unbeatable (2025)
It is undeniably true that UNBEATABLE's tagline "a game where music is illegal and you do crime" is a killer hook, and, yes, being able to sell people on it by saying "there's a counter on your profile keeping track of how many cops you've defeated" is very satisfying. It's important to have a good hook. But that's not what makes it stick.
I was tempted to wait to write this until I had time to go through the story again, more slowly this time, more thoughtfully, and really look at it, because story is what I'm good at. Maybe I'll write that post later. But the point is this: UNBEATABLE is what video games should be. It's messy and ambitious and loud and earnest and unapologetic; it's the result of passion that you can feel as you play through it. It has something to say and it says it with its whole chest. It's about finding your voice and how important it is to make art--especially messy imperfect art--and how hard it is to be a person.
The music is what sold me on this game when I first heard about it earlier this year. It's cool garage rock with some tight lyrical work1; it's shit I would listen to on purpose. I am not much of a rhythm gamer but I quite like the rhythm game segments; its two-button control scheme makes it approachable for someone who isn't very good at rhythm games but allows for enough expressiveness and complexity in the charts to, presumably, be interesting for the rhythm game sickos out there. And there's an arcade mode that would, I think, be worth the cost of entry on its own.
But the story mode is something special. It's got plenty of minigames and things to find for people who like to explore, and it's got plenty of heart, punching cops, and cool music if exploring isn't your jam. Check it out.
There's plenty of lyrics to like here but I really love the audacity of even attempting the rhyme "I'm so / goddamn tired all the time, yo," much less making it actually work.↩