Beat Saber is a bit of a phenomenom in the world of the vidya games right now, taking most kids of my generations dreams of wielding a pair of lightsabers, adding some thumping music and making a game out of it. Beat Saber is the brain child of the folks at Beat Games, an indie game studio based in Prague, and has the player slicing red and blue blocks that come screaming at you in time to the beat of the music. A simple premise, but it makes for an extremely fun gaming experience, and has you feeling like a Jedi knight.
Even if you look more like Dark Helmet from Spaceballs…
This review will be a little bit different than the other fitness reviews I’ve done, as it is first and foremost a game, and not an exercise piece of software. So I will be reviewing this from two different angles, how it is as a game, and how it is as a exercise program. Because swinging your arms and dancing around your living room is not only embarrassing to you and your loved ones, it builds up a good sweat.
Look out, Daddy’s dropping the Bass again!!
Part 1 – The Game
The premise of the game is a simple one, you put on a VR helmet, hold a PS Move controller in each hand (one for red light saber and one for blue) and some red and blue blocks come at you in time to the music. Blocks will have an arrow on them pointing which way to cut through them, and there are some specialty items like land mines, and shining orange structures you have to avoid as well. Slice through the blocks and your combo builds up, while misses and wrong cuts will deplete your life bar. Lose too much life, and the game is over. The tutorial does a fairly decent job to get you up to speed, and you’ll be light sabering it up in no time.
The PS move controllers and headset track fairly well, but there can be occasional tracking hiccups if other bright light sources shining at the camera. This is not a problem with the game, but with the technology the PSVR uses versus the higher quality Oculus and Vive sets. However, the PSVR comes in at a lot more affordable then the other systems, and for the most part its tracking is very serviceable. You move your head or arms, and it moves correspondingly in the game. Before starting, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got plenty of space around you, as you’ll be jumping left and right to avoid walls, all while swinging your arms around erratically…and you don’t want to connect with junior who’s running through the room after his ball.
As simple of a concept as it is, this game really gets fun right…even as it gets harder, you constantly find yourself going back to try again, and will find yourself getting better. And even when you’ve failed a level, you’re having a great time doing it, and restarting a level never seems to be a punishment. The solo campaign will keep you busy for quite some time, but the real meat and potatoes is pushing yourself to get better, as all songs have a global leaderboard, as well as a friend leader board. And when you get to the higher levels of difficulty, the challenge shoots through the roof. The game also gives you a fully customizable practice mode for each song, where you can slow things down as much as you want and start at any point in the song. After some consistent practice, you’ll find everything a lot less overwhelming.
The graphics are simple, but very bright and colourful. The game does a great job of making you feel just like you are a Jedi at a rave. The songs list is extremely well suited for the rave-ness look of the game, with a boatload of electronic dance original tracks by Jaroslav Beck. There have also been music packs released by Green Day, Imagine Dragons and Monstercat, all available for purchase as add-ons. I kept finding myself wishing for lightsaber wooshing sounds, but I imagine Disney would come down on that with ALL the lawyers, so I get it…
The Mouse Sent Us
The Verdict
Beat Saber is more than just a fun game, its an amazing experience that can’t really be expressed until one has tried it. It has become the go-to game for when I want to show someone VR for the first time, and has never failed to showcase the medium. There’s also loads of meat here to the game, especially now with the extra track list. I can’t recommend this enough as both a game experience, and an ambassador to the VR gaming experience.
I rate this game, and my prostate exam….a 10!
But, can it also be used for a workout program? With all the wiggling and flailing around, can you burn off some of that extra jigglypuff gut? Time for…
Part 2 – The Workout
The short answer is, absolutely yes! A big thing with other “games” that are used for fitness, is the fact they feel like you’re working out, and things tend to drag on. Whereas with Beat Saber, you’re having such a great time playing the game, that you begin to lose all track of time, just like you would in any other well made video game. It’s easy to keep doing “just one more time” to try and beat that track, and before you know it, you’ve been playing (and exercising) for an hour or two.
Another huge plus for the game as an exercise tool, is the ability to be customized for the type of exercise you are aiming for, just by changing skill levels. On easy and normal, you can get a great low impact workout for those who have mobility or pain issues, while at the higher levels you’re getting a full on hardcore cardio experience. I found myself sweating like just gone for a fast paced run, without all the monotony of…you know, actually going for a run. Never mind the fact that living in Canada makes running a very seasonal experience anyways…what with all the frostbite…and the polar bears and such…
Tired after a long day of chasing Edmontonians….
So to sum up, this game is great, both as a game AND as a workout tool. And on top of that, it usually is about half of the cost of whatever the newest Call of Duty is. So if you have a VR setup, I can’t recommend it enough, and if you don’t, find a friend or co-worker, or even a nemesis who does and give this a try! This game is good enough to sell you on VR as a whole, and just might drive you to finally make that leap and pick up one yourself. Or, it might make you want to live your life long dream and become a rave DJ. Follow your heart fellow gamers, I’m not here to judge…unless you’re one of those neck bearded hippie kids. Then I will continue to judge.
Rob Leggo really is a swell guy, once you get to know him. 20 years in the telecom industry has given him the social skills of a hermit however, so he spends a lot of his spare time with those “vidya games.” He’s a husband to a wife who is WAY too good for him, and a loving father to 3 wonderful kids.
The Grumpy Old Gamers 
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