The battle royale genre is so crowded with high quality and immensely popular titles that it’s virtually impossible to compete anymore – unless you come up with a completely unique concept. That is definitely the case for Headbangers: Rhythm Royale, a unique blend of rhythm, party and battle royale games – and it is launching into Game Pass, no less. Let’s open up this pit, shall we?
Bang your head
Despite my previous pun and the game’s title, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale doesn’t have much to do with rock or metal music, with the title most certainly being a play on the fact that the playable characters are funky, cartoony pigeons, not too far from the style of games like Fall Guys. And, indeed, that viral phenomenon of a multiplayer title seems to be the main inspiration behind this title, as the core formula very much reminisces said free-to-play phenomenon. 30 players enter the first of four minigames, with each phase eliminating a handful of them, leading into the final event where an ultimate winner is declared. But unlike most battle royales, players play in parallel games, not unlike the “99” series of games by Nintendo such as the recent F-Zero 99. In a series of rhythm-based minigames, players need to be as fast and precise as possible in hitting the correct notes, individuating the correct sound, and so on.
This happens in quite an impressive variety of game modes, all of which dictated by the sense of rhythm, coordination, memory, or even speed. Weird dance versions of “Simon Says”, where we have to replicate the freestyle rap or the yoga moves of a key character. Duels where the player who first presses the right button after a specific sound is played. Actual rhythm game segments where players need to follow the music and hit as many correct coloured buttons for the correct notes as possible.
There’s already 23 different minigames to choose from, with most of them having enough of a skill ceiling and objectives to fight for to warrant decent replayability. Further challenge is thrown into the mix during rounds, as players can activate random power-ups that end up annoying other players, with the screen being partly covered by distractions such as a dancing and singing pigeon or one sneezing onto the camera and leaving (fortunately cartoony and not really gross) snot on it.
One trick pony
That’s actually pretty much it, in actuality. There’s no campaign or any extra activity to speak of, so it’s all about hopping online in private or public matches and beating other opponents in these funky game modes. That could be a scary prospect for a paid multiplayer title in 2023, but fortunately there’s multiple aspects that should guarantee a solid shelf life for the game. The game launches day one on Game Pass, which should guarantee a healthy influx of players for starters. It has crossplay, so even PlayStation and PC players aren’t left out from any party, unless they actively choose to deactivate said option. And in case the game does end up with a sadly small playerbase? Lobbies are filled up with bots if 30 players aren’t found within a minute or two. Considering I was playing in the pre-release window with a limited amount of people online, most opponents I encountered were AI, but they were generally competent at many game modes, making it almost as fun as the real deal.
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale presents a funny, if by now fairly predictable visual style. Borrowing the very round shapes of the characters from Fall Guys, this battle royale brings cartoony pigeons to the mix instead. While the characters aren’t moved in the strictest of senses around the arenas, as the minigames either have them standing still or are moved via the button presses to the rhythm, their head can freely be bobbed with the right stick of the controller in various moments. Sometimes for pure comedic relief, other times to straight up activate bonus rounds or other shenanigans to make the minigames a tad more chaotic. These moves are also accompanied by the pigeons making noises that walk the fine line between cute and obnoxious, not unlike the sounds you’d hear from the Rabbids or the Minions.
As is
Inevitably, we have to talk about the game’s progression and (potential) monetization. As of now at least, the game features the traditional rotating shop, with daily and weekly items giving each customization item a sense of urgency. These range from extra colour palettes for our pigeon, various levels of clothing, full customes, glasses and more, offering for quite solid options for changing one’s look already. Right now, credits can be unlocked simply via playing, with the most common and rare items alike that can be just “grinded” towards.
Some of the cosmetics cost a fair bunch, and with the rotating items in store it can be a bit of a pain to lose out on something that’s highly desired, but it’s all cosmetic stuff anyway as of now. Given the game’s launch price about 20 bucks (or 30 for the Digital Deluxe Edition), a strange choice given its main competition is free-to-play games, at least there’s no pressure to spend further currently. Oh, and I mentioned the individual challenges for certain minigames earlier: completing those also unlocks various cosmetic items, including hilarious full costumes, so that’s worth chasing too for fans of the “bling bling”.
All in all, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale feels like the perfect online game for Game Pass, with hopefully a healthy population guaranteed by the many subscribers on the service, the presence of crossplay and even AI players to fill the gaps. The simple yet addictive gameplay loops feel like something worth revisiting from time to time, as hopefully the game’s so far limited variety will improve. Its got funny characters and hilarious competitive party game shenanigans, but it’s also a tad limited currently in terms of variety and depth for its asking price if bought separately.
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale
Played on
Xbox Series X
PROS
- Fun minigames
- Cute style
- Game Pass launch, crossplay and bots should make it playable for long
CONS
- Limited variety
- No campaign or any alternative game mode
