A sleek retro-futurist take on the rhythm-action genre, with some killer beats, stylish combat mechanics, and an unforgiving difficulty. While comparisons to games like BPM: Bullets Per Minute and ULTRAKILL are inevitable, ROBOBEAT leans more more into the acrobatic gun-play and flow states of games like My Friend Pedro or DESYNC.

The standout parry/charge add-on system makes each weapon feel different, catering to both ranged and melee play-styles. All-out attack won't be enough though - parrying, ground slams, wall-jumps, and slides are just as necessary as your preferred weapons & abilities.

The soundtrack is diverse, with some standout original tracks, so you'll find a good handful that align with your personal rhythm. Tempo shapes combat., so faster tracks ramp up enemy spawns and their speed, forcing you to adapt quickly or die promptly. As far as strategy goes, avoiding damage at all costs and chaining combos relentlessly is your best bet.

You can also create custom loops for in-game use. Flawlessly executing a series of perfectly timed kill sequences to your favourite beats is awesome. I wish this combo system had more significance though. A daily challenge mode would give this system more significance, but is sorely missing here.

However, the game stumbles a little with its progression system. Once you get past the initial batch, the pool of unlockable weapons, abilities, and tracks feels shallow. This, combined with a difficulty curve that can feel unrefined, leads to moments where the game risks becoming stale. For a genre that demands compelling replayability, some might dismiss ROBOBEAT as just another rogue-like with a gimmick.

It may have some rough edges, but ROBOBEAT been the best time I've had with a game this year. I mean, I don't consider myself particularly having much inherent rhythm ... but in this ballet of bullets and beats, the first time I was a called 'Rhythm God', just for a brief moment, I wholeheartedly believed I was.

RetroArch is a retro gaming obsessive's dream, offering absurd amounts of customisation that might scare off casual users. With an admittedly clunky UI, new users might be put off. But those willing to brave the learning curve will discover retro bliss.

While some standalone emulators offer better user experience and overall stability, RetroArch offers a streamlined solution for enjoying classics with modern touches, like snappy filters and accessible control mapping. Spend time with some guides (and a little trial-and-error), and soon you'll master switching between cores and content libraries effortlessly.

But the real draw? It has to be the integration of RetroAchievements - a community labour of love, where unique achievement sets for hundreds of retro titles have been lovingly crafted for both old and new audiences. It's enough to make your inner child weep joyful tears.

For the Steam version, power users may lament the curated cores and hidden settings. But for others with less obsessive-compulsive tendencies, the convenience of Steam launching and cloud saves might justify the trade-off. Additionally, those looking for online versus or co-op action might be better served using the Steam version as you can avoid using RetroArch's frustrating in-built netplay feature by instead using Remote Play Together.

For casual emulator fans happy with standalones, RetroArch might not be worth the hassle. However, If retro gaming curation and preservation pique your interest, give RetroArch a whirl. It's the closest thing available to your own pocket-sized museum of gaming's past, lovingly shared and maintained by an incredibly dedicated community.