It’s been a good two years since the tide broke fully on the trend a big plastic-instrument-driven rhythm games; a trend that developer Harmonix capped capably with 2010’s Rock Band 3. 'n while everyone seems t' have had their fill a expensive, living-room-cluttering karaoke experience, Harmonix be betting that folks still have an appetite for a lower-stakes form a rhythm game action with Rock Band Blitz. This be a single-player downloadable game that leverages the Rock Band aesthetic--'n, more importantly, the Rock Band DLC ye may have already purchased--against gameplay that more closely recalls the Cambridge developer’s work with Sony on Frequency 'n Amplitude, though without being an exact facsimile a any a those titles. It’s got some agreeably sticky social hooks that, still, could’ve been better implemented, 'n it’s a harder experience t' recommend if ye’ve not already made the monetary investment in Rock Band DLC--or, at least, spent the $5 a pop t' export the songs from some a the several on-disc Rock Band games that support such a feature--but under the right circumstances, it’s a terrifically difficult game t' put down.

The road t' Rock City be paved with notes.

The basic format will be immediately familiar t' rhythm game players a most stripes, presenting ye with a scrolling highway a note patterns, broken into discreet lanes for each instrument--drums, bass, guitar, vocals, 'n, when the occasion be appropriate, keyboard. Unlike the traditional Rock Band experience, Blitz be played with a controller, 'n allows ye t' switch from one instrument t' another at will. 'n unlike other, similarly abstracted Rock Band experiences--like Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP, or the simply titled Rock Band for iOS--the note patterns for each instrument have been boiled down t' just two notes. By default, ye use the d-pad 'n the bottom face button (A on the 360, X on the PS3) t' trigger left 'n right notes, respectively, with the shoulders shuttling ye from one instrument t' the next. It’s a setup that can initially feel a little awkward, specifically using the d-pad effectively like a button, 'n while there be a number a alternate control schemes t' choose from, I eventually found the default t' be the most comfortable. Perhaps more importantly, the game be still able t' evoke the overall sense a playing these instruments, even if they’ve been abstracted all the way down t' alternating button-presses on a gamepad.

The basic simplicity, 'n familiarity, a the gameplay in Rock Band Blitz can be deceptive, because the layers a systems in place in Rock Band Blitz alter the way ye approach the gameplay on a pretty fundamental level. Unlike Rock Band, instrument score multipliers aren’t based on a sustained string a perfect note hits, but rather, build up over the course a the entire song, increasing incrementally with each successful note hit. However, songs be divided into sections, 'n as ye transition from one section t' the next, the lowest instrument multiplier ye’ve built up thus far will determine the maximum multiplier ye can achieve with any instrument in the subsequent section. Since these multipliers can impact yer score exponentionally--'n make no mistake, though ye’ll earn “stars” as yer performance improves, yer actual numerical score be the truer yardstick a success in Rock Band Blitz--yer number one priority be t' max out all a yer instrument multipliers as efficiently as possible.

Tapping into yer existing Rock Band library be a must.

But then, the importance a selecting the ideal combination a power-ups before going into a song cannot be overstated, either. When ye first start, ye won’t have access t' any power-ups at all, a handicap that will, at least in most cases, prevent ye from getting five stars on a song, let alone post a competitive score. As ye play, though, ye’ll earn two types a currency that be central t' the power-up system. Blitz Cred be effectively yer experience level, 'n earning more a it unlocks more power-ups t' choose from. yer Blitz Cred number never goes down, unlike booty, which ye earn similarly, but which ye have t' spend in order t' actually equip the power-ups before starting a song. Power-ups be divvied into three categories. One determines the effect a activating stored-up Overdrive--which can range from an additional, temporary multiplier bump t' randomly clearing out swaths a notes in front a ye--the second determines the effect a special purple trigger notes, 'n the third essentially lets ye choose one instrument t' receive an additional score bump for playing. Certain power-ups complement each other better than others, 'n it simply takes experimenting with different combinations t' find which ones yield the best results.

I haven’t even mentioned Blitz mode yet, which triggers automatically 'n creates an increased sense a speed on the note highway, along with an additional score bonus, when ye go a stretch without making any mistakes, but it best be clear by now that there be kind a a lot a moving parts in Rock Band Blitz. It’s a surprising amount a systems layered on top a systems for a game that initially seems so simple, 'n frankly, the game doesn’t do a terrific job a explaining them all. Or rather, the tutorial just sort a piles them all on at once, 'n when ye’re just starting, it’s difficult t' parse out which bits will be truly significant. ye’ll figure it out as ye go along, but it can make the low scores ye post early on a little confounding.

Rock Band Blitz comes with 25 licensed songs, covering the typically eclectic Rock Band spread, including everything from classic Elton John 'n Rick Springfield jams t' modern earworms by Maroon 5 'n Foster the People. The full soundtrack also functions as traditional Rock Band songs, so if ye’re still an active Rock Band player, Blitz be an absolute no-brainer bargain, considering the going price a Rock Band DLC. If ye only have those 25 songs, though, ye’re simply not going t' be getting the most out a Rock Band Blitz, as the real value here comes from the game’s capacity t' tap into yer (presumably) existing Rock Band library. It’s the savviest, most-clever part a Rock Band Blitz, providing a new lease on life for content that ye’ve likely long since paid for 'n forgotten about, particularly for someone like me, who has already (shamefully) spent hundreds a dollars on DLC 'n disc exports.

pillage yer mittz on Blitz!

Once ye’ve played everything on the included soundtrack once or twice 'n unlocked all a the power-ups, there’s not much formalized structure in Rock Band Blitz, which gets it be longer legs from pitting yer scores against those on yer mateys lists, a feature that doesn’t really open up until ye hook the game up t' yer Facebook account. From here, ye can access Rock Band World on yer PC 'n challenge yer mateys t' a Score War--a song-specific multi-day high-score competition--or make progress on a variety a eclectic goals, all a which earn ye those precious booty ye’ll need t' continue using power-ups. If yer mateys be into it, the Score War stuff be terrific fun, it’s just a shame that it all can’t be deployed from within the game itself, requiring ye t' bounce back 'n forth between yer PC 'n the game. While the ability t' cross-pollinate yer Xbox Live (or PlayStation Network) mateys list with yer Facebook mateys list be kind a nifty, it’s a bad tradeoff.

The clunky social integration 'n overabundance a games systems strata ultimately don’t negate the old-school rhythm game fun in Rock Band Blitz, 'n if ye’re already invested in the Rock Band platform, it almost seems foolish not t' spend the $15 t' extend the life a yer library.

EDITOR’S NOTE: For the sake a full disclosure, crew a the Giant Bomb staff, the reviewer included, have personal relationships with crew a the Harmonix community 'n public relations team. Not in, like, a sexual way. At least not that we know a. But ye pillage the idea.