BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Developer(s)Awe Interactive
Publisher(s)Awe Interactive (Windows)
Playtonic Friends (consoles)
Director(s)David Jones
Designer(s)Josh Sullivan
Composer(s)Sam Houghton
Joe Collinson
Reuben Hawthorn
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
ReleaseWindows
September 15, 2020
PS4, Xbox One
October 5, 2021
Switch
September 8, 2022
Genre(s)First-person shooter, rhythm, roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is a roguelike rhythmic first-person shooter developed and published by Awe Interactive. The game incorporates elements from rhythm games and roguelikes. It was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2020, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in October 2021, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2022.

Gameplay

The game is a first-person shooter, in which the player assumes control of a Valkyrie, who must combat various monstrous creatures across different realms. The player can choose from ten characters, each of whom has their own unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses.[1][2] Similar to rhythm games such as Crypt of the NecroDancer, the players must use abilities, reload, and shoot their weapons on beat of the game's heavy metal background music. As with many rhythm games, each successful beat match boosts a score multiplier, while their guns will misfire if the player loses the beat.[3] The game features dungeons that are procedurally generated, and the player must defeat seven different bosses in order to finish the game.[4]

Development

The game was developed by Awe Interactive, which was a two-person team based in the UK. The game was inspired by early first-person shooters such as Doom and Quake, while some of the gameplay mechanics were influenced by Crypt of the NecroDancer and Cuphead. Originally the team wanted to use music from various artists, but they decided to work exclusively with Sam Houghton and Joe Collinson after hearing their work.[5] The game is powered by Epic Games' Unreal Engine, and used assets from their cancelled project, Paragon. One of Paragon's characters, Sevarog, appears in the game.[1]

The game was published by Playtonic Friends, the publishing arm of Playtonic Games, the developer behind Yooka-Laylee. The game was released for Windows on September 16, 2020.[4] The game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 5, 2021, and was released for Nintendo Switch on September 8, 2022.[6][7]

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the Windows version received "mixed or average" reviews while the PlayStation 4 version received "generally positive reviews".[13][14]

References

  1. ^ a b Wood, Austin (September 15, 2021). "The best character in Epic's cancelled MOBA finds new life in rhythm FPS BPM: Bullets Per Minute". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Chalk, Andy (May 2, 2020). "If Doom was a rhythm game it might look a lot like Bullets Per Minute". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Parrish, Ash (September 16, 2020). "BPM: Bullets Per Minute Is A Shockingly Fun First-Person Rhythm Shooter". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Morton, Lauren (September 16, 2020). "Rock rhythm FPS Bullets Per Minute is out now". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Making it in Unreal: tying the knot between Doom and metal in BPM: Bullets Per Minute". PCGamesN. November 10, 2020. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Phillips, Tom (September 15, 2021). "Retro rhythm roguelike BPM: Bullets Per Minute arrives in October". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on October 7, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  7. ^ "BPM: Bullets Per Minute coming to Switch on September 8". Gematsu. 2022-08-25. Archived from the original on 2022-08-25. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  8. ^ "BPM: Bullets Per Minute for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  9. ^ "BPM: Bullets Per Minute for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2021-10-07. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  10. ^ Kemp, Luke (18 September 2020). "BPM: Bullets Per Minute review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  11. ^ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (22 September 2020). "BPM: Bullets Per Minute review – Doom meets Rock Band in a pulsing retro blaster". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  12. ^ McCrae, Scott (2022-09-08). "Mini Review: BPM: Bullets Per Minute - A Ripping Roguelike FPS, Metal But Muddy". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  13. ^ "BPM Bullets Per Minute for PC reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  14. ^ "BPM Bullets Per Minute for PS4 reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.

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