Deadbeat for Windows

Free to play rhythm game

Deadbeat is a free indie game developed by fie. It is a hololive fangame inspired by the English virtual YouTuber Calliope Mori and her album Deadbeats. Here, you will control a skeleton character as he tries to avoid deadly obstacles to the beat of the music.

Deadbeat is inspired by Everhood, a popular rhythm game. It also follows the same gameplay of moving left and right to avoid slices on the screen. The longer you stay alive, the higher the score will be. However, players will find the use of Z and X as controls can be confusing. 

What is Deadbeat?

Deadbeat is a music game inspired by the music of Calliope Mori. Here, players will play through her songs while controlling a skeleton. The goal is to avoid dying—again—by avoiding the obstacles that come at you. You can do so by moving left and right or jumping if the energy slice takes the entire screen. Typical of rhythm games, the longer you survive, the higher the score will be.

The game offers five tracks from Callope's album, and the score multiplier varies in every song. Additionally, you can choose to play easy or normal difficulty levels in each music. There are also other game options that can further customize the difficulty. Apprentice allows you to play without dying while the phantom button makes the attack fade away. By choosing hardcore, however, you will immediately die after one hit.

However, while the game mechanics may be familiar, the same cannot be said for its controls. Sure, it uses the left and right arrows for movement, but it also uses the X button for jumping and the Z button for selecting your choices. More than the controls, you have to avoid the obstacles offbeat, which goes against the instincts of every rhythm gamer.

Is the game good?

If you are a fan of Calliope Mori, then Deadbeats is the game for you. Here, you can play a simple rhythm game to the tune of the VTuber's funky music. The gameplay is familiar, requiring no learning curve even for a casual player. However, the controls can take a while to get used to. Additionally, you have to remind yourself to avoid the obstacles offbeat to avoid dying early.