Rhythm Storm

Game Overview

Rhythm Storm is a roguelike bullet heaven/horde survivor with heavy rhythmic elements. Your vehicle automatically aims and fires (player-controlled twin-stick firing is possible at any time) while you control movement and a special power. You select a vehicle, set it's initial configuration and powers, then proceed into the action. Nearly everything in the world (except you) moves to the beat, and your goal is to survive to the end of each song. There are 3 main worlds, a boss, and a bonus world, each with its own unique song and mix of enemies.

Vector Graphics, No Textures

Rhythm Storm uses untextured lines and polygons in rendering the game world and UI (along with a few fullscreen effects). The game visuals are crisp and clear, and the more resolution you give it the better it looks. For the best experience, it is recommended that you play the game on a 1440p (or higher) monitor with a refresh rate of 120hz or higher. [Playing the game at 1080p/60hz is still enjoyable, just less than ideal.]

Rhythmic Gameplay

Rhythm Storm is a musical experience, but it's not a traditional rhythm game. Nothing your vehicle does is synced to the music, but much of the world IS synced. Wave changes happen every 8 bars of music, powerups and the world pulse to the beat, the UI is jamming to the beat, and many of the enemies move to the beat. Enemy spawning is also synced. Though the game is heavily synced to the music, no musical talent or beat-synced button pressing is required to succeed at the game.

Refined Bullet Heaven Formula

At its core, Rhythm Storm is similar to other Bullet Heaven/Swarm Survivor/Horde Survivor games in structure. At the start of the game, you configure your vehicle's default upgrades, which includes the starting weapon(s). You also select which 4 categories of upgrade types you want to see (these are called Upgrade Sets).

During gameplay, you destroy enemies and collect XP as usual. When you collect enough XP to upgrade, you'll choose between 2 sets of upgrades. Each set has 3 upgrades, two of which are from the upgrade set category, while the third upgrade is more random. It's simpler and more intuitive than it sounds, and keeps the pace of play going while still allowing for a variety of builds and dynamic choices. More choices are also available once you unlock the re-roll modifier (semi-permament meta-progression upgrades).