Review: Amplitude (PS4)

Amplitude features a single player campaign presented as a 15-song sci-fi concept album with a narrative that surfaces through the game’s visuals, music, and lyrics. Take a trip through the expansive human mind as you seek to awaken your comatose patient and expand her perceptions.

Pros:

• Slick graphics pumping neon goodness directly into your retinas.
• Opening mandatory tutorial.
• Calibrate audio/video settings.
• Seven controller layouts to choose from.
• Four difficulties: Beginner,Intermediate,Advanced and Expert.
• Campaign is a single player event where you play through 15 songs. Pick a ship and difficulty and jump on in.
• Gameplay is a rhythm action game. Hit the notes as they come down the track. You can jump between the tracks freely. Each track plays a particular part of the song from vocals to bass to synth. Its up to you how and when you play them. Think of it as creating your own remix of each song.
• Quick play allows you to pick any unlocked song. Pick a ship and difficulty and off you go.
• Combo meter racks up as you hit consecutive notes and increase your score.
• Full online leaderboard support that covers individual levels and difficulties.
• In game check points are there to restore health on low-level difficulties, Otherwise it acts as a song completion timer.
• Each lane has a segment of hit markers, finish a segment for a health boost.
• Full Platinum trophy.
• 3 Bar level scoring system covering Bronze, Silver and Gold tier versions. Rank is determined by score streaks and hit marker accuracy.
• Unlock special moves for both single player and multiplayer. Noves like slow mo, clear a segment instantly. A few that are multiplayer only add ones like the ability to distort your opponents streak or stun them.
• Helpful hints loading screens.
• Save progress and quit option in campaign.
• Unlock new songs as you play. You unlock them one by one in campaign and then unlock further songs by playing quick play or playing a certain amount of songs.
• Psychadelic back drops that react and change as you go through the level.
• Four player local multiplayer mode. Pick a song and ship then you can play co-op or battle modes in a score attack style scenario.
• Difficulty increase the game speed, Takes out special moves and cuts down on ny health giving buffs.
• Controls are solid and really responsive.
• Tons of replayability.
• Freq mode can be unlocked and mixes it up by going back to a tunnel based game system. Its the same game but all in a tunnel fashion.
• So addictive and fun to play.
• Difficulty levels are well implemented and you always feel the increase in difficulty is fair and accurate.

Cons:

• Small window of mistake in terms of hitting the markers.
• Sharp learning curve. It definitely is not a pickup and play game until you have the system down.
• Swapping lanes in time can be tricky to learn especially if its a heavy segment layout.
• You cannot go in and replay previous campaign levels. Instead you can start again or carry off where you were.