Last Beat Enhanced [Xbox]
7 Raven Studios’ Last Beat Enhanced is a retro inspired beat ‘em up that can be played either solo or with a friend in local co-op. The streets have been taken over by the ‘Mad Stroke’ gang, someone needs to step in and get things back under control - and that someone just happens to be you. Two playable characters are unlocked to begin with, John and Noa, with Din being unlocked as you progress through the story, and two other characters able to be unlocked once you’ve earned enough money for them in-game.
The playable characters all have slightly different stats in terms of their health and strength, however their attacks are mostly identical, with punching in a basic combo along with a special attack. Special attacks are a little more unique, though this was only until we’d unlocked the later characters and realised they used the same movesets as John and Noa. Sadly, it doesn’t feel all that exciting to play since you just end up button mashing with no real variety to the combat, and feels somewhat sluggish too.
There are eight levels for you to work through, each with their own boss at the end. Even from the beginning, things are pretty damn challenging - particularly if playing alone - but there are various ways to cheese the game slightly, such as by managing to lock enemies in place by slowly hitting them repeatedly, or grabbing them to buy yourself a bit of time. Bosses are naturally much stronger than the rest of the enemies, but by focusing your Special Attacks on them - and allowing to recharge when required - they too can be dealt with after a bit of time.
You’ll notice that very quickly after beginning, you’ll be dealt an onslaught of achievement notifications popping up on screen, with pretty much all of them being able to be unlocked within the first level. There’s a couple of weapon pickups as well as various food/health items and money that can be found throughout the levels and these help to keep you going. There are also a couple of secret areas that you can find, giving you access to a huge amount of cash - which is a lifesaver for if you’re trying to buy the different upgrades in between levels, such as extra health and shortened Special Attack cooldown, since the levels themselves don’t lead to very much wealth.
In between the main level locations, there are a few short segments such as motorcycle riding, where you’ll need to dodge hazards and make sure you pick up fuel; as well as a nostalgic car smashing section. Levels have various hazards such as mines, that always seemed to be placed conveniently behind barrels and would catch me out Every. Damn. Time. There are also pits you can fall into, sometimes leading to death, but in one level lands you in an elevator that will bring you back to the surface after defeating some enemies (and this also would catch both of us out multiple times).
The visuals of Last Beat Enhanced are very simple, with a blocky pixel look and bright colours. Within the menu art, the character designs are much cleaner and more visually pleasing - with the two unlockable characters seeming more like their own characters as opposed to the reskinned look they have within the levels. The level themes are well varied, and enemy designs change over the course of the game also. The soundtrack by Gianluca Pappalardo, is fantastic with a very classic arcade style that works well.
Each playable character has their own ending, and playing with a friend will lead to further ending options with their combined stories. We first played as John and Noa, and their combined story left us wondering if it would have turned out the same with Din and Noa (or even John and Din), but these lead to slightly different outcomes each time. Priced at £8.39 on Xbox, it’s not an overly expensive game, but it’s not one we find ourselves in a rush to recommend. It’s definitely more enjoyable to play with a friend, but even so - it’s probably best for people who are massively into beat ‘em ups.
In the end, we decided to give Last Beat Enhanced the Collecting Asylum rating of 6/10.
Are you interested in Last Beat Enhanced? What do you think of it?
Let us know in the comments below!
- V x
Thank you to 7 Raven Studios for the Last Beat Enhanced Xbox review code!
