If you didn’t already know, the launch of Hyperbolic Magnetism’s Star Wars-themed rhythm game, Beat Saber, went down very, very well.
Beat Saber sold 50,000 copies during launch week, the studio confirmed on Twitter over the weekend. The game launched in Early Access on both Steam and the Oculus Store, so this total likely pulls from both of those sources. Notably, it made it into the top five sellers on all of Steam in less than 24 hours after launch, so it definitely did well on that platform. According to the tweet, the game hasn’t sold past 100,000 copies just yet.
Beat Saber sold 50.000 copies in the first week! That’s INSANE, guys!
We’re not too surprised to hear of Beat Saber’s success; we loved it when it tried it out for an Early Access review. “Now with Beat Saber, we’ve finally got that in an ultra-stylish package complete with glowing laser swords, banging music, and super addictive levels that are nearly impossible to put down,” Games Editor David Jagneaux wrote.
Currently Beat Saber consists of 10 songs that the developer implemented, but there’s a lot more to come. For starters, players can now create levels based on their own audio files, though there’s not a way to properly share them online just yet. Hyperbolic Magnetism is also looking for new music from artists to integrate into the game as DLC. You can also expect a PlayStation VR (PSVR) launch for the game at some point.
Beat Saber is a rhythm game that plays like an embodied puzzle game which creates a visceral connection to 10 custom music tracks. It’s similar to Soundboxing and Audio Shield, but you use extended lightsabers rather than your fists, which makes you feel like a ninja. I had a chance to talk with the chief programmer Jan Ilavsky and music composer Jaroslav Beck at GDC about the development of Beat Saber, some more details about their scoring algorithm, and where they’re taking it in the future.
LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE VOICES OF VR PODCAST
I had a chance to get early practice with the beta version, and I played for an hour a day over the course of a week. It’s an extremely satisfying game that I expect will have a lot of crossover appeal for people who have never tried VR before. The LIV mixed reality streaming integration means that you’re going to be seeing a lot of Beat Saber videos in the next few weeks of people sharing their perfect runs, flow states, and expressions of personality through dancing. Beat Saber really utilizes the best aspects of embodied gameplay that is completely unique to VR, and there is a challenging puzzle aspect with the arrows dictating which direction you need to swipe.
Beat Saber players will be able to create their very own levels very soon, but that doesn’t mean developer Hyperbolic Magnetism isn’t on the hunt for new music to integrate more officially.
The official Beat Saber Twitter account yesterday put out a call for original music demos. Artists can email their tracks to demo@beat-games.com for a chance to have their content released as an exclusive track for the game via DLC. The studio noted that it’s not looking for remixes or mashups here (for obvious reasons): it wants original music. It’s also not clear how Hyperbolic might compensate artists for their content right now.
As with the existing game, these tracks will serve as the foundation for a flurry of notes that will fly towards the player as they listen to them. Players must then slash these notes using one of the two lightsabers they hold in their hands, making sure colors match up and the direction of the swipe correlates with what’s shown on the note.
Currently Beat Saber only features ten songs in its Early Access release, so it will be great to get some more official content even if we don’t yet know if we’ll have to pay for it or not. An update arriving this week will let players get to grips with an alpha version of the creator, though it won’t feature any kind of online sharing hub just yet. You’ll need to download and share levels manually to do that.
Pretty soon you’ll be able to make your very own Beat Saber levels.
Hyperbolic Magnetism’s addictive rhythm action game only released in Early Access last week, but VR fans have already sliced and diced their way through the game’s 10 tracks. Players are hungry for more, and it looks like the developer will give them exactly that; a recent tweet confirmed that more information on the game’s level editor would be released this Friday.
Soon we will release alfa version of Level Editor. You will be able to create your own levels for your audio files. Since this is really an alpha version, no simple sharing will be available. We will share more info on Friday. #StayTunedpic.twitter.com/pqaH04MbOt
Not only that, but the team’s Jan Ilavsky then confirmed that the editor itself would ‘probably’ launch this Friday, though it could be even sooner than that.
Probably friday, but maybe sooner. As soon as it is ready:
As the original tweet notes, this will be an alpha version of the game’s level editor, so don’t expect it to work perfectly just yet. Still, you will be able to take your own audio files and build tracks around them, so you’ll finally be able to swing your sabers to the Imperial March. There won’t be an online sharing hub just yet, but you will be able to export levels to manually share between friends.
Still, it’s a pretty promising sign that the team behind the game is serious about supporting it in the run up to full launch. Beat Saber is already something of a hit with the VR crowd, shooting to the top of Steam’s top sellers after launching last week. Alongside the level editor you can expect to see the developer build a bigger single-player mode as well as new gameplay options and more officially integrated songs.
Beat Saber, the VR rhythm game in Early Access that made its way to the top spot on Steam this past weekend, is getting a level editor soon that will let anyone build and slice away to whatever music they like.
