The Bit.Trip series is made by Gaijin Games and features several arcade-style rhythm games, each using the rhythm base differently. Before I get into the review portion of things though, I would just like to give an epilepsy warning. I have epilepsy and it has been many years since I’ve been affected by a game and had to put it away, but this collection did just that.

Bit.Trip Flux is the first game in the series I played. It is a game that plays out a lot like pong. Using your controller’s motion tilt feature, players will move a bar to deflect the approaching blocks that are coming from one side of the screen to the other. Flux keeps a great rhythm to it, and as you hit the blocks back they will give an extra note to the backing music. The lighting style of this mode shifts quite a bit. Sometimes it will change frequently, or other times it’ll linger on a random pattern.

Bit.Trip Beat is very similar to Flux, except the bar is on the left side of the screen instead of the right. Both Flux and Beat are great for keeping the rhythm going and offer checkpoints as player’s progress. Both have good lighting which does tend to switch from dull to bright at random times and can switch colours fast. Both game modes are equally relaxing, it’s just the lighting was an issue for me.

Bit.Trip Runner is a side-scrolling platformer, and players will have to jump, slide, and kick their way past the levels while collecting gold. There is also a bonus stage to play the classic version of a map after each level if you hit the gold unlock during the remake version. The controls are easy to learn, and you first load up they will slowly break down the buttons to use, starting with jumping before moving on to the others. The gameplay is a decent challenge as things get faster, so timing the jumps and slides become more critical. There are a lot of resets for player’s futures with Runner.

Bit.Trip Fate is a twin-stick shooter that still features the rhythmic feel, but it’s not as obvious with this title. Players are locked with movement, only able to travel forward and back, and taking fewer hits will offer you better upgrades while playing. There are unique power-ups that will show up during the levels, each changing the kind of projectiles used, like laser beams.

Each level ends with a boss fight, though in terms of difficulty, Fate was on the easier side of things, especially compared to other titles I have played. There are a lot of health pickups through the levels, so its failure is nearly impossible as you make your way to the boss.

Bit.Trip Void is what I would say the hardest out of the bundle. You play as a void, an orb that eats dots and grows, but you can only eat the black dots. The white ones will reduce your size. In this mode we finally have free reign of movement; up, down left and right, you will be drifting around the white blocks to gobble up the black dots.

Players can also pop to make their void small again, so timing is needed as the void does grow in size quickly, and to keep up a great combo of score you will need to pop at the right time to keep gaining points. The lighting for Void was not bad, though the outline of the screen does have a flashing rotation of colours that can be a distraction for people.

Bit.Trip Core sadly was the hardest for me to play due to my condition. I tried to push through several times after some rest but I wasn’t comfortable with the visuals of this mode as it triggered my epilepsy. Players will play as a cross in the middle of the screen and will need to fire a bar in the d-pad direction where flying blocks are to keep the beat going and boost the score. It’s when the combos start popping up where I found it hard to play, as Core uses a background animation the others didn’t have. The lighting changes and colour shifting hit hard and I was unable to think, let alone function with the gameplay. I apologize for that being the case and I’m sure Core is a fun game like the others.

Written by: Shane Walsh