Sonar Beat Switch Review

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While rhythm games can be somewhat of an acquired taste, the Switch has had a couple of gems in the vein of Crypt of the Necrodancer,  and its spinoff Cadence of Hyrule. For some reason, rhythm games have been few and far between. Sonar Beat is a low-cost, rhythm game that shares similarities to Activision’s famed Guitar Hero series to create a rhythm-based game that’s a great little distraction if you have a few gold points saved up.

So right off the bat, Sonar Beat doesn’t use licensed songs, so don’t expect to be vibing away to Rhianna or Beyonce, but what it does have is a chilled electronica pop soundtrack, that’s relaxing and has some really great beats that work really well with the vibe of the game. It’s highly recommended… or almost essential to use a headset while playing as the Switch’s inbuilt speakers struggle with the dull bass tones and beats unless at full volume, and it’s much easier to be absorbed in the game by drowning out the ambient noise of the outside world.

Gameplay is a unique concept, as beats appear on the radar and you have to press a button to match the beat as the sonar bead moves around the circle. At first, the concept is difficult to adapt to, but as time goes on you get used to how the game operates, as well as the beat of the songs (which are the levels), and becomes easier to play.

The game can be challenging and revolves around pressing buttons and the radar picks up dots. Time it well and the dot will be destroyed, miss it, and the dot will move closer to the center. If you have dots reach the center, that entire sector of the radar explodes, dealing damage to you and possibly leading to a game over. The premise is simple, but the execution is harder, and sometimes frustrating due to controls not lining up or sometimes not registering if you have a double-up on dots. In some instances, you need to press 2 buttons at a time to line up two dot hits, which doesn’t seem to work very well. I think this could have been drastically improved by moving hits to the bumper controls or allowing the player to map buttons to suit them slightly better.

It all looks very simple, and the effects are “okay.” There’s not much to talk about graphics-wise as you simply stare at a radar Doppler while matching up beats to the dots that appear. Each song slightly changes colours of elements but that’s about it. That being said, the game doesn’t have to rely on flashy graphics and effects and works well in Its current state.

Overall, Sonar Beat is a good value distraction for those looking for something a little different from the norm. It may not look like much, but its funky electro-pop soundtrack is relaxing, the gameplay is enjoyable despite some control frustrations, and for a price less than a can of soft drink, you really can’t go wrong.

So What’s it Like?

Sonar beat is what would happen if you played Guitar Hero on Modern Warfare’s Heartbeat sensor.