Soundfall is a game all about rhythm.
These aren’t games about making music, but saving the world to the beat.
That’s your task in Soundfall.
Shoot or dodge off the beat and the action will fail.
Most action games have a sort of internalised rhythm, but in Soundfall it’s explicit.
Hypnotic, even - your ears as hyper focused as your eyes, determined to maintain a combo.
Eventually I was tapping through the menus in rhythm too.
The beat is infectious and so is the soundtrack, comprising music from real world artists.
Each comes with its own challenge too.
If the script’s musical puns grate, it’s at least all presented with charm and clarity.
Animated scenes provide some welcome flair.
Yet where the core hook is sound, the theme lacks variation.
Sonically Soundfall is a whirlwind tour of genres and mixes, but its gameplay soon becomes repetitive.
Bullet sponge enemies lack variety and never force a change in strategy.
The lack of climactic end-of-level boss fights means there’s no rise and fall.
There are multiple characters to play as too, with unique artefacts and overdrive moves.
Yet they collectively share experience and weapons, so play too similarly to each other.
There’s little instrumental colour between them.
Disappointingly, then, Soundfall’s gameplay is one note.
Difficulty rises through the number of enemies, but rarely in musical complexity.
Soon that constant beat feels rigid and restrictive.
There’s no room for improvisation or syncopation.
The colourful worlds and brilliant soundtrack mask an all too simple dance.
Perhaps Soundfall’s biggest misstep is a lack of creativity.
Isn’t that what music is all about?
There’s no impact to your actions, no musical effects.
Miss a beat and you miss your shot, but the music continues regardless.
For a game all about music, there remains a disconnect between soundtrack and gameplay.
Perhaps that’s why Soundfall ultimately rings hollow and dissatisfying.
Yet playing on repeat proves shallow.
The music is killer, but the gameplay is filler.
