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Game pageJust Shapes & Beats: features, player feedback, and who it suits
This is a musical bullet hell with no attacks of your own. You keep clear of shapes moving in sync with the track.
Story Mode is for following the presentation; Playlist lets you learn individual tracks. Co-op adds the need to rescue fallen teammates.
What makes it fun
Dodge through the music
Pink shapes surge across the screen as the music changes. Listen to the track, find an opening, and slip between them.
A story told by shapes
In Story Mode, the shapes show what is happening to friends and foes without dialogue. Dodging the barrage is part of how the story unfolds.
Game details
As of Oct 29, 2026- Steam Deck
- Verified
- Release date
- Jun 1, 2018
- Developer
- Berzerk Studio
- Languages
- Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean ／ 14 languages total
A typical run
In Story Mode, you move and Dash around pink shapes that appear with each track and its set pieces.
Running out of health sends you back to a checkpoint. Bosses can require you to read and dodge a longer sequence of attacks.
In co-op, you can rescue a fallen teammate by moving close to them. You have to look for an opening while keeping yourself safe.
Finishing tracks advances the story. Playlist lets you pick unlocked tracks again and practice troublesome sections.
Challenge Runs let you choose from randomly presented tracks and keep playing. Hardcore changes attack layouts even on tracks you know.
Core systems
Dash
Dash works with regular movement to get through gaps between shapes. Its short reuse interval also helps when you need to cross a tight attack.
Do you move into a safe pocket early, or wait until a shape closes in before crossing? When attacks are chained, check whether your landing spot will remain open.
Story Mode
Tracks and boss fights carry a story told through moving shapes. You can switch to Casual Mode as you progress.
Follow the set pieces and move on, or repeat a section to bring down your hits. Finishing the Story opens the Lost Chapter.
Challenge Runs
Choose from randomly presented tracks and play them in succession. You can join solo or in local or online co-op.
You cannot freely queue only the tracks you have practiced. Pick from the offered tracks, then adjust your safe positions and Dash timing to that track.
Casual Mode
An optional Story Mode setting gives you more room for hits. It can keep the music and story moving when a difficult section stops you.
Learn the attacks under the standard rules, or use Casual Mode to see what comes next. You can return to the same track for practice later.
Playlist
Pick from tracks you have unlocked. Repeating a troublesome track helps you learn its attack order.
Move through different tracks, or stay with one and work on the section where you keep taking hits.
Party Mode
Party Mode can keep the music playing, and guests can play the tracks too. It is also intended for putting the music and visuals on at a gathering.
Choose it when you want people to join in as tracks play, instead of drilling the same difficult section.
Hardcore Mode
Hardcore changes the amount or placement of attacks on familiar tracks. You can select it in Story Mode too.
Work on taking fewer hits in the normal layout, or relearn how warnings lead into attacks in Hardcore. A safe pocket you remember may no longer work.
What sets it apart
You do not attack on the beat. You use movement and Dash to avoid shapes whose motion follows the music.
Co-op adds a detour when a teammate falls. Even on a memorized track, their position can change the route you take.
Learning curve and difficulty
The controls are movement and Dash, but watching only your character can leave you without an exit. Read attack warnings, then consider where a Dash will end as the music changes.
If you know which track gives you trouble, you can select it in Playlist and repeat it.
Hardcore changes the amount or placement of shapes on certain tracks. Safe spots learned on the normal layout do not always carry over.
In co-op, look for enough space to reach a fallen teammate and a way out after the rescue.
Builds and playstyles
Read the warning
Look beyond your character for the warning of the next shape. On an unfamiliar track or in Hardcore, this helps you move before the exit closes.
Learn the track
Repeat a track in Playlist until you know which attacks follow each musical transition. This suits players working on the sections where late bosses keep hitting them.
Keep a rescue route
In co-op, avoid packing everyone into the same narrow pocket. Keep a route toward a fallen teammate in mind, then judge the current attack and their position before rushing in or waiting for a break.
What longtime players say
Long-time players return to tracks they already know. They also describe using Hardcore to relearn layouts and work on taking fewer hits.
What players like
Reviews describe the fun of playing co-op with friends. Reviews that discuss rescues point to the scramble to reach and revive a fallen teammate.
After the Story, there are extra tracks to unlock and tracks to revisit in Playlist. Replaying familiar stages or trying Hardcore gives these players a reason to keep going.
The way shapes and attacks follow a track's changes stays with players. Their comments point to the central pleasure of dodging while listening to the music.
Casual Mode helps players who want to move through the Story. Hardcore gives players who want to learn the attacks a tougher layout to tackle.
Reviews praise how movement and Dash feel. The short wait before another Dash stands out in one review, while others recommend a gamepad.
Players remember how the moving shapes tell the story without relying on dialogue.
Common complaints
For players focused on Story Mode, the ending can arrive sooner than they want. Reviews wish the story lasted longer.
There is no official level editor or Steam Workshop support. Players who want to make or share new patterns through those features miss them.
Late bosses and difficult tracks ask you to keep dodging through overlapping attacks. Reviews describe those sections as harsh, even with Casual Mode available.
After the Story, play shifts toward repeating tracks or pursuing achievements. Players who tire of that loop find too little change.
Flashing and strong color changes can be uncomfortable. A review reports that noticeable flashing remains with the photosensitive setting enabled.
Who it’s for
It suits players who learn attack order from a track's musical transitions and use Playlist to reduce hits on a familiar stage.
It also suits groups who enjoy moving in to rescue a fallen teammate. Players who want to find new routes through known tracks can turn to Hardcore.
Who might not enjoy it
It may not suit players who want to create stages with an official editor or find them through Steam Workshop. Anyone who needs to avoid strong flashing should consider that reviews report it even with the photosensitive setting.
If repeating tracks, learning attacks, and reducing hits hold little appeal, the modes after the Story may feel limited.
FAQ
- Is the game localized?
- Yes. The Steam version includes interfaces in Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and other supported languages.
- Does it support co-op?
- Yes. It supports local and online co-op, including joining or leaving during play.
- Can the difficulty be adjusted?
- You can choose Casual Mode in Story Mode. Hardcore is also available.
- Is there content after the Story?
- Finishing the Story opens the Lost Chapter. Tracks cleared there can then appear in Challenge Runs and Playlist.
- Is there a setting for flashing effects?
- There is a photosensitive mode. A review still reports noticeable flashing with it enabled.
These impressions are based on 100 Steam reviews sorted by “Most Helpful.” They do not represent the views of all buyers.
Image: Just Shapes & Beats on Steam