Summary
Xbox Game Pass has been on a bit of a hot streak lately. After the long-awaitedStarfieldfinally hit the service at the start of September, it’s been full speed ahead for Xbox Game Pass ever since, with games likeTexas Chain Saw Massacre,Sea of Stars,Lies of P,Payday 3, andParty Animalsall hitting the service on day one. AndXbox Game Pass isn’t slowing downjust yet, with a ton of games set to hit the service this October, such as the colorfully chaoticHeadbangers: Rhythm Royale.
Set to hit Xbox Game Pass on October 31,Headbangers: Rhythm Royalehas the potential to round out the month with a triumphant bang. An online battle royale that sees players compete in a variety of different musical-themed minigames, all while dressed as their own customized pigeon,Headbangers: Rhythm Royalelooks like the perfect blend ofFall GuysandWarioWare, and it’ll make an excellent addition toXbox Game Pass this October.
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Headbangers: Rhythm Royale Blends Fall Guys With WarioWare
Inspired by the quirky head movements of the common pigeon,Headbangers: Rhythm Royalesees players join a lobby of cartoonish birds as they prepare to battle it out in a series of musical mini-games. Each match ofHeadbangerswill have 30 players competing across four separate rounds, with each round bringing with it new and more challenging mini-games. As each round progresses, more players are wiped from the lobby, until finally one lone victor remains. For anyone that’s ever played a battle royale before,Headbangers' core gameplay loop is going to feel very familiar, but its musical twist might be enough to keep even seasoned battle royale fans hooked.
Headbangers: Rhythm Royalecontains a total of 23 unique mini-games. Each of these mini-games revolves around music in some major capacity. These mini-games range in difficulty and complexity, with the easiest mini-games requiring players to simply headbang to the rhythm by pressing a single button, and the harder mini-games tasking players with identifying the three different musical instruments that can be heard in just a few-second soundclip. With each mini-game only taking a minute or two,Headbangers: Rhythm Royale’s gameplay feels a lot likeWarioWare, but its style is much more akin toFall Guys.
Much likeFall Guys' cute and stumpy Beans,Headbangers: Rhythm Royalelets players customize their very own cartoon pigeon. Upon completing a match ofHeadbangers, players will be rewarded with Crumbs, an in-game currency that can be used to purchase a vast array of cosmetic items ranging from stylish hats to antagonizing taunts, to bold outfits. Based on the trailers released so far, it seems as thoughHeadbangersis leaning all the way into its wackier premise, and that’s exemplified by its smorgasbord of tongue-in-cheek costumes, which includes dinosaur heads, wearable washing machines and TVs, and many, many more out-there items.
While party battle royales are starting to become a bit dime-a-dozen,Headbangers: Rhythm Royale’s musical hookshould help to make it stand out from its competitors.Headbangersis also launching with a crossplay feature, allowing players from any and all platforms to join together in one lobby. While it should be noted that those not on Xbox Game Pass will have to shell out $20 to playHeadbangerson any other platform, that price seems more than reasonable for the amount of content thatHeadbangers: Rhythm Royaleis promising.
Headbangers: Rhythm Royaleis set to release on October 31 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
