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In an attempt to cover the dwindling number of "PS Vita" exclusives, this title is kinda cheating; originally an obscure game released in Japanese Arcades back in 2012, Arc System Works' "Magical Beat" was an interesting but tough-as-nails foray into drop puzzle / music & rhythm territory. It was later upgraded for the PS3 and PSV, though the Vita version was the only one released Internationally (as a download-only title). This is perhaps for the better as this game definitely works best as a quick pick-up-and-play experience; while the concept is simple, getting good at the game is anything but easy and this is the type of game I'd play for a few minutes over time, gradually trying to get better at it over a period of a few weeks. There is a casual setting for people who suck at puzzle games or rhythm games though if you're so inclined (more later).

The game utilizes a strange but fitting 8-bit aesthetic with cute characters and a bizarre post-apocalyptic (?) future setting where the world is mostly inhabited by creatures and cyborgs as humans are practically extinct and it's a little darker than it appears at a glance. Apparently, music has caused an all-out war for survival where "Beat Weapons" reign supreme. Those with an affinity for the beat can generate great power and are drawn to battle with other Beat Warriors. Who are these strange characters? Why are they fighting? How did the beats become so powerful!? Heck if I know, but the game is pretty rad in small doses.

The game is a relatively simple match-3 puzzle game with one important twist: players have to orchestrate their drops to the beat of the music. There are a variety of tracks in the game, each with their own BPM (Beats Per Minute) and there is a bar with a marker that swings back and forth for each player. Depending on the speed of the music, this marker's speed will fluctuate and the player has to release their drops (called Beatons) within the highlighted area-- the closer to the center, the better. There is also a metronome that can help players starting out with getting their timing just right and holding on to a drop for too long will make it break free from your control and disperse randomly (similarly to Waku Waku Monster). The music's mileage will vary; the tracks are of the "Vocaloid" variety and created by the famed "Nico Nico" celebrity and prolific sound creator, Kikuo. I personally think they're great and the tracks are diverse in both tempo and genre, but it's not for everyone.

If you need to get the hang of the gameplay, you can put on the "Training Wheels" in the options menu which will not penalize you for bad drops or being out of rhythm, and you may need it starting out... the game's difficulty is directly tied to its Arcade origins and speed of the music. The A.I. shows little mercy in the Normal Mode and the game's fiendish "Hell Battle" is the main game on steroids with an added drop type thrown in just to add insult to injury. The game is also unorthodox because while you match Beatons, they don't immediately leave the playing field-- instead, they get "ignited" for a few seconds and you have a brief window to attach more Beatons before they disappear. While interesting in theory, it makes your already limited playing field feel even more limited, especially if you have any kind of junk on your field from incoming attacks.

At the end of the day, the game is pretty cool, but it's better if you can afford the slew of DLCs that were released for the game, which include characters and music from games such as "XBlaze Code: Embryo", "BlazBlue", and "Guilty Gear" (which will set you back almost $25). The game even has its own "trap" character in the form of Serial-K, so if that's your thing, then more power to you. If you're a trophy hunter, then this game has what are arguably the easiest trophies to ever get in a PS game... at least if you have the U.S. or English Asian version. Curiously, these versions of the game have an exploit if you press L+R at the same time during a match to automatically win, but this will not work in the PS3 version or JPN/EU Vita game. The base game is $10 and can be purchased from your PSVita or PSTV. This is a video of the game in action showing the tutorial and assorted gameplay. Enjoy.

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