Bit. Trip Beat is a one-of-a-kind hybrid of Pong and a rhythm game. The game is played by tilting the Wii remote away or towards the body while holding it sideways. This causes a paddle on the left side of the screen to move vertically up or down. The game’s goal is to hit the various “balls” with the paddle that appears from the right side of the screen. The balls are timed to the beat of the game’s chiptune music, making a logical link between what players see and what they hear.
There are two bars on the screen. Hitting a ball will fill the upper bar until it is complete. This raises the multiplier and complicates the visual effects in the backdrop, increasing the challenge. If the player misses a ball, the bottom bar is depleted. When the bottom bar is empty, the game enters a black-and-white mode akin to the original Pong game, with only the Wii remote’s sound activated. To return to regular play in this mode, the player must fill the top bar again. The game is over if the bottom bar runs out again.
Bit. Trip Beat has a variety of balls that the player must deflect. They are color-coded to signify the type of movement: orange balls bounce off the paddle several times, whereas yellow balls travel in a straight line. Occasionally, extra objects can be picked up with the paddle, such as changing the size of the paddle, which is comparable to the power-ups seen in Breakout.
A boss encounter awaits the player at the end of each level. Defeating the boss unlocks the next level, and there are three. After completing a group, it can be picked from the main menu.
