AVICII Invector Review
Initial release date: December 7, 2017
Developer: Hello There Games
Mode: Single-player video game
Publishers: Wired Productions, Hello There AB
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Genres: Music video game, Casual game
Links to Purchase
Nintendo Switch: https://amzn.to/2Si6Pyl
Xbox One: https://amzn.to/3ihACSm
"Review Code Provided By Wired Productions"
Hello There Games is an award winning indie studio that have released so many brilliant games over the years that continue to chart top. Years ago, they worked directly with the late AVICII (Tim Bergling) to create a video game showcasing his musical genius and impeccable gameplay. AVICII was heavily involved with the game’s development all the way up until his unfortunate passing due to his ongoing battle with mental health. Hello There Games continued on working on the game to honor his legacy and give back to his fandom with a game that Tim himself was very passionate about. The question now is does AVICII Invector effectively combine gripping gameplay with riveting music or does it not live up to the hype? Let’s find out
Gameplay
The gameplay is super smooth with you controlling a spaceship as you move left to right trying to make sure you hit each beat. Think Guitar Hero but with a spaceship since you use it to move to the designated area as you will need to press any of the face buttons when they show up on the lanes that you are on and when passing through rings you will need to press the shoulder buttons to hit that additional beat.
The objective is to string together long combos just as you would in Guitar Hero or Rock Band so that you can maintain a high score and keep your percentage counter up. You start each level off with 100% and as you miss beat and multipliers your score will start to drop and as your score drops so does your overall level rating which starts at an A rank and goes down from there.
You’ll have situations in levels where you have to move lanes then hit the corresponding face button to the beat and then hold down a button for a multiplier, and then press left or right to rotate the level and do it all over again. You gave the ability to boost through these sections to try and do them faster effectively speeding up the tempo of the beat of the songs.
You have a few difficulties to choose from ranging from Easy, Normal, and Hard of which changes the amount of button prompts to each level. Even on Easy the game presents a challenge as you’ll have sections having you switch button prompts and rotating the level all the while you’re probably zoned out to the awesome music.
As you progress through the levels you will unlock more and more music to choose from and play as each set of songs is dedicated to a different world/solar system consisting of fire, ice, and more.
Graphics
This game is a visual buffet of gorgeous. With so many brilliantly vibrant colors that just pop out of the screen at you and grab your attention. As you travel through each level you will be treated to surreal psychedelic backgrounds that react to both the music and your performance in the level.
Everything is crisp and vibrant as you move about the levels from the trippy backgrounds which remind me of the awesome visual music EQ of the old Windows Media Player from the early 00s. The spaceship looks detailed and crisp and even the various button prompts look detailed and easy to make out no matter what all is on screen.
The cutscenes that play in between completing so many levels are really nicely animated with the pilot having a punk rock/EDM look to her along with the spunky attitude to boot. Not a lot happens here other than either traveling to a new area or her having self-dialogue and or talking to the ship and her HQ.
Audio
This is the true highlight of the game because there is not one bad track in this game. The music really goes to show how much of an absolute musical genius Tim was as each song in the game is from his various albums over the years and showcases the diverse range of his musical ability.
As someone who is a musician, I can truly appreciate every song that was selected for this game as when I listen to the music I sometimes get pulled out of the game and enraptured in the music itself be it the songs that have a lyrical narrative or a song that is primarily instrumental.
It’s virtually impossible to not enjoy any of the music here.
There are cutscenes where the pilot talks and while they are entertaining; they ultimately do not last long and typically serve as transitions to other planets/worlds that you unlock as you progress.
Downsides
There aren’t any downsides to this game at all.
The Wrapup
I think at this point you’ve heard and seen enough of my review and you know where I’m going to go with this and that is to say that this game is one of the best games not only of 2020 but of the generation and one that YOU NEED to add to you your library. AVICII Invector has incredible music, gameplay, content to unlock, and is an all-around solid package that would be a shame if you passed up. Play this today!
The Verdict
Comments