitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
, commenting that the combination of Pong-like gameplay and rhythmic gameplay usually "works beautifully". While describing its gameplay as "simple yet addictive" and its aesthetics as "primitive yet beautiful", they criticized the game length, high difficulty level, and a lack of multi-player. They also noted that the Wii version was superior. Indie Games' Tim W. featured the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
versions as part of the web site's Best Of Indie Games feature. Fellow Indie Games editor Michael Rose strongly suggested buying it, describing it as a "far more insane" version of Pong. However, he did criticize it for having few, long levels that could be difficult for people who have difficulty keeping focus. Mobile gaming developer Zach Cage called Bit.Trip Beat one of his favourite games released in the past 10 years. IGN's Charles Onyett called it "fluid and creative", though deriding its high level of difficulty. He praised the game for its aesthetics, calling the music "catchy" and the visuals "irresistible" to long-time gamers, though feeling that the graphics can get distracting at times. He also praised the developers for the inclusion of online leaderboards.
GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
's Andrew Hayward praised the premise of the game as well as the iOS' touch controls. He also named it one of the 50 best iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
games of 2010. Gamezebo praised the iOS version for its aesthetics and gameplay and criticized it for its difficulty like they did with the Steam version; however, while it features the multi-player mode that they criticized the computer version for lacking, they criticized it for its "chaotic" nature and connection issues. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Levi Buchanan found that while it was aesthetically pleasing and fun, it was too difficult. Adrenaline Vault
Adrenaline Vault
The Adrenaline Vault was launched November 1, 1995 by gaming entrepreneur Angel Munoz. The site provides PC, console game and hardware news, previews and reviews. Once a large commercial website, Avault is now published primarily by a team of volunteers....
's Michael Smith recommended that iOS device owners buy it, citing quality gameplay, graphics, and music, the latter two he says are good even if certain players do not like 8-bit. While he typically advises readers to "try before you buy" when buying a $5 iOS game, he cites Bit.Trip Beat as an exception.
Ars Technica
Ars Technica
Ars Technica is a technology news and information website created by Ken Fisher and Jon Stokes in 1998. It publishes news, reviews and guides on issues such as computer hardware and software, science, technology policy, and video games. Ars Technica is known for its features, long articles that go...
's Ben Kuchera called the iOS version "near perfect". He described its "rhythm game meets Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
" style as working well on the platform. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
s Ryan Rigney featured it as one of their App Store Games of the Week of October 1, 2010. They called it a combination of music video game Audiosurf
Audiosurf
Audiosurf is a puzzle/rhythm hybrid game created by Invisible Handlebar, a personal company created by Dylan Fitterer. Its track-like stages visually mimic the music the player chooses, while the player races across several lanes collecting colored blocks that appear in sync with the music...
and Pong, praising Gaijin Games for mixing the old with the new. UGO Networks' Jason Cipriano called it addictive in their article on iOS games with achievements. Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
s John Mix Meyer listed it as one of the iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
's "10 Biggest, Baddest Games", commenting that while alone its elements were not strong enough to make a game, combined they are great. It was nominated for the Excellence in Audio award at the Independent Games Festival
Independent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
in 2010; it ultimately lost to Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a survival horror video game by Frictional Games, who previously developed the Penumbra series. Released for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux platforms, the game features an unarmed protagonist exploring a dark and foreboding castle, while avoiding monsters and other...
. Game Set Watch's Eric Caoili speculated that if Bit.Trip Beat is successful on the iOS platforms, that Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
may publish more of them.
Legacy
Bit.Trip Beat was the first in a series of six titles. It was followed by Bit.Trip CoreBit.Trip Core
Bit.Trip Core, marketed as BIT.TRIP CORE, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, which uses the d-pad to control the gameplay instead of motion controls. The third game in the series is titled Bit.Trip Void
Bit.Trip Void
Bit.Trip Void, marketed as BIT.TRIP VOID, is an arcade-style bullet hell rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service. It was first released in Japan in 2009, and later in North America and PAL regions in 2009 and 2010, respectively...
, which puts players in control of an 8-bit ball. The fourth game is titled Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner
Bit.Trip Runner, marketed as BIT.TRIP RUNNER, is an arcade-style 'rhythm game' developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service...
, the first game to put players in direct control of CommanderVideo. The fifth game in the series is titled Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate
Bit.Trip Fate, marketed as BIT.TRIP FATE, is an arcade-style scrolling shooter rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
, a side-scrolling on-rails shooter that again puts players in direct control of Commander Video. The final game in the series, Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux
Bit.Trip Flux, marketed as BIT.TRIP FLUX, is an arcade-style rhythm game developed by Gaijin Games and published by Aksys Games for the Wii's WiiWare download service.-Gameplay:...
, features similar mechanics and ideas to Beat, including featuring the same guest musician and its Pong-like gameplay. The developer attributes the return to this gameplay mechanic as Commander Video returning to "his simplest energetic state". However, it was designed to be easier than its predecessor, with no Game Over possible.