Swing music
One of Harmonix’s most overlooked and underplayed games, at least among core video game players, is Beat Sports. It released in the fall of 2015 on Apple TV as a launch title for the 4th generation of Apple’s television streaming device. Beat Sports was something of showcase for the platform, an example of lightweight gaming in a local multiplayer environment.
Harmonix is revisiting this idea but on a device where playing games isn’t an afterthought. Super Beat Sports is the next game from Harmonix and it’s coming to Nintendo Switch this fall. ToeJam and Earl aren’t the only aliens who know how to get funky.
Super Beat Sports is built on the core of its Apple TV predecessor, as it features the four mini-games that made up the original (albeit in ways that Harmonix says are improved such as an improved interface and bonus songs). Those games are Buddy Ball, Whacky Bat, Gobble Golf, and Net Ball. There’s also a new mode called Rhythm Racket which is described as “Protect your goal and knock out the competition in this skill-based game full of radical ricochets and rhythmic free-for-all action.”
A few miscellaneous notes: Two of Super Beat Sports‘ games support up to four players; the other three support up to two players. Additionally, each game features a Pro mode that ups the challenge a bit. Harmonix also says that Super Beat Sports‘ upgraded visuals run at 60 frames per second in the TV, tabletop, and handheld formats.
Super Beat Sports doesn’t yet have a release date or price. It’ll launch sometime before the end of the year, and that’s when we’ll see if it makes more noise than the original Beat Sports. Although that’s all but guaranteed by virtue of the fact that it’s coming somewhere that’s far more prevalent than Apple TV.
