Bit.Trip Complete

Game Info

It’s sad to say that the Bit.Trip series parallels so many other games that fall under the radar with most mainstream gamers. Thanks to the corporate muscle destroying it with the FIFA’s, Call of Duty’s and Assassin’s Creed’s of the world this school of salmon has been swimming upstream for some time… or can we thank the crap Wiiware service for never bringing its quirky awesomeness to light? Let’s stop pointing fingers and instead point you in the right direction.

Bit.Trip Complete consists of six Wiiware titles that can individually be downloaded from Nintendo’s online service, should you feel like paying more (and cheat about where you stay in the world) you’re welcome to do so. It’s a complete turnaround to the days of old where 8-bit sprites, a high score and exceptionally addictive gameplay would be enough to plonk you legs-folded in front of your telly for hours. All six the games are based on rhythm-action formulas of sorts and all hinges around one gameplay mechanic.

Bit.Trip Beat, the first title that was released by Gaijin and one of the most addictive, is in essence a non-stop version of Pong against an off-screen tennis ball machine. On the left you’ve got a paddle that moves up and down by literally turning your Wii remote up and down while holding it the classic way in your hand. Bit.Trip Core sees sprite bocks streaming in from an X/Y axis and it’s up to you to press your D-pad in the intended direction followed by quick stabs of the 2 button to activate the block. Don’t be fooled, it’s simplicity creates some of the toughest challenges in the series. Bit.Trip Void has a black Sprite growing in size as you collect other black sprites (or beats in this case). As it grows it slows down and becomes an impossible task to avoid the white sprites – which in return shrinks it back to the normal size.

Bit.Trip Flux is in essence the same thing as Bit.Trip Beat, only that the sprite blocks flow in from the left of the screen. Bit.Trip Fate is the most involved as you have to use the nunchuck’s analogue stick to steer Commander Video (the awesome crazy mascot) on a set path while aiming with the Wii remote to destroy any enemies in sight. Things also get more exciting as soon as you collect a powerup that changes Commander Video’s ammunition, just like in top-down shooters. Did we mention that Super Meatboy is one of these powerups? Lastly we have Bit.Trip Runner. It’s a very basic on-rails platformer. You can’t decide at what pace you’re doing it and it’s up to you to adapt with super fast reflexes by jumping, kicking, gliding, sliding, blocking or activating a spring block as the retro landscape passes by. The levels are all rather short but the gradual difficulty increase will subconsciously convince you that you’re the one sucking – not Commander Video.

If you ever planned to sample the best of what’s available on Wiiware then this is as good as it gets – and to reward for taking a chance it comes bundled with the complete soundtrack as a bonus! It’s a trip back in history that will remind you that an addictive game always beats processing power. Bit.Trip Beat that graphic whores!