2004 · Arika · Rhythm

Technicbeat

PlayStation console exclusive

This is a game where you have to use your sense of rhythm to pass the levels with 85 different songs.

Released: 2 November 2004
Platforms: Arcade PlayStation 2
Genres: Rhythm
Developers: Arika
Publishers: Mastiff
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB E
Languages: English, Japanese
Composers: Shinji Hosoe

About

Technic Beat (テクニクビート, Tekuniku Bīto) is an arcade music video game developed by Arika. It is a sequel to the PlayStation 2 game Technictix. The PlayStation 2 version of Technic Beat was published in North America by Mastiff. It was released in Japan in 2002 and the United States in 2004. In this game, players select a song from a preset list and then "play" their chosen song using their on-screen character.

›Story

Technic Beat lets you create, alter, and dance onscreen to your own music. First, you must listen to music represented in the game by concentric rings of sound. Once you pick up the beat, you can dance into the middle of the rings to try to "catch" the music. If successful, you'll achieve the power to manipulate the sound rings to create entirely new music. As you progress through each level, you'll be rewarded with new visual displays, power-ups, and bonuses.

Keywords

dancing
anthropomorphism
polygonal 3d

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Most of Technic Beat's gameplay takes place on a square-shaped area called a "stage". During gameplay, circle-shaped "markers" appear on the stage. When these markers first appear, a small circle appears in the center of each marker and then expands like a ripple toward the marker's outer edge. The player's goal is to "activate" all the markers that appear by placing their on screen character on top of the marker and pressing a button when the marker's inner circle overlaps its outer edge.

Each marker that appears on the stage corresponds to a note or set of notes in the player's selected song. If the player successfully activates a marker, it will play its corresponding note(s) and then disappear. If the player does not activate a marker before the marker's inner circle has expanded past its outer edge, they are considered to have "missed" the marker, and the marker will disappear.

Reception

The PlayStation 2 version received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 32 out of 40. IGN gave it a favorable review over a month before its U.S. release date.