Chumps Preview is a special kind of post where we unofficially preview games in Early Access, Beta, or are otherwise “unfinished.” This kind of preview is meant to be a first impression rather than a definitive review where we provide a rating to determine a game’s value. As such, we fully expect a game covered in a Chumps Preview to have room for improvement, some bugginess/incompleteness, and other features associated with similar games in the category.
Over the past few days, we were given an opportunity to preview Headbangers: Rhythm Royale for the PS5. We participated in the closed beta, meaning we had access to a handful of its minigames. Our experience is but a slice of what Headbangers will offer players later this month when it releases on Steam, Switch, PS5, and XBOX.
At first glance, Headbangers reminded me quite a bit like Fall Guys. It is adorably goofy and involves pigeons galore. No. It’s straight up goofy. They’re PIGEONS! While waiting for a lobby to make, I was able to control my pigeon’s neck and wildly swing its head in any direction I chose. The pigeons made adorable noses quite unlike the typical coo-cooing of the pigeons near me, but who wants realism? Pigeons in jumpsuits and cowboy hats are much more fun, y’all. This kind of approach is great for a battle royale title because it avoid taking itself too seriously and reminds players to have fun. Being eliminated in a minigame doesn’t feel bad when the minigame itself is bonkers.
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale is a battle-royale style game where the player gets pitted against 29 other pigeon-players in a series of four rhythm minigames. I was able to experience 11 of the minigames in the closed beta, but there will be 23 minigames available at launch. The minigames I played were mainly Simon-says, memory-based, quick-react, and some classic rhythm game-esque sequences of tapping buttons along to the beat.
The rhythm game aspect seems innovative, fun, and are great in short bursts – great for a short gauntlet of playthroughs yet great for repeat attempts. I personally loved the games that required me to tap along to the beat because of how well it reminded me of the DJ Hero and Guitar Hero games of the past. The Simon-says titles testing my memorization and sound identification are approachable and don’t require me to have a good Internet connection/sound latency. However, the quick-react minigame gives me pause. One minigame puts players into pairs into a quick-draw sequence. A placard of an animal/object is shown, and then players are bombarded with a litany of other sounds. The first player to recognize the sound on the placard and press the button gets a point. Rhythm titles often involve latency checks during setup because of how each person has a different sound setup. While the game strongly recommends you to use a headset, I still am concerned that this specific type of minigame may be unfair to some types of players over others.
I made it the final minigame several times. Of course, this was because nearly three quarters of the lobby was comprised of bots and the remaining ten human-pigeons (including me) were other beta testers and the final round involves ~10 players. I wasn’t able to win, but I made it close! Regardless of how I placed, I still felt pretty good and interested in playing again. I was rewarded with pass experience and currency to purchase cosmetics for my pigeon.
Thinking back to my experience with Fall Guys, I remember being frustrated with the movement of the little dudes and its platforming physics. Luckily, there’s no platforming and weird physics in Headbangers, but I can imagine that some less-rhythmically-inclined players may struggle with the minigames at first. Rhythm games aren’t most folks’ cup of tea (even though I wish they were).
At release, Headbangers is set to be sold for ~$20. Admittedly, I’m concerned about its monetization model because of how folks will be asked to pay for the base game and future battle passes. I’m unsure how much the passes will cost each season, nor do I know what seasonal content may look like. However, Fall Guys shifted entirely to the F2P model a few months after release; it wouldn’t surprise me if Headbangers follows suit.
Because this is a Chumps Preview of Headbangers: Rhythm Royale, I’m unable to assign it a score right now. I’m curious as to what the full release brings, be it the remainder of its minigames, the seasonal content, and its monetization strategy. I’m curious as to how Glee-Cheese will reward its players to keep them playing the game, too. The current minigames are fun, though. Very goofy. Very silly. Not serious at all. Good signs for a battle royale title.
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale is a fun, quirky, yet worthy competitor to Fall Guys with more feathers. And headbanging, lots and lots of headbanging. It remains to be seen how the rhythm battle Royale encourages a thriving player base while rewarding longtime players who stick with it and bob their heads to the beat.
