Beta MAX – A four-dimensional blast from the past

• DEVELOPER: Nexcide
• PUBLISHER: TheGamePublisher.com
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Puzzle Platformer
• RELEASE DATE: November 22, 2024
• STARTING PRICE: 12,79€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

What does every protagonist in any game ever do when they find a suspicious video tape that explicitly says ”DO NOT PLAY”? Of course they play it right away, despite the warnings. Usually it results in unexpected and dreadful horror experience, however Beta MAX decided to take more pleasant route and turn it into an atmospheric adventure in the 80’s inspired realm.

Laser beams, time chambers and Tetris

Posters referencing such iconic titles like Jaws, Star Wars, The Thing and Back to the Future are the last things Max saw before being pulled into TV. Finding himself in the neon and geometric world influenced by his favourite decade, he has to complete numerous puzzles in order to discover a way back home. Although those are no regular riddles: they require bending the laws of physics and time manipulation.

From my point of view, Beta MAX is a perfect game for speedrunners and players willing to search for the secrets. Each level is equipped with a timer, which is an useful feature in the sections where speed and precision are essential to get under par-time. Moreover, on each stage there are hidden collectibles waiting for those ready to experiment with finding new paths and ways to take on gradually more complex challenges.

Another factor that is included in the final score is amount of errors made during the run, such as falling in the water or getting hit by the lasers. Although, it’s worth pointing out that technically you cannot ”die” in this game, since any wrong move can simply be reversed thanks to abilities of extraordinary remote control.

The remote mechanic is in my opinion the most interesting aspect of Beta MAX – it turns a simple concept of jumping, climbing and moving objects into a gameplay based on rewinding and stoping time in right moments and places. Elements such as floor switches, time chambers, velocity accelerators, moving platforms, fragmenting bridges and crushing blocks make the levels even more challenging and surprising.

While I enjoyed the creativity and difficulty from levels dedicated to logical puzzles, during the segments that utilized platforming skills I often found myself in quite troublesome scenarios: the movements of protagonist were clumsy at times, the objects got destroyed by crushers due to strange hitboxes or during rewinding parts which, in my opinion, weren’t always necessary. To me, solving riddles while keeping four dimensions in mind was much more fun than dodging obstacles.

Very retro retrospect

There’s one thing you cannot deny when it comes to this game: it has truly mesmerizing atmosphere. The neon lighting combined with catchy synthwave melodies manages to capture the feeling of retro-futuristic ideas from the 80’s to a T. Even though the graphics could have been more polished – for example there were many blank walls that were left in the game without serving any particular purpose, so they could have been better incorporated in the gameplay or the overall setting – the presentation is pretty satisfying and I definitely couldn’t help but pause and listen to some of the musical pieces.

Ending thoughts

Beta MAX discovered a way to embrace video cassette characteristics both as plot device and gameplay mechanic. While there’s still room for improvement, the game as it is now offers a solid platforming and puzzle experience in an unique, retro inspired world that many could find nostalgic.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.8