Developing studio Hyperbolic Magnetism released word of the level editor in a tweet yesterday, saying that not only would it be available “soon,” but that there would be more information coming on Friday, May 11th.
Beat Saber currently only features 10 songs, each with four difficulty levels. The addition of the Level Editor would be a boon to repeated playability in the short-term as the game continues Early Access, although it’s uncertain still if the studio will actively promote sharing levels due to copyright issues.
The developers already endorse a community-built song injector, and unofficial 2D and 3D level editors, although these are admittedly less user-friendly than having a native, in-game option available to the casual player.
Some modders have already taken to the community-built tools, building custom levels using commercial music such as Imagine Dragons’ song Believer (seen below).
Beat Saber, a new VR title for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, has become the highest rated Steam game on Star Wars Day. Although not affiliated with Star Wars, the inspiration is clear, and the achievements fits the day.
Das VR-Rhythmusspiel Beat Saber wurde erst kürzlich veröffentlicht, doch bereits wenig später überlegen sich die ersten Spieler Modifikationen des Gameplays. Der Twitch-Streamer Ragesaq entwickelte jedoch keinen Software-Mod zum Spiel, sondern behalf sich mit einer simpleren Methode: Ganz nach dem Vorbild des Laserstab schwingenden Sith Darth Maul bastelte er sich eine Konstruktion mit ProTubeVR und den Oculus Touch Controllern, um die Schwert-Enden im Spiel zu verbinden und dadurch ein Doppel-Laserschwert zu erhalten.
Beat Saber im Stil von Darth Maul erleben
In Beat Saber zerschlagen die Spieler mit Laserschwertern anfliegende Blöcke passend zur Musik. Dafür kommen beide Controller zum Einsatz, die jeweils das linke oder rechte Schwert kontrollieren und die farblich passenden Blöcke signalisieren. Die Entwickler beschreiben ihr Spiel als eine Mischung aus Guitar Hero und Fruit Ninja mit Laserschwertern.
Der Twitch-Streamer Ragesaq streamt regelmäßig VR-Shooter auf seinem Kanal und verwendet dafür ein spezielles Controller-Setup, bestehend aus Modifikationen mit dem Produkt ProTubeVR. Beim Spielen der spaßigen Neuveröffentlichung kam ihm eine interessante Idee: Warum nicht das modifizierbare Setup auf das Musikspiel übertragen und in die Fußstapfen des Doppel-Laserschwert schwingenden Antagonisten Darth Maul treten?
Das Ergebnis seiner kreativen Konstruktion präsentiert er daraufhin auf Reddit und beschrieb dabei seine Erfahrungen: “Ich hatte die Idee, einige meiner ProTube-Teile für das Spiel umzufungieren und ein Doppel-Laserschwert ganz nach dem Stil von Darth Maul zu basteln, was wesentlich besser funktionierte als erwartet!”
Image courtesy: Ragesaq
Wie das ganze Ingame aussieht, zeigt er ebenfalls in einem VOD, das er mit dem Mixed-Reality-Captore-Tool LIV aufzeichnete:
Beat Saber ist für 19,99 Euro auf Steam für Oculus Rift, HTC Viveund Windows VR-Brillen sowie im Oculus Store erhältlich. Was haltet ihr von der Idee und welche weiteren Mods könnte man zukünftig in den VR-Titel integrieren?
If you haven’t heard yet, the hyper-addicted VR rhythm game, Beat Saber, is finally out which means you can slice and dice boxes with arrows on them like a pro now on Rift or Vive. It’s not a full launch, just Early Access, which means there are only a handful of songs and one game mode, but it’s already one of the very best VR music games around.
We’ll be livestreaming Beat Saber on PC using Rift with Touch starting in about a half hour as of the time this is being published (which means we’ll start at approximately 12:45PM PT) and aim to last for about an hour. We’re going to use Restream from now on to hit both YouTubeand Twitchat the same time!
Growing up, I was a DDR kid. I was never good enough to draw a crowd at arcades, but I could hang on most songs on any difficulty level and even owned a pad at home with several PS2 versions. After that I moved on to Guitar Hero and eventually Rock Band to scratch that rhythm game (and rock star fantasy) itch, further proving that it’s impossible to look cool with plastic instruments.
When Audioshield came out, I was a fan, but I’ve always felt like games that automatically generate levels based on any random song you pick just never feel as polished or cohesive. What made DDR and Rock Band great is how handcrafted and precise everything was. Now with Beat Saber, we’ve finally got that in an ultra-stylish package complete with glowing laser swords, banging music, and super addictive levels that are nearly impossible to put down.
The basic premise in Beat Saber is that you have two light saber-esque laser swords (one red and one blue) that you must use to slice boxes to the rhythm of the music. As the boxes approach they’ll either be red or blue in color, so you must slice the box with the right corresponding color saber. This is complicated further because each box also has an arrow showing you which direction you must slice it, plus large obstacles show up from time to time that you need to evade while still slicing boxes.
