If you like old school arcade style games like Asteroids, Galaxian, and Galaga, this is a great new take on the genre. Waves of enemies that are determined by the music you choose as well as the power of your weapons make a cool addition to this play style.

Though never mentioned, this game seems like it wants to be the next Audiosurf. It would be easy to believe. However, what you get is a game of Asteroid with sensory overload, and only the absolute minimum of music influence on the gameplay itself. Never once did I feel like the gameplay matched the flow of the music, and the entire music aspect of the game could be perfectly replicated by making a plain old asteroid clone, muting the music, and opening Winamp before playing. The price tag is far to high for this. If you want to play a pretty version of Asteroid, then consider this when it comes down in price. There's no real criticism for actual gameplay, but there's no real compliments either.… Expand

I'm enjoying this at the moment. Intense shooting fun for a low low price. As the other reviews have said the music doesn't have a massive impact on game play, the only exception being hitting a boss fight in the quiet bit, so your guns are useless! The music browser is a bit slow and you can only seem to scroll though rather than search for a specific track (I have a large music collection). It's pretty intense and also quite pretty to look at. Easy to pick up and hard to master as all games should be. At the moment I keep coming back for more. How long this will last I don't know but for less than the price of a pint I've already had good value for money.… Expand

Asteroids + Music of your choice + Steroids = Beat Hazard What a nice, small game (only coming up to around 40mb on the HD). If you're looking at a large campaign game, you wont find one here. This is one of them "I need a quick crack on Beat Hazard" moments ... or maybe "I need something to do for 10 minutes" If there was something similar, it may be put beside Stardust (on the Amiga), just, in short manic bursts. The great thing about this one is that you can add any music from your library (mp3 / wma) and play. If you actually make your own tunes, how about playing em in a game? ^-^/ You could for example have a lil competition with your friends to see who can get the best score on a song you like- or something. As said before, it is a short-lived game, as there is no campaign, there are also only a few types of enemy.... The "upgrades" you get are in game power-ups, once the song finishes you start from 0. If they would have included a campaign / story mode where you could upgrade your ship somehow, (think Gradius, or maybe Transplant (Amiga) and then add a few extra baddies... perrrfect! Ah, there is also a simultaneous two player mode which I haven't tried yet cos the wife doesn't like the games and I have no friends ;( + Graphics MANIC FLASHY FLASHNESS + Music BEATS HARD AND LOUD! + Play YOUR music - No campaign - Short lived… Expand

WOW... with the new update installed beat hazard has a whole new feel to it. I have been playing this game since the steam treasure hunt (way back then), and up until now i would've rated beat hazard around a 7-8 good fun gameplay but repetitive. with this new update (NOT BEAT HAZARD ULTRA) the game has a whole new element of how to play. I love the perk section, the game engine seems to reflect the way your music now performs and there are new achievements. Beat hazard IS a really fun game that i recommend… Expand

Never seen such a banging thing !! If you like bombastic graphic and music effects, and don´t want to spent money on a new heartbeat-maker, it´s the right game to play. 10.000 Volts and after-burning Fireworks. So its´even 11 to 12 ! I got luckily it for less then 2 Euro-Bugs on Steam, but it´s worth more than 10. Even with sunglasses on, your hormones will be heavily updated !… Expand

