Let me start off by saying this type of game really has never been to my liking but i got talked into backing it on kick starter in 2014 by a friend so i thought id play the game and shoot out a quick review. With Amplitude Harmonix Studios returns to their PS2 Era Title which shares the same name as the new PS4/PS3 title but isn’t a remaster or Sequel but more of a reboot.
Game play Sticks with the classic Rhythm game play pressing correct button (Circle/Triangle or Square or L1, R1, R2) as the proper notes reach your ships “cross hairs” along with jumping to the correct paths or Instruments. Missing enough notes or Instrument segments will result in power loss & eventually “death” and you have to start the song over from the beginning. there are streak rewards giving you more points along with various “power ups” which include Sedate which slows down the song, Cleanse which clears a segment and restores broken streaks, Flow clears all paths for short time if done at right time can net a good amount of points. & Multiply which doubles the value of points for a limited time. a few levels also have barriers during the song where you have to have a certain streak going when you hit them or it will result in damage.
The Campaign has a very basic story which from what i got out of it is your trying to heal a damaged brain with some “experimental technique”. The Campaign is a short 15 songs regardless of the difficulty you are playing on, but the quick play and MP has 30 songs to chose from. Regarding Multiplayer Amplitude has a couple different multiplayer modes in addition to the traditional free for all. it includes 2v2 & 3v1 team play matches this can help balance out so an expert isn’t always beating the new comers and such. sadly though this is all local MP no online functions outside of leader boards is available.
The Verdict
Amplitude is a very Colorful & good looking game with excellent music. I didn’t experience too many issues other than for a couple levels in the campaign towards the end it seemed like the difficulty suddenly jumped on its own from beginner to almost expert and was making me fail a lot. I’m not sure if it was supposed to do that cause it seemed to go back to normal after or if it was a momentary glitch. While this game genre isn’t really my type i was still able to enjoy Amplitude and will continue to play it occasionally as a game to relax to and enjoy some good music. If you enjoy this type of game i would recommend you pick it up. with not experiencing any bugs or performance issues and having a great soundtrack, but lacking a real Online Multiplayer function ill give Amplitude a 8/10
Article written by Torey.
I’m a long time passionate fan of games, not gaming drama.