Review: BPM: Bullets Per Minute

Beats, Bullets and Carnage!

Title: BPM: Bullets Per Minute
Platform: PC (reviewed)
Developer: Awe Interactive
Publisher: Awe Interactive
Release date:
PC: September 15th
Consoles: 2021
Tl;dr: It’s like Doom had a child with Rock Band as you battle through waves of monsters to a rocking beat!
Price: Currently unknown.
Family Focus?: Click here for more information

In the 2000’s, early 2010’s rhythm games ruled the living rooms of many gamers with the likes of Rock Band and Guitar Hero. You and your friends jamming out on plastic instruments with the speakers on your TV turned up full blast with your neighbours inching ever closer to calling the cops to file a noise complaint. Rhythm games were the go-to party games with many a drunk college weekend did we all stay up until the early hours until the very last person dropped. Then, silence, the world put down their plastic guitars, pack the drumkits away and wrap the cable around the microphone until suddenly they remained nothing but a memory.

Fast forward to the present day, rhythm games have had somewhat of a revival but not with the plastic instruments of yesteryear but through mixing other genres with rhythm! Earlier this year, we saw No Straight Roads, an action RPG fused with a rhythm game and I loved it. Today, however, I’m here to talk about BPM: Bullets Per Minute, a roguelike FPS that combines itself with a rhythm game to create something akin to Doom, but instead running around gunning like a madman whilst tearing the heads off demons, you must shoot, dodge and reload to the beat of the soundtrack.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is no joke as I found out as I proudly strutted into the game thinking I was going to be godlike at the game. I died instantaneously. I’m not kidding, a bat hit me three times and I woke up in a completely different room much like other roguelikes when you perish and with a brand new map for you to explore. Steadily, I gained an understanding, I grew accustomed to the beat after I slapped on a pair of headphones.

I still died a lot but that’s due to my disability that makes aiming in FPS games a struggle. For those who don’t know, I suffer from tremors in hands, something I picked up from my old man however, that does not put me off, if anything it makes me more determined. As you make your way through the game, you can acquire all sorts of goodies including weapons, abilities, and items that give you a whole different playstyle each time you play.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute puts you in the shoes of an all-powerful Valkyrie as you fight against the forces of evil that threaten Asgard. As shoot, dodge, and jump to the beat of the soundtrack, you will encounter all sorts of nasty monsters until you can face-to-face with your arch-enemy, Nidhogg!

The graphics for BPM pretty especially if you love the colour palette of Hell with lots of oranges, reds, and darken shades of blues and greys after all you are against the hordes of Helheim. The enemies have a bunch of variety from the traditional bats and skeletons to the more in-depth designs of demon octopi or sword-wielding undead pirate sorta guy. Plus, the soundtrack is like Doom and who doesn’t like Doom soundtracks with heavy beats and the soundtrack as it is literally the core mechanic!

Overall, BPM: Bullets Per Minute is a fun game, punishing as all hell but fun and rewarding once you get to grips with it. I found myself growing more accustomed to the game after I put on my headphones as I got more absorbed into the game. BPM launches this week on PC but unfortunately not until 2021 for console players. I recommend BPM for anyone who is a fan of rhythm games and have a love for the Doom games as BPM will be right up your street

The Good

Difficult but rewarding gameplay that will have you reaching for more!
Amazing soundtrack.
Incredible amounts of replayability due to it’s roguelike nature.

The Bad

Might be too difficult for the casual audience.

Family Focus

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is not yet rated at the time of this review by either the ESRB or PEGI. Many demons burst into fiery pieces when defeated so I’d highly recommend that little ones do not play this.