GRIDbeat! Review – Hacking to the Beat

GRIDbeat! Review

The mystique and danger that enshrouds computer hacking appeals to the masses. Glamourised in the media, the notion carries the idea that anyone can be a vigilante. With this in mind, Ridiculous Games created an experience that synchronises the activity with music to create a neon-soaked puzzler that aims to capture that fantasy of digital rebellion, blending rhythm and logic into a hypnotic combination. Will GRIDBeat! be the ultimate interpretation of a high-stakes hack or will it be more style than substance?

As a hacker-for-hire, a mysterious client requests your services to infiltrate a high-security network and extract important data. The hostile system traps you, deleting everything as you navigate the digital maze in search of key information. You must now work through each server to recover data and uncover the secrets buried within. While snippets of the narrative are delivered through your assistant, the story sits in the background to support the gameplay. It’s not a particularly engaging tale, but it does enough to give the adventure a sense of purpose.

Deep in Code

Each hack is an elaborate puzzle that requires adept timing and careful consideration of the route towards your objective. Similar to titles like Crypt of the Necrodancer, every aspect is synced with the music. As you move and interact with the environment, you must stay in time with the beat. If you don’t, then you’ll lose health and could fail the hack. While this may take a little time getting used to, when it clicks, it becomes a hypnotic experience where all senses merge and you become one with the grid.

Levels progress, building on prior systems to become more complex and intricate until you’re delving deep into a labyrinth of code. The tools at your disposal develop, helping you survive difficult encounters and manipulate the mainframe. Later stages are quite advanced, requiring precision and expert timing to overcome. From activating power units to open up new paths to leaping across the network to solve multi-stage puzzles, GRIDbeat! continues to evolve and challenge you throughout. This is particularly present in boss encounters, which test your ability, demanding astute skills to solve the myriad of puzzles and successfully capturing the notion of being a hacker.

Turrets fire to the beat and you can only trigger interactive elements in time with the music. This adds an additional layer of strategy, as you must plan ahead in order to overcome the situation at hand. Due to this, you’re constantly making micro-decisions as you manoeuvre through the server to reach your destination, weighing risk and timing with every move. Do you push forward and commit to a sequence, or hang back and wait for a safer opening in the rhythm? Juggling these varying elements can be challenging and demands your full attention, especially as the pace quickens and more hazards are introduced.

Merging Networks

As with any rhythm game, the integration of sound and visuals is vital. While each level has a distinct track, adding flair to individual areas and helping to shape their identity, the visuals lack the same ambition. Although the premise is restrictive in terms of design, more could have been done to make servers feel bespoke, better marrying the audio and visuals into a cohesive vision. Subtle shifts in colour, animation, or environmental detail could have elevated each stage, giving them a stronger sense of progression and personality. There are some great elements, for example, hacking certain areas may open them up further, transforming the space in satisfying ways, however, these moments are too infrequent. As a result, the repetitive neon-grid aesthetic begins to wear thin over time, making stages feel visually familiar despite their increasing mechanical complexity.

With a game where precise inputs are at the core, any delay can ruin the experience. Fortunately, GRIDbeat avoids this with its solid mechanics and audio-visual synchronisation options. This is essential for performance; otherwise, you may struggle with even basic segments. At the start, the game warns about input delay when using Bluetooth headphones. I tested this, and it’s absolutely true. Because of this, I can only recommend playing through your speakers or with wired headphones.

GRIDBeat! is a tense puzzler that intertwines gameplay, music, and visuals to create a unique experience. Although the gameplay can become hypnotic and addictive, the visuals are a little basic and similar to other hacking-themed titles. As the adventure progresses, the difficulty swells, requiring precision and quick reactions. While this may deter newcomers, fans of puzzlers will adore the challenge.

***A Nintendo Switch 2 code was provided by the publisher***