Another game that sat in my Steam backlog until I watched someone speedrun it on GDQ and thought, “I should just sit down and play this game.” I’m taking my own advice this week and playing a super dope rhythm game.
This week is Unbeatable
UNBEATABLE is a rhythm adventure game from D-CELL Games and Playstack. It was released for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC at the beginning of December 2025 and retails for $28
Though music does not encompass every part of my life, I find it incredibly important to me. This is one of the reasons why I picked up UNBEATABLE, that and the absolutely choice art direction. I was here for a rhythm game and met a dense narrative experience that uses music as the headliner to tell the story.
The world of UNBEATABLE is drowned in silence. I get the feeling that it is entirely post-apocalyptic as the game leans into the idea that if music were to exist, then ghost-like entities known as The Silence would emerge and snuff it out. A truly awful topic to think about. There is a government sector, H.A.R.M. (Harmony and Resonance Management), that enforces the ban on music. We are then introduced to the main characters of UNBEATABLE: Quaver, Beat (mostly), Clef, and Treble. Quaver is a young girl looking to follow in her parents’ footsteps, who were musicians back when music was legal. Beat is a young, incredibly rebellious woman coping with family trauma and, in turn, “helps” Quaver in her personal quest to form a band, express their feelings through music, and visit locales and take pictures where Quaver’s parents once stood.
The visual appeal alone of UNBEATABLE is worth the money, an absolutely stunning-looking video game. I am here for the hand-drawn, anime-inspired art style and the punk vibes. Huge fan of the 2D in a 3D space and UNBEATABLE nails it. I like how stylized all the main cast of characters are, with their punk-inspired vibes. The characters really pop because they are always more colorful than the background that they are in front of. I think I would call it a VHS aesthetic, but sometimes the game makes me feel like I am watching a documentary of the band, and I really enjoy it; everything is really unique.
The characters are surprisingly deep, even the minor characters. I enjoyed most of the conversations each character had, as they were quite relatable. There is a lot of talking in UNBEATABLE, to the point of total player exhaustion, but there is always some importance to the characters’ talking. Either it be Clef beating around the bush to apologize or open up, or Quaver over-explaining something for the sake of the joking bit. The narrative of UNBEATABLE is rooted in anti-authority and weaves in a good number of hilarious moments. The family feeling that I got from the group was heartwarming, and when they argued, mostly about stupid stuff, it had me laughing at how accurate the conversations would have been. The police suck in this video game, and it feels right on the nose for what is felt in the current times. I like the little tidbits about what pisses off fascists and the police, and the totally absurd ways that some of the characters totally disrespect the authority figures in the game.
Characters are well written, and I like the overall narrative, though it sometimes gets bogged down in unnecessary details/conversations.
When you’re not controlling Beat, forwarding the story, UNBEATABLE is a 2-button rhythm game that still overwhelms me sometimes. There were moments when the game wouldn’t transition into the rhythm section correctly, so I had to quit out. In one specific instance, the rhythm minigame never transitioned out, and I had to reload and play the section again. It was never truly infuriating, but it is worthy to note. The mini-games themselves, especially the batting cages and the set-piece moments, are extremely memorable and super fun to play.
Narrative moments are broken up by these small rhythm minigames that sometimes give way to fantastical setpieces towards the end of each episode. These rhythm sections really boil down to the screen opening up with either two or four rows tied to D and F. I played on normal difficulty and found myself comfortable going through these sections without much strain, maybe a little too easy. The soundtrack is pretty dope; it is by far my favorite aspect of UNBEATABLE. Whoever is in the D-Cell Sound Team deserves an award because they have a song for being chased by the cops on a moped, chased by cops on the train, and songs for every emotion. There were some mini-games that appeared during important narrative moments that I failed because I tried to listen to the character while playing, and vice versa. It really impacted these special moments, not for the better.
All of the songs are so good, and I was bobbing my head throughout the roughly 10-hour ride.
If hours of reading aren’t your game, the Arcade mode is for you. The arcade mode gets you in and lets you play the rhythm section without all the talk, and has its own unlocks and little bits to grind for. It is nice to be able to just hop right into it, picking a song and a difficulty. There is a leaderboard for those who want to compete with the person that I saw speedrun the game, which would be insane, but it’s nice to see a number next to how poorly I did. There are challenges to unlock more songs and UI goodies, which only reinforces the idea that the arcade mode is much more than some lame add-on; it is a full-on extra experience.
UNBEATABLE is just a really fun video game, though it can get a little bogged down in its plot, with what seems like endless discussion between characters. That being said, the overall narrative is serious, emotional, heartwarming at times and has some really funny moments. The music is top-tier, along with the art design. The overall rhythm gameplay is good, and the inclusion of the beefy arcade mode keeps the fun going. UNBEATABLE is an enjoyable experience that is well worth the price of admission.
8/10