Review: Orgarhythm - PS Vita

It's not often that you see the real-time strategy genre infused with rhythm elements.

Indeed, the two appear to clash, as strategy games usually rely on tactics coupled with swiftness - and you can't exactly be swift if a beat is stomping on your groove.

And yet Orgarhythm pulls it off - to an extent. There's some pretty compelling stuff in here, and with a bit of a clean-up it could be essential handheld gaming.

Beat (them to death)

Orgarhythm takes you onto a battlefield, filled with mystical enemies who want to kill you, the God of Light.

However, you have a number of minions who you can order around to attack the incoming baddies. Ordering your guys around involves tapping commands to the beat of the music.

This forms the basis of the entire experience. Tap in time with the music and you'll build up your level and combo meter, making your attacks more powerful. Tap out of sync and your powers will diminish.

It's a really interesting take on the strategy genre, and one that works fairly well - especially on later levels, when it gets hectic. Fortunately, the music is brilliant as well, and the connection between the soundtrack and the gameplay touches greatness at times.

A weakness system - whereby fire beats earth, earth beats water, and water beats fire - makes for more tactical play, while you have several different units at your disposal that you have to send out to deal with specific situations.

Vital orga-rhythms

This strange and fascinating beast strides along, throwing in free-for-all boss battles, local co-op, and versus modes to back up the main course.

And yet there are weaknesses that undermine Orgarhythm's potential. For one, it simply doesn't feel well-produced enough, with a slightly amateurish feel to everything from the menus to the way in which the main story is presented.

The tutorial levels, for example, are absolutely horrible. We kept accidentally booting them up and finding that there was no way to quit out without simply doing the whole tutorial all over again.

There are also issues with the gameplay. Because your god dances so slowly, there are times when you have no enemies to attack for 20-second stretches. This, in turn, forces you to simply waste units in a bid to not lose your combo.

The concept behind Orgarhythm may not be fully there yet, but it's a great start. Perhaps a second attempt will yield the fantastic results that this idea deserves.