Twitchy arcade game with techno music, what could go wrong?
Spectra is a racing/music rhythm based game that has you essentially driving through while hitting bumpers to avoid obstacles in your way, think of it as a Guitar Hero/Rock Band style game but with driving added to the mix. There have been games that have done this before, Audiosurf springs to mind. Essentially each course is influenced in design by the notes of the audio track, it’s an interesting concept and one that’s worked before.
The problem with Spectra however, is that Audiosurf allowed you to use your own music. There also seems to be a pretty big glitch that lets you complete any level without having to actually play that much, I haven’t done it myself but have seen it on Youtube and silently chuckled. The visual style is 8-bit and has an amazing soundtrack, the issues are that the game can be quite clunky to control…and control is everything in a game like this.
It doesn’t help that it can become repetitive very quickly and doesn’t have a lot of lasting appeal. The soundtrack and visuals make is stand out, but it just shows that none of that matters if you have a game that can become dull quickly.
The Verdict
Spectra is a game that can be fun to play, but in small doses and even then it probably won’t be for very long. It’s a treat on the eyes and ears, but it lacks variety and gets old quick. The good thing is that it’s relatively cheap to download, although I can see this heading to PS+ and Games for Gold within the next few months so you may want to wait.