REVIEW: VOEZ


Title	VOEZ
Developer	Rayark Games
Publisher	Circle Entertainment
Release Date	March 3rd, 2017
Genre	Rhythm
Platform	Switch, iOS, Android
Age Rating	Everyone
Official Website

VOEZ is a rhythm game developed by Rayark Games that was originally released on mobile devices. It released on the Nintendo Switch a little while ago and has since added controller support and ton of tracks for free. Since I’m always up for a good rhythm game I figured I would give this one a go and see if it was a winner.

There is a story mode here features characters from the VOEZ band. These are told through diary entries you unlock by meeting certain in-game requirements. These include completing a track on certain difficulties, among other things. Each entry will contain a story tidbit introducing the characters and their daily life. You can find out more about each entry over on the official site.

The graphics here are very basic. In game you have the song bars and notes scrolling around the screen with lots of colorful flashes as notes are hit. While this is very simplistic, it works really well. I felt like I was tapping away to the beat of an awesome song in a club while the stage lights were flashing all around. The songs each feature cover art that was all really well done, and you can even unlock some really great avatars for your profile as well.

A rhythm game must have great music in order to any good, and VOEZ has an amazing list of tracks. The game contains 160 tracks now thanks to free updates. These tracks are from a lot of different music genres including trance music, electronic music, pop music and more. There tracks come from independent artists all over the world. There are even some songs with English lyrics. Wilt was probably my favorite English track.

The gameplay consists of notes falling from the top of screen to the bottom and players will have to either tap buttons or the touch screen to hit the notes in time with the song. Hitting the notes closer to bottom of screen will net you a better score. Playing with a controller is much simpler than using the touch controls, since with the touch controls you actually have to slide your hands around on the screen rather than just tapping any button on the controller or hitting the occasional direction on the analog stick. Playing with the touch screen is more fun, but it wears your hands out pretty quickly. Each song has three different difficulties and you can adjust how fast the notes fall for each song. You will be graded by score at end of each song.

In the end VOEZ is a very solid rhythm game. The presentation may be minimalist, but the gameplay and the soundtrack are both top notch. This is one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard in a rhythm game period and that alone is worth the $37 price tag. The only issue I found was it’s a little annoying to navigate the track selection menu while docked, since it works better with touch screen. This is a very minor thing, and doesn’t hold this title back one bit. If you’re a fan of rhythm games, love great music, or just want a simple game to kill time with on your Switch, snag this one ASAP. You will be glad you did.