While they whole notion of "PLAY WITH YOUR MUSIC" seems quite interesting to look at, that's pretty much where it's job ends. It does little to affect gameplay, apart from the fact that your bullets are stronger in more intense sections of the song. Plus, given the deliberate seizure inducing visuals (which are somewhat pretty) and the fact that you must pay an extra dollar to get iTunes m4a support, It doesn't seem much like a worthy game, more like just some Asteroids clone with music. Your music. Probably only good for short bursts, before you collapse to the floor in a fit.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I find it funny that; in our language, words or even entire phrases can mean things that are entirely different from their literal meaning (often leading to rude connotations.) Take for instance “Beat Hazardâ€�. If I say, “I’m playing Beat Hazardâ€�, it doesn’t mean that I am smashing Hazard’s head in with a dirty great crowbar, it means that I’m actually playing a flashy music rhythm game by Cold Beam Games. This said game is a modern take on a classic arcade game called Asteroids in which you play as a ship in the middle of the screen with the objective of destroying and avoiding the path of enemy ships. The difference is, each level that you play is driven by a music file which you select beforehand with things such as bullet fire rate, background effects and enemy formations being affected by the rhythm and volume of the song. Sounds weird doesn’t it? So is it any good… well read the review and find out! Rather than have a main mode in which you unlock new levels and side modes, Beat Hazard is a game which is a lot more laid back in terms of how can and can’t play. There are three main modes in Beat Hazard. The first, which doesn’t have a name allows you to simply pick a song and try and make it through the duration of the song. Survival is the second main mode in Beat Hazard, which has you select an album and try and survive for as long as you can within it. The last, Chill Out Mode, is similar to the first mode, however there are no restrictions on your amount of lives – you can just keep playing for as long as you like. It might also help to add that whenever you play in a mode, you gain experience points, which allow you to gain newer ranks. Every time you advance to a new rank, you will gain a new ability. I must admit, that for an indie space shooter, Beat Hazard is actually surprisingly addictive, and coupled with its bright, fireworks style seizure inducing visuals, it can make for a good few wasted hours during a massive sugar drive. Although I believe that Beat Hazard is one of the better games of the Indie Beat Pack (which I will explain about in a later blog post or video,) it does have several minor issues. There isn’t very much variety to the ships and bosses and the game is also a little bit on the easy side in my opinion, as hardcore is really the only difficulty setting that actually made me seriously think about my actions and tie them in with the rhythm of the song I was playing. Don’t let these minor faults put you off though, based on what I have played of the genre, Beat Hazard is certainly an above average game, in that unlike most music rhythm games, it doesn’t have any major flaws which spoil the game, however I will say that none of its features wow’d me either. To finish off, if you’re a music rhythm or arcade nerd, I would highly recommend Beat Hazard, however if you are not one of those things, I would recommend you try the demo first.… Expand

Beat Hazard it's a game for a 15 minute break. Don't get me wrong, that's actually an upside! Such productions are not made to engage player for long hours of gameplay - it's not even possible with this one, because of it's overloaded visuals. I would compare it with Audiosurf - that's logical, but those games have very less in common. Of course, your mp3's create levels in both games, but Beat Hazard is a classical space-shooter, like Asteroids. It's rapid, flashy and punishes you for every mistake... and yes, visuals are very intense. That's why it's perfect for 15 minutes break - your eyes won't get tired. Unfortunately, developers could really spice up some features.. and they did not. Your music has very questionable influence on your game - sometimes it kinda catch up, other times it fails totally. When you use more advanced perks (you unlock them when clearing songs) and turn the difficulty up, it seems to match the music in a better way... but still, it's not so precise as Audiosurf. In conclusion - pretty nice game, for all arcade shooter fans. Grab it when there's a discount and be sure to buy the "ultra" edition, with many more perks to unlock and new enemies.… Expand

This game is HIGHLY addictive. It seemed cool on steam so i decided to buy it, not noticing I have discovered a masterpiece in music games. I have never like asteroid type shooters before, but this game creates a amazing spectacle of lights and is greatly influenced in the song. I have a ton of music on my computer so this game is just endless enjoyment and the songs it came with were also very good. One of the greatest purchases I have ever made.… Expand

If you like listening to music while inducing photosensitive seizures, this is likely the right game for you--it is seriously visually intense. Combine Asteroids and Robotron together and you've summed up the game play of Beat Hazard. In addition to achievements and perks, the game offers single player, coop, and versus elements to keep it from getting stale. Music is typically supposed to be relaxing...this game is anything but.… Expand

This is one of those games that has some flaws, but I really like it. Using your own music to influence the gameplay is great and makes for some very vibrant scenes.

Beat Hazard is a neat idea that hasn't quite pulled it off. I like this kind of 2d-space-shooter thing and I love music, so I thought I would like this a lot more. But it ends up feeling like AudioSurf's rambunctious little brother. The biggest problem is that it's too damn bright and flashy. As in, it actually hurts my eyes to play this thing for more than a few minutes. Everything seems to have bright white sparkles and bursts. It's ridiculous. Even with the brightness settings turned all the way down, it's annoying. I shouldn't need sunglasses to play a video game. Once you get past that, it's just not that great at mapping the gameplay to the music. Audiosurf does a good job of making fast songs fast and crowded while slow songs are more leisurely. Beat Hazard just doesn't seem to differentiate the songs as much. Maybe it depends on what sort of music you put into it, but it wasn't working for me. On a positive note, the "earn points to unlock things" is kind of neat and one way to make players want to come back for more. Long story short, if you can get past the obnoxious flashing of the screen and really, really want to shoot some spaceships and asteroids while listening to your music, it might be worth the $5 or so it costs when it's on sale. I personally don't recommend it, though.… Expand

