Headbangers: Rhythm Royale sounds like a perfect combination on paper. The game can best be described as a Battle Royale game, comparable to a game like Fall Guys, but with mini-games that revolve around rhythm. The game was one of the big surprises at Gamescom and the game is now also available on the Switch. Does Headbangers: Rhythm Royale actually turn out to be a great game? You can read that in our review.
Recognizable formula
As you probably expected from a game influenced by the Fall Guys formula, Headbangers: Rhythm Royale offers fast-paced multiplayer games with a four-round elimination element. The elimination effect reduces the initial thirty pigeon players to twenty, then ten, then five, before the final players compete for the final win. Players familiar with Fall Guys will immediately recognize the setup, but that certainly isn’t a bad sign. This formula has already proven its success and Headbangers adds a rhythm element to it. In short, the game currently offers 23 mini-games that all have something to do with rhythm. When you start playing, one mini-game will be randomly selected each round. And let’s be honest, the mini-games are a lot of fun to play. The setting with pigeons in combination with bizarre mini-games will quickly put a smile on your face. There are mini-games where you have to imitate a fitness instructor to the music or quickly guess animal sounds or instruments.
Practice makes perfect
When you first start playing, some mini-games can be quite challenging, sometimes even difficult to understand straight away. So assume that you will certainly not finish among the top ten in your first playing sessions. Fortunately, practice makes perfect and after a while of playing you will notice that you are getting better at the various mini-games. 23 mini-games may not sound like much, but it is an excellent number that can easily be mastered this way. In addition, this is only ‘season 1’ and there will be other mini-games in the future. In this first season I have hardly seen a mini-game that is not fun to play and almost all of the games are almost hilarious. The mini-games become increasingly difficult as you play and where you get points for correct timing and button pressing, you can also get penalties. But whether you win or lose, your character levels up as you play and you can unlock all kinds of things, such as new outfits and music.
Online only
In my review so far I sound quite positive, but after a few hours of playing I quickly had the feeling that the game could have been more than what it is. This is mainly due to the complete lack of an offline mode. Headbangers can only be played online, possibly with a friend. It’s a missed opportunity because it makes the game feel somewhat limited with only an online experience and no additional modes. Especially because the game is not free-to-play and you have to pay almost 20 euros for the game. Fortunately, the crossplay works well and finding fellow players is easy. When you start the game you can be in a game within a few minutes. The play sessions also run smoothly, which is nice!
There is little to complain about in the audiovisual field. Headbangers has a simple but effective look. The crazy pigeons, together with the funny voices in the game, quickly put a smile on your face. The mini-games look well-organized and each have appropriate music and voices.
Conclusion
One thing is certain, Headbangers is simply very entertaining to play. The mini-games are fun, the game looks great and a playing session starts quickly. Still, the lack of an offline mode is a missed opportunity. With several seasons on the way and the fact that Headbangers has only just been released, time will tell how the game will develop and how long Headbangers will remain fun. Regardless of the missing offline mode, Headbangers is off to a good start!
+ Funny setting puts a smile on your face
+ Minigames are fun to play and often very funny
+ Crossplay works well and a playing session can be started in no time
– Only playing online feels like a missed opportunity
– This makes it quite on the pricey side for what you get
DN Score 7.5
2023-11-04 17:48:37
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