There have been no shortage of 2D indie platformers in recent years. Braid taught us that time-travel could add a new dimension to the formula, Limbo made us dread shadows and Super Meat Boy told us not to be afraid of death. Rush Bros, the newest game from XYLA Entertainment, attempts to get ahead of the curve by combining Super Meat Boy platforming with a rhythm based pace. Does this jumping duo drop the beat or just drop dead?

Music is great. Yes, it is that simple. A good tune in a game can make an enjoyable moment unforgettable. Would Portal have cemented itself in the gaming collect conscious if not for Still Alive? Well probably, but the song helped. Rush Bros takes a simple 2D platformer and adds in a playlist of various genres of music that affect the level as you run through it.

Success is measured by how long it takes to run through a level, either against yourself or another player. Going head to head with another player split-screen or online is the best part of the game. Executing well timed jumps and slides to maximise speed can be exhilarating. This is let down as the action is bare-bones with the most advanced moves being a slide and wall-jump to augment the general running and jumping. These basic abilities can be augmented with power-ups, which either gives a speed-boost or a double-jump for a limited time. This would be fine if it nailed these simple mechanics in the same way Super Meat Boy did in 2010, but it doesn’t even give these fundamental parts the care they deserve.

I haven’t Seen This Much Colour Since Rayman Origins

Gallivanting across the levels isn’t very satisfying. Running feels slow and lacks any momentum, whereas jumping doesn’t hold the same level of satisfaction that it should. Power-ups are a double-edged sword, with the speed-up actually being too fast and the double-jump remedies the jumping issues to the point of making you wonder why it wasn’t designed to have that as standard. While the game maybe covered in the garish flair of a neon-soaked nightclub, without any of the extras the basic gameplay barely stands on its own merits.

With a big focus on the way songs affect the world you would expect the way the music interplays with the levels to be significant. Once again though it comes of half-baked. Walls pop-up and platforms flip to the pulse of a beat as you run by. Thankfully the games own playlist works well to show off these features and are balanced well. Musical duo Infected Mushroom supply a selection of tracks and the selection of genres covered all do a good job. It is such a shame then that the music doesn’t change more than at what tempo some objects flip.

Playing with your own music is not recommended. Using anything other than the games default playlist can lead to a few balancing issues. Choose a song that is too slow and only spike pits will pose a threat, rendering some levels boring. Pick song that is too quick and passing an obstacle may be impossible. In theory this should be a good system, but sadly it isn’t executed as well as it could be.

Split-Screen Works Well But Isn’t The Best Way To Go Head-To-Head

Rush Bros has the imagery of a a club in full flow. Brightly coloured arenas fly by as you run for the finish and match the tone well. The feel of being backstage at a Daft Punk concert fall in as girders and primary coloured lighting paint the screen. However Static backgrounds of surreal images lack any punch and levels lack finer details other than the surfaces you run and flip over. That extra-bit of visual flair would be enough to make the Rush Bros already vibrant palette more pleasing to the eye.

Rush Bros is a game of squandered potential. A 2D platformer mixing running, jumping and music could inject a little extra vigor into an otherwise over-saturated genre. Held back on almost every point by a series of small failures and underdeveloped mechanics. This is not to say it cannot be entertaining. Playing against a friend with the right music going can be fun as you gun it to the finish line, but it could have been so much more than 2D time-trials with a keen sense for music. The game tries hard to win you over, but sadly the inkling of charm isn’t enough to forgive these mistakes. Hopefully developer XYLA Entertainment will be able to reform for a killer encore in the future.