This game... man. I've got a lot to say so scroll down for a tl;dr.
Gameplay: If you've ever played piano tiles, you know what to expect here, except for swipe notes being a new addition. The frustrating part is the random input drops or delays while playing. Usually, this problem can be corrected by adjusting your offset or becoming better at the game, but that is not the case here.
Monetization: This has got to be the worst monetization scheme I've seen in a music game. It even puts the gacha rhythm games to shame.
1- The case system is your main mode of progression. Every time you beat a song, you get coins toward a time-locked case. Each one contains some amount of genre cards, which unlock a corresponding genre box, containing a song. The problem with this isn't really the timers (clash royale does a similar system) but the fact you cannot play while your three case slots are completely full. This means you can only play 7 full songs per session.
Unlimited Play is purchasable from the shop, but it isn't worth the price, in my opinion. You were able to earn Unlimited Play permanently by unlocking every free song in the game (excluding promotions) until this last update.
2- Deluxe Charts were a recent addition to the game, adding new, harder charts to existing songs with new gimmicks. The charts themselves play pretty well. However, the Deluxe genre box requires up to a max of 100 cards to unlock, with a halved card drop rate. Not only is this completely ridiculous, but it makes earning unlimited play even MORE arduous than it was before. Now you're forced to play even more for less cards.
3- There's a battle pass every month that introduces 9 new songs to the game, costing $10. 1 of those songs is free, however. If you miss a pass, you have to wait three seasons for them to be available in the shop. No, you can't buy the songs directly, you must spend gems for a CHANCE to get the tour pass song you want. Also, the tour pass does not give you unlimited play, for some odd reason. It's such an odd oversight, I can't see it not being intentional.
4- The song prices in the game are much more expensive than any other rhythm game out there. Most rhythm games rarely go above $1.25 or even $1.50 per song. Yet, beatstar has no problem going above $2.00 per song. Sure, it is not cheap to license all of these highly-popular songs, but $2.00+?
When most of a review talks about a game's monetization, there's a problem. Many more free (or cheap!) rhythm games exist on mobile. Even though they might not have these super-popular pop songs, it's a much better value for your money and time.
tl;dr
This is an average rhythm game in the style of Piano Tiles. The music is very mainstream with a few bangers here and there. However, the poorly coded hit detection and oppressive monetization model completely ruin the fun.
Gameplay: If you've ever played piano tiles, you know what to expect here, except for swipe notes being a new addition. The frustrating part is the random input drops or delays while playing. Usually, this problem can be corrected by adjusting your offset or becoming better at the game, but that is not the case here.
Monetization: This has got to be the worst monetization scheme I've seen in a music game. It even puts the gacha rhythm games to shame.
1- The case system is your main mode of progression. Every time you beat a song, you get coins toward a time-locked case. Each one contains some amount of genre cards, which unlock a corresponding genre box, containing a song. The problem with this isn't really the timers (clash royale does a similar system) but the fact you cannot play while your three case slots are completely full. This means you can only play 7 full songs per session.
Unlimited Play is purchasable from the shop, but it isn't worth the price, in my opinion. You were able to earn Unlimited Play permanently by unlocking every free song in the game (excluding promotions) until this last update.
2- Deluxe Charts were a recent addition to the game, adding new, harder charts to existing songs with new gimmicks. The charts themselves play pretty well. However, the Deluxe genre box requires up to a max of 100 cards to unlock, with a halved card drop rate. Not only is this completely ridiculous, but it makes earning unlimited play even MORE arduous than it was before. Now you're forced to play even more for less cards.
3- There's a battle pass every month that introduces 9 new songs to the game, costing $10. 1 of those songs is free, however. If you miss a pass, you have to wait three seasons for them to be available in the shop. No, you can't buy the songs directly, you must spend gems for a CHANCE to get the tour pass song you want. Also, the tour pass does not give you unlimited play, for some odd reason. It's such an odd oversight, I can't see it not being intentional.
4- The song prices in the game are much more expensive than any other rhythm game out there. Most rhythm games rarely go above $1.25 or even $1.50 per song. Yet, beatstar has no problem going above $2.00 per song. Sure, it is not cheap to license all of these highly-popular songs, but $2.00+?
When most of a review talks about a game's monetization, there's a problem. Many more free (or cheap!) rhythm games exist on mobile. Even though they might not have these super-popular pop songs, it's a much better value for your money and time.
tl;dr
This is an average rhythm game in the style of Piano Tiles. The music is very mainstream with a few bangers here and there. However, the poorly coded hit detection and oppressive monetization model completely ruin the fun.