I don't review games often -- it just doesn't occur to me to do so. But I felt a bit compelled to write this one, because the game is absolutely amazing.

If you've played rhythm games before -- I mean REALLY played rhythm games -- you know what it's like to get into a bit of a 'flow' state when playing. Everything's going right, you're vibing with the music, hitting all (or basically all) your cues... just having a great time. Usually this happens once you get rather comfortable with the game, and when you're playing a song you're quite familiar with.

I played Audica for the first time at around 1am, expecting to get a sense of the gameplay for maybe 30-45 minutes before bed. Folks, it sucked me in for nearly two hours, and I was getting into a 'flow' state playing songs I have *never heard before*. It's simple enough to pick up at the lower difficulties, but ramps up to a very high difficulty at Advanced/Expert, so you can find an excellent middle ground that works for you (or challenge yourself with difficulties just out of reach for you).

Harmonix has a history of making great rhythm games that focus on the music experience, and it shows here. Even the little touches -- like the audio ducking when you're on a miss-streak, the world lighting up when you're at max-multiplier, and the SFX for the diamond targets that are in-key with the rest of the song (and let you change the timbre of the sound by moving the controller) -- blend together to make you feel like a part of the music.

Worth calling out as well is the unique 'results' screen, which is more in depth than any other rhythm game I've ever played. You get to see a histogram of your timing and a visual representation of your aiming accuracy (both split into your two hands), including some light statistical analysis of both, which (at least for me) can be even more rewarding to look at than a high score.

Not to mention that the game is absurdly customizable. You can import your own avatars and guns with no mods required -- great for streamers or folks who want to record their gameplay from a 3rd person view without mixed reality gear. There is even EXPLICIT SUPPORT FOR CUSTOM SONGS with no mods needed, which is just absolutely wild to me. And it looks like there's a really solid modding community for folks that want even more.

I know I've only played this game once, and only for 2 hours at time of writing. But I can already tell that this will be a game I'll be playing for a long, long time. If you like rhythm games -- in particular, if you liked Beat Saber but wished it rewarded precision a bit better -- you will be instantly hooked on Audica.

I don't review games often -- it just doesn't occur to me to do so. But I felt a bit compelled to write this one, because the game is absolutely amazing. If you've played rhythm games before -- I mean REALLY played rhythm games -- you know what it's like to get into a bit of a 'flow' state when playing. Everything's going right, you're vibing with the music, hitting all (or basically all) your cues... just having a great time. Usually this happens once you get rather comfortable with the game, and when you're playing a song you're quite familiar with. I played Audica for the first time at around 1am, expecting to get a sense of the gameplay for maybe 30-45 minutes before bed. Folks, it sucked me in for nearly two hours, and I was getting into a 'flow' state playing songs I have *never heard before*. It's simple enough to pick up at the lower difficulties, but ramps up to a very high difficulty at Advanced/Expert, so you can find an excellent middle ground that works for you (or challenge yourself with difficulties just out of reach for you). Harmonix has a history of making great rhythm games that focus on the music experience, and it shows here. Even the little touches -- like the audio ducking when you're on a miss-streak, the world lighting up when you're at max-multiplier, and the SFX for the diamond targets that are in-key with the rest of the song (and let you change the timbre of the sound by moving the controller) -- blend together to make you feel like a part of the music. Worth calling out as well is the unique 'results' screen, which is more in depth than any other rhythm game I've ever played. You get to see a histogram of your timing and a visual representation of your aiming accuracy (both split into your two hands), including some light statistical analysis of both, which (at least for me) can be even more rewarding to look at than a high score. Not to mention that the game is absurdly customizable. You can import your own avatars and guns with no mods required -- great for streamers or folks who want to record their gameplay from a 3rd person view without mixed reality gear. There is even EXPLICIT SUPPORT FOR CUSTOM SONGS with no mods needed, which is just absolutely wild to me. And it looks like there's a really solid modding community for folks that want even more. I know I've only played this game once, and only for 2 hours at time of writing. But I can already tell that this will be a game I'll be playing for a long, long time. If you like rhythm games -- in particular, if you liked Beat Saber but wished it rewarded precision a bit better -- you will be instantly hooked on Audica.