Throw in a handful of other curveballs like boxes that switch which side they’re on and it’s a perfect recipe for a game that’s dead simple to pick up and play on easy difficulties but nearly impossible to master on the highest settings.
In its current state Beat Saber only has 10 tracks. That isn’t very many, but every single one of them was custom-made for this game and each of them does a magnificent job of really bringing out what makes Beat Saber so addictive and fun.
Beat Saber works because the developers clearly put a lot of care into mapping each song to make sure it felt just right on all four (Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert) difficulty settings without being unfair. They’ve all got different speeds and beats per minute, ensuring that there’s something here to draw everyone in at least for a while.
Playing a song on Beat Saber for me usually involved a few different steps of mastery. I’d try it on Normal first, just so I could hear what it sounded like without much challenge. Then I’d step up to Hard and repeat it over and over until I got either a solid B or an A. Finally, I’d try and tackle the song on Expert and do my best.
If you miss too many boxes, slice them with the wrong saber, slice the wrong direction, or run into obstacles then all of those factors drain your energy meter. In order to get a higher score you’ve got to maintain your combo (that means not missing any) and — most importantly — you need to be accurate with your swings, making sure the angle is precise and you’re hitting the arrow on each box.
That sort of pixel-perfect accuracy isn’t a big deal on the lower settings, but when you’ve got a dozen boxes flying at you in all directions it becomes a bit harder to pay attention to the angle of your saber. Before I ever finished a single song on Expert I had finished all of them on Hard, which makes me feel like the difficulty curve is balanced — but not forgiving.
What It’s Missing in Early Access
Since this is an Early Access game, it’s important to talk about what’s missing and will hopefully be added later. For example, with only 10 songs, you can blow through that track list, beating most all of them on at least Hard, in a single afternoon. Mastering them on Expert takes time, but it gets repetitive. The only game modes are an arcade-style Solo and a pass-the-headset-style Party Mode. We’d love to see a campaign (which is mentioned on the Steam page) as well as more robust multiplayer features.
The developers have also planned to release a level editor that would allow players to upload custom-made levels for any song they’d like. This would dramatically expand the amount of levels without falling victim to the auto-generation trap that hinders other rhythm games like Audioshield.
Final Score:TBD
Since this is an Early Access game, we are not issuing a final score. The game is still in development and is not officially “finished” so we are withholding final judgment. However, in its current state, we absolutely recommend Beat Saber wholeheartedly.
Das tschechische Entwicklerstudio Hyperbolic Magnetism verkündete kürzlich die Veröffentlichung des VR-Rhythmus-Spiel Beat Saber im Early Access, das an eine Mischung aus Guitar Hero und Fruit Ninja mit Lichtschwertern erinnert. Ab dem 1. Mai 2018 ist der VR-Titel für Oculus Rift, HTC Viveund Windows-VR-Brillen auf Steam und im Oculus Store erhältlich. Eine Veröffentlichung für PlayStation VR (PSVR) soll zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt folgen.
Beat Saber – Ab 1. Mai im Early Access für PC-Brillen erhältlich
Im partytauglichen VR-Titel Beat Saber dürft ihr zum Lichtschwert greifen und mit rhythmischen Schwertstreichen Blöcke passend zur Musik zerschlagen. Das innovative Musikspiel erlaubt euch mit einem Controller diverse Musik-Level zu bewältigen, indem ihr eure Fechtkünste gegen anfliegende Blöcke einsetzt und dadurch je nach Musiktitel die richtigen Klänge auslöst. Beidhändigkeit ist währenddessen gefragt, denn die Farben eurer Laserschwerter signalisieren euch, welches Schwert den entsprechenden Block zerschneiden muss. Zusätzlich gibt es Hindernisse zu beachten, die neben den korrekten Zielen anfliegen und für einen erhöhten Schwierigkeitsgrad sorgen.
Zum Startschuss am 1. Mai enthält der Early-Access-Titel einen Arcade-Modus mit diversen Musiktiteln, der sowohl für Einsteiger wie auch für rhythmuserprobte Spieler geeignet sein soll. Die Entwickler erstellen jedes Level selbst per Hand und passen die Abschnitte detailliert an die entsprechenden Songs an. Zukünftig sollen weitere Spielinhalte mit Updates hinzugefügt werden. Dazu zählen ein Singleplayer-Modus mit Missionen und Herausforderungen, weitere Musikstücke sowie ein Level-Editor zum Erstellen eigener Spielabschnitte mit den eigenen Lieblingstiteln.
Beat Saber ist ab dem 1. Mai für ca. 20 Euro auf Steam für Oculus Rift, HTC Vive und Windows-VR-Brillen sowie im Oculus Store erhältlich. Besitzer einer PlayStation VR (PSVR) müssen sich derzeit noch gedulden. Die Veröffentlichung auf weiteren Plattformen soll laut den Entwicklern erst zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt erfolgen.