Beat Hazard is amazing. I never actually owned a game that plays like BH before, not sure if Space Invader counts, but BH provided me with countless hours of fun while listening to some of my favorite songs. The boss fights were interesting, and evading the countless enemy units that filled up my screen while shooting as much as I could, was entertaining. While I have not explored the entirety of the offering of its expansion aptly named Ultra, the few bosses I encountered, and even grunt units, now upgraded with more weapons and some really annoying abilities like a tractor beam turned my former experience of a smooth ride into a much more challenging experience. So kudos to the developers for these changes.… Expand

This game is simply awesome. I love the concept games that play to my music, but most of them are simply not that entertaining. Beat Hazard is clearly my favorite out of all the music based games I've played. The new DLC for it makes it multiplayer, which is insanely fun (as long as they have some of the same songs as you), and the perks system is nice.

The music you choose greatly influences the difficulty of the game. Which makes this game very flexible for those who are looking for a distraction, or a light flickering challenge. With the option of playing with a friend or stranger online, this game constantly offers unique challenges when playing alone or with a friend and is definitely worth the $10 dollars.

Beat Hazard by itself is a decent game. If you're a music lover, you will enjoy it. If you're an arcade game lover, you will enjoy it. However if you splurged a little extra on the 'Ultra' DLC, it becomes an awesome game. There are a couple modes, all of them fun in their own way (as long as you're not an epileptic), and the game itself is incredibly intoxicating.

I played the demo for about half an hour. Then I had to wait another half hour to write this review because my eyes couldn't adjust to the relative dimness of my regular monitor brightness. The game was so bright and flashy that I literally could not see it, even after turning down the brightness. Even on slower songs (which really differ very little from their upbeat counterparts) the game spawned massive amounts of enemies which felt like they really had no place there. The effects were cool when I could see them, and the game felt very modern Asteroids-esque, and listening to my music whilst playing was fun, but I might as well turn on iTunes for that eh? Not a horrible game but just go buy Audiosurf instead.… Expand

Beat Hazard Classic is a masterpiece! one of my favorite games of all times! If you love music do yourself a favor and play this super fun super cool game

Yes this game is really awesome .A perfectly game the multiplayer have small bugs but this is nothing . AudioSurf vs Beat Hazard = Beat hazard win :D

This game is worth the buy. Visual effects are gorgeous. A must play if you like these types of games. I hope you like to upgrade things because in this game you got a lot of choices to choose from at the start.

THE REASON, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. UNIQUE CUSTOMIZABLE MUSIC SELECTION, ENEMY AI IS EFFECTED BY THE MUSIC CHOICE AND Addictive. At first glance the game doesn't give much potential, boy was i wrong. The intensity, of some of my own song choices, were utterly insane and challenging. A song you wouldn't think to be hard was and vice versa. Buy now and be impressed with enjoyment of your own music. CDO

This is a great little game. I love to listen to music and have a lot of great stuff on my PC. I don't listen to it as much as I would like as I am usually doing other things, frequently more than one thing at a time. When playing Beat Hazard I get to listen to my favorites songs while playing a truly fun top-down space shooter that reacts to the music itself. Wonderful experience. Highly recommended.… Expand

Beat Hazard is a procedurally generated game based on your music. It does a good job with it, with big flashy explosions, gunfire, enemies and more during high points of the music, contrasted by slow enemies (after the balance patch) and weak gunfire during the lulls. Featuring generic space-based enemies, Beat Hazard does leave a lot to be desired graphically and atmospherically. The overly flashy effects (literally FLASHY) is an annoyance to some gamers, but I enjoyed it and thought it added tension; there is order to the chaos on the screen - it just takes some experience to recognize it. The gameplay is a straight-forward bullet-hell shoot-em-up, featuring a single level-clearing powerup and smaller cumulative weapon strength powerups. Beat Hazard is by no means easy, but eases the difficulty with a simple level-up system, which takes dozens of hours to max out. The enemies are easy to understand, from path-following suicide ships, to crumbling asteroids, to player-seeking armed ships and to the behemoth dividable boss ships. If there's one thing Beat Hazard lacks in gameplay, it's not the fast paced adrenaline-filled action, but the lack of diversity in weaponry, enemies and powerups. Overall, Beat Hazard is a great attempt at an action-music game, with a huge advantage in being able to use your own music library. Highly recommended to fans of indie games or anyone who craves a throwback to arcade games of the 80's.… Expand