Soundfall

Soundfall has an enticing hook of action role-playing mixed with rhythm sensibilities, but fails to capitalize meaningfully on either of them.

Soundfall plays like an extended pop album, each level a three minute burst of music that initially fizzes and delights. Yet playing on repeat proves shallow. The music is killer, but the gameplay is filler.

Landing itself somewhere between a twin-stick shooter and a rhythm game, Soundfall feels like it's not really doing one or other of these particularly successfully. Saved by an incredible soundtrack, Soundfall has the potential to be a really incredible game with an exciting concept, but is let down by repetitive gameplay and a weak story.

Soundfall is interesting and original, but stumbles in its execution. The marriage of rhythm gameplay with a twin-stick shooter is a rocky one, and it's hard not to think this would be a stronger game overall if it were focused solely on either the shooting or the rhythm elements. It can work harmoniously, but also causes frustration when its two halves pull you in different directions. Yet despite its clumsy moments, we'd still give Soundfall a solid recommendation, as its diverse and catchy soundtrack, RPG-esque character progression, and high replayability make this one easy to love. It maybe could've used more practice, but Soundfall overall delivers a strong performance.

Soundfall does quite a few things right. Its loot and shoot design set to a lot of good music is commendable. The tracks included in the game are of a wide variety and even if you get through the entire game, the ability to play levels to your own favorite music is pretty great (on PC). The problem is… Soundfall’s gear and enemies just aren’t all that compelling. The music and rhythmic gameplay are good enough to carry a lot of this game, but I can’t help but wish it had a more rewarding variety of gear to look forward to and enemies that didn’t quickly end up feeling like repetitive drones. Even so, if you can get down with a good rhythm action game alone or with friends, Soundfall might be worth it whether you play to its soundtrack or bring your own.

Soundfall is a superb game that manages to marry several different genres together.

Soundfall is a treat for musically inclined gamers, but its weak mechanics hold it back.

Soundfall is a glorious blend of music and twin stick shooting, and demands to be played for the soundtrack alone.

I like Soundfall and feel it is worth the $30 price tag on the Switch. For a game that includes a series of around ten stages with ten levels each, there is a lot of content to devour. The game is pretty long, but I can play a level or two within a few minutes since most of the songs aren’t longer than four minutes. You should play this game if you like rhythm games, RPGs, and games where everything fits nicely and snugly into each other.

The idea behind Soundfall is intriguing, but the execution falls flat too quickly. The rhythm game hybridization works most of the time, and it's probably its best feature, but the RPG elements tossed in just to add some more depth to an intrinsical arcade genre might not suit everyone's tastes. At the end of the day, the low production values and the general repetitiveness of the experience are what really stand out, and that's just disappointing.