Ragnarock Review

Finally, a drumming rhythm game has been developed for metalheads!

I enjoy most types of music but my favourite genres are rock and metal. Hence, when I try out a new rhythm game, one of the first things I do is check out which rock tracks are available.

Sadly, rhythm games tend to be focused on more electro/trance music, which I don’t mind but it doesn’t really compare to the sound of an electric guitar. I get a lot more satisfaction playing along to the Green Day and Alkaline Trio DLCs in Beat Saber than any of the other tracks.

Ragnarock is a heavy metal drumming rhythm game and should be the game I have been waiting for.

Storyline

Ragnarock places you as the cox of a Viking longship responsible for setting the rhythm of the rowers with the beat of your drum as you race with opponents.

Gameplay

The gameplay is simple to understand but difficult to master.

Armed with two hammers, you hit your four drums in the sequence and rhythm of the ‘runes’ rushing towards you. Timing and accuracy are essential ingredients as you drum along to a selection of heavy metal tracks. This sets the rhythm for your Viking rowers and hitting enough right notes gives you a combo boost propelling your longship towards the finishing line.

The controls are intuitive – in essence, all you have to do is move the controllers up and down in a drumming motion.

The game can be played either as single-player or PVP (player vs player). To add an element of competition to single-player matches, you can race against a ghost of your own personal best.

Each track has an easy, medium or hard difficulty and achieving gold unlocks more tracks, locations and hammers.

Graphics

The graphics aren’t amazing but they are decent and more than adequate for this genre of game. Animations are smooth and the combination boosts look cool and can be very satisfying, although I do feel they could be improved to create more of a rush.

Audio

The soundtrack is awesome. I must admit, I’d not heard of any of the artists before but the songs really rock and I loved listening to them. Sound effects are also good and add to the rock-y feeling of the game.

Longevity

This is a rhythm game and so although the gameplay is repetitive, it doesn’t feel boring or laborious. It’s one of those games that you will keep playing on the same song over and over to try to beat your previous score. Visual leaderboards on the home screen increase competitiveness as you try to beat your friend’s high scores. The selection of tracks and easy/medium/hard difficulty settings ensure varied gameplay. Therefore, this game (like others of its ilk) have a lot of mileage and provide great value for money.

Verdict

Ragnarock has become one of my favourite games to play. I absolutely love it and would heartily recommend to anyone that likes this type of game.

It’s fun to play, I love the music (it is also possible to add your own music) and it doesn’t get boring as you try to conquer different songs and difficulties as well as compete against your friends.