Random Video Game Review - Beat Saber

For many of us, the pandemic and what's happening in the world generally has made us resort to escape this reality and enter the virtual one. Most of you know that during the lockdowns (and yes I am referring to them as that because there was more than one of them), the gaming industry boomed in terms of how much it's worth because many of us played video games during that time. Now its felt like a long time since I last reviewed any VR game. Part of that is down to my old headset having unsolvable tracking issues, which led me to sell it off for spares and repairs. Recently I bought the Oculus Quest 2 (or Meta Quest 2 if you prefer) which I got to say, is much better in terms of how easy it is to set up compared to the Rift CV1 (which was my old one that I had since launch). Plus I have been intrigued by this game which feels like those old Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, but is quite different in a way. Let's take a look:

As the name implies, Beat Saber is basically a game about slashing beats or notes that come your way in the time of the music. Five levels of difficulty exist, which start from Easy and go up to Expert+. You as the player wield two glowing sabers (left being red and right being blue initially) and must slash each block to the rythum of the beats in the song as they come by. All while avoiding obstacles such as mines and massive see through blocks. Although most levels would have you slash blocks in one direction, other levels may have you slash them all around you, with just one saber instead of two and many other ways to play. Most blocks usually have an instruction on them as to how you slash them, with the arrow pointers indicating a certain direction and circles meaning you can cut it any way you want. Some levels have no instructions at all, so you'll have to guess for yourself. Also, much like with the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, if you miss a certain amount of blocks or cut them in the wrong way, the level will finish early with a simple "You Failed" screen. In addition to a campaign mode, you can also play with friends online, compete on the leaderboards and even take on songs on your terms while also enjoying DLC songs from well known artists and bands such as Lady Gaga, Panic! At the Disco, Imagine Dragons, Linkin Park, Green Day and Billie Eilish.

After playing this for a while, I can see why it's so popular and has gained a following. It's a lot of fun, reminds us of those days with the band peripherals (which I understand is no longer a thing sadly) and its attempts to combine arguably the best Star Wars weapon with music just seems to work well. It's good fun with some challenges and a great way to get fit too if you are trying to lose some weight or whatever. 9/10