Avicii Invector Encore Edition – Nintendo Switch Review
Fast Facts
Avicii Invector Encore Edition
Developer: Hello There Games
Publisher: Wired Productions
Website: https://invectorgame.com
Genre: Music, Action, Arcade, Multiplayer
Platform: Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC
Age Rating: 3
Release Date: 08/09/2020
Price: £15.99
A code was provided for review purposes.
Introduction
If you are a frequent listener to music then you would have heard of muscian Tim Bergling AKA; AVICII. The Swedish born DJ has produced some of the greatest tracks of this generation and has had multiple number one hits with tracks such as – Levels, I Could Be The One, Hey Brother, Addicted to You and SOS.
Before his sad and untimely death in 2018, AVICII collaborated with Hello There Games to create Invector (as it was then known). AVICII Invector was first released on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2019 and the game featured 25 tracks. With the new release of AVICII Invector Encore Edition on the Nintendo Switch, the title now has a stunning 35 tracks to choose from, with the 10 new tracks coming in the form of two DLC packs (both can be purchased separately).
The Days
AVICII Invector doesn’t need a plot to drive its gameplay. However, it does feature a small story about a young woman who’s piloting a small space craft across various planets. Her reasoning for travelling the cosmos is that she is in search of a chocolate bar, however, her search is dampened by her ship’s reliability as it keeps breaking down.
On the surface the story doesn’t have any relevance to the game apart from the space craft is used by us to hit the rhythm notes that come down the screen. If you delve a little deeper it feels as if there is subtext in which the space craft is a metaphor for mental instability and that in the ship ‘breaking down’ it could refer to humanities own struggles with mental health and appearances.
AVICII Invector is also a collaboration between the developer and mental health organisation; Safe in Our World (which the site is an ambassador for!). It’s no secret that AVICII struggled with his own mental health and sadly took his own life in 2018. In memorandum his family also set up the Tim Bergling Foundation which aims to help those with mental illnesses and the prevention of suicides.
Levels
AVICII Invector is a fast-paced rhythm game in which we pilot a small space craft across a series of AVICII tracks and press various buttons in time with the beat. Similar to other rhythm games, we earn points by pressing the correct button as displayed on screen. We can earn even more points by timing our button presses closer to the propta as possible.
As well as pressing various combos of A, B, X, Y, L, R, we also have to use the joystick. When prompted the joystick allows us to flip the craft onto a different side of the track and can move between left and right. On harder difficulty settings these changes come faster and more frequently, and often without on screen prompts to guide you. At times it can feel that AVICII Invector is one massive test on muscle memory, but it’s happening at such a pace you don’t even notice.
To make use of the space setting and the fact that we control a space ship, at various points in each song we get taken off the track. During these moments we can freely fly and instead of pressing buttons we have to navigate through a series of rings. It’s a nice addition to the rhythm-based gameplay and on higher difficulties, can give your fingers a bit of a rest.
The Nights
When first playing the game, we only have access to the first world and four songs to play. As we beat these songs we then get to open up newer planets with more songs added to the set list. To successfully complete a song we have to reach the desired score and doing so ultimately allows us to progress further.
When we beat a stage we are then given a score break down and shown an online leaderboard. Only the top nine players are shown on each board with our score shown at the bottom.
If you find gameplay too challenging or not challenging enough there are various difficulty settings to choose from; Beginner, Easy, Medium and Hard, with each difficulty introducing a new button to press and a much faster speed. For example playing on beginner means we mostly only use the L and B buttons and occasionally the Thumbstick. Switching to Easy then adds a slightly faster speed and also the Y button. On Hard difficulty we then have to press buttons and flip sticks like our inner Jedi. I mostly stuck to easy but I as I progressed I moved up to Medium which was a comfortable pace for me. I can see the allure of Hard mode but is sadly wasn’t for me.
Broken Arrows
The audio for AVICII Invector is as you would expect. For fans of AVICII it’s a treat to relive these songs that Tim created throughout his career. If you’re a fan then you’ll absolutely fall in love with what the game has to offer. Non fans will probably give it a miss however, the style of the rhythm gameplay is an appeal to anyone’s tastes and offers a different experience to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. As a non fan myself, during my time with AVICII Invector I’ve discovered a fair few tracks that have made their way onto my playlists and have had no problem humming away various tunes during my time at work.
The visuals are rather unique that blend a neon soaked night club into a cartoon backdrop that happens to be in space. Lighting effects are vibrant and work in time with correctly hitting the beat. It gives a great incentive to perform well just to see the background come to life. The cutscenes between the pilot and her ship are set in a motion comic book style; these are fully voiced and flow seamlessly along with the gameplay.
The game handles suprisingly well on the Nintendo Switch and whilst not displayed in 4K, it looks beautiful on the hybrid console. The gameplay is seamless and during my playthrough I didn’t discover any issues with frame rate dips or any change in graphic fidelity. The game plays well in both handheld and docked modes, and the resolution is spot on when playing in handheld mode.
I Could be the One
In conclusion I thoroughly enjoyed my time with AVICII Invector. Coming into the game as a fan of rhythm based games, rather than an AVICII fan, has made me see the game in a different light. It’s a great way to symbolise the musician’s legacy and (no pun intended) it hits all the right notes. The slowly increasing difficulty in each mode helps ease players into which new buttons to press, and the way in which difficulty does not effect progress earned is a massive bonus.
Both audio and visuals are incredible; each track sounds superb whether it be through the TV speakers or the ones on the Switch. The visuals are a visual treat with each track featuring its own neon soaked laser show of colours and styles. As a fan of AVICII’s work, be prepared for an audio visual feast as we play through some of the artist’s top tracks. Even non fans like me can be swayed by what’s on offer and you never know… it Could be the One to bring you Levels of enjoyment to The Nights and The Days ahead…
Rapid Reviews Rating
You can purchase AVICII Invector Encore Edition by clicking the following link: Nintendo eShop
