Jam out to classic KONAMI arcade tracks as a pianist, a guitarist, a bassist, or a drummer.
Calling all anime lovers! Konami Entertainment’s multi-instrumental VR rhythm game BEAT ARENA has finally made its way to the United States, allowing Oculus Quest and Oculus Quest 2 players the chance to form their own anime-inspired rock bands and perform various KONAMI songs in front of a roaring virtual audience.
Originally released this past March in Japan and Asia, BEAT ARENA lets you customize your own virtual rock star—including your hair, face, and accessories—and jam out to a catalog of adrenaline-pumping music using four unique instruments: Drums, Keyboard, Bass, and Guitar.
Similar to conventional VR rhythm games, BEAT ARENA has you using your Touch controllers to hit a series of corresponding notes as they fly towards you. In terms of multiplayer, there’s a neat feature called “Crossover Time Session” that lets you play alongside your friends’ performances asynchronously.
In addition to performing on stage, there’s also Replay Mode. This allows you to relive past performances from multiple angles and capture cinematic music videos directly in-headset. There’s also a tambourine which can be used to hype up the crowd for even more exciting performances.
While speaking to Oculus, BEAT ARENA Director Yu Sahara elaborated on what sets their title apart from existing VR rhythm games:
“Players can not only enjoy playing in a band as part of a music game, but they can also save their play data including the movement of the player’s avatar,” said Sahara. “By using play data, players can enjoy a “crossover time session” that lets them play as if they were having a jam session with a friend far away or with their own past play data. It is one of the main features of BEAT ARENA.”
When asked about their favorite aspect of the game, Sahara responded:
“My favorite part of BEAT ARENA is that players can freely watch their own playing or other players playing in replay mode. In addition to aiming for a high score as a music game, I also like that players can simply try various play styles for cool and unique performances.”
BEAT ARENA is available now for $29.99 in all countries where the Oculus Quest 2 is sold. In celebration of its global launch, Konami is releasing 10 additional tracks to perform, most of which are in English.
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Feature Image Credit: Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.
