Bit.Trip Complete Review

By Games Master for Games Master Magazine Subscribe now!

Have you experienced the retro delights of Gaijin Games' Bit Trip series yet?

Probably not we'd wager, because until now they've been marooned on the starved-of-attention WiiWare service. But hopefully this boxed compilation will open the series up to a wider audience, because these charmingly abstract games deserve to be played.

The Bit Trip series consists of six very different rhythm-action games, each of which hinges itself around a single gameplay mechanic (such as jumping, shooting or collecting). Beat is our favourite by far - imagine a persistent game of Pong against an off-screen tennis ball machine and you've got the idea.

If for whatever reason that doesn't grab you, you can be sure one of the other titles will, such is the variety on offer here. Void (avoid white dots while noshing down on black ones) and Runner (a cheerful but brutally tough obstacle course) are amongst the office favourites, but in truth there isn't a duffer in sight.

Tying the games together is an attractive retro aesthetic that changes dynamically in response to how well you're doing. It's a simple but effective hook that'll keep you plugging away.

If you've yet to sample the fruits of WiiWare, then this collection of retro gems is as good an introduction as you could possibly want.

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