EGX 2015: Indie Showcase – Just Shapes And Beats
By Fraser G.
GameSided Staff Writer Fraser G. recently attended EGX 2015 in the UK, gaining access to hands-on previews of some of the hottest upcoming AAA titles and indie games. Our EGX roundup series has now concluded, but you can find links to all of our features below.
#1 Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Hands-On Preview
#2 Soul Axiom Interview
#3 Star Wars Battlefront Hands-On Preview
#4 Aaero Interview
#5 Rise Of The Tomb Raider Hands-On Preview
#6 Indie Showcase – Fire Fu
#7 Just Cause 3 Hands-On Preview
#8 Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Hands-On Preview
#9 Indie Showcase – Just Shapes and Beats
#10 HTC Vive Hands-On Preview
As I stood in a mass of humanity while waiting for the doors to open at EGX this year, I was presented with a video which focused on some of the highlights of the upcoming show.
Among the many indie games that were featured in this presentation was Just Shapes and Beats, a bizarre-looking mishmash of colors and flashing lights that was described as resembling “that seizure I had once” by one of the commentators on the video.
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- The Uncharted 4 Story Trailer Is Just Breathtakingly Beautiful
- Hitman Beta Impressions
- Street Fighter V TV Spot Shows Capcom’s Faith In FGC
- Far Cry Primal Receives Two New Juicy Trailers
Berzerk Studio’s description of the game reassured me that I was about to try something a bit…berzerk. “There’s going to be shapes, and some kick-ass beats, and you are going to die a lot.”
When I came across the game on the show floor, the resulting experience was just as off-the-wall as I had expected. We were told that the premise was simple – avoid the colored shapes on the screen. “Sounds easy enough”, I thought, but I wasn’t prepared for the sheer number of colors that would litter the screen in a barrage of light and speed, which is enough to make you laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all.
In fact, our team of four struggled to contain our laughter while playing the game, with levels becoming progressively harder over time. An ability to momentarily quick-dash through shapes with no penalty became an essential tool, although it certainly didn’t turn Just Shapes and Beats into an easy game. Coming into contact with a shape resulted in your character becoming immobilized and floating off the screen into the abyss, unless another member of your team could rescue you in time.
one of the shapes transformed into an animated monstrosity which swung its colored arms around the screen
As we progressed to the game’s final level, one of the shapes transformed into an animated monstrosity which swung its colored arms around the screen in time to the game’s pulsating beat, in an attempt to eliminate our team. We struggled with this task and had to restart multiple times, but when we finally disposed of the enemy, we all felt a sense of achievement and complimented each other on our teamwork. At least I think we did; maybe it was all a big colorful dream?
Just Shapes and Beats is set to release during the middle of next year, and Berzerk Studio are aiming to bring the game to a variety of platforms. For more information on Just Shapes and Beats, check out www.justshapesandbeats.com.