UNBEATABLE Review

UNBEATABLE has its fair share of problems. Performance woes (such as hitching) that hinder the gameplay experience during songs and poorly implemented scene transitions are chief among them. However, if you stick all the way through it, you might just come out a bit better for it.

In some ways, this game feels like a personal attack. Some of the more difficult tracks are not my style, the story is meandering and unfocused, and it frequently forces me to confront my own real-world failings. 

Publisher: Playstack

Developer: D-CELL GAMES

Platform: Played on PC and Steam Deck

Availability: Released December 12, 2025 on PS4/5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, Windows PC, Nintendo Switch.

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It sounds hyperbolic — and maybe it is — but I’m writing this in the moment. In the glow immediately after finishing the game so I don’t lose my thoughts on the here and now. I want to put how I feel down rather than how I think because there will always be more time to think about UNBEATABLE, but I’ll never get to feel these first feelings again. 

And I’m feeling distinctly mixed. Down. Unsure. And that’s less about the quality of the game and more about its qualities. UNBEATABLE is a rollercoaster ride — there’s no doubt about that. The game oscillates between highs and lows, taking long, hard looks at nothing before shunting you into the coolest set-pieces a rhythm game has ever conceived, only to then jump into seemingly unrelated story beats. You’re never really on solid ground. I’m never there, either. 

I see myself in Beat, the main character. She’s a bit listless and unfocused. Always jumping to the next thing, but never taking the time to resolve the issues or work of the moment — something the story shares with us. But Beat has other problems, too. She’s not good at talking about her feelings. She’s not good at people. She’s got some regrets, and they’re my regrets also. I suppose our biggest failing is how reticent we are to own up to our mistakes. Are they mistakes? Sometimes it feels like we do it on purpose.

The artwork of UNBEATABLE is gorgeous and the variety of gameplay mechanics keeps things interesting.

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There are some specific moments in the story that prodded me in ways I was not expecting. Events from Beat’s story that are so reminiscent of my own that it hurt me to see them play out. But ultimately I don’t really think UNBEATABLE is Beat’s story at all. It's Quaver’s. And Clef’s. And it’s about everybody else around Beat who supports her, who gives her grace, who listens, plays with her, and loves her. It’s about the people who do that for us. Through every mistake in my life I’ve been fortunate enough to have people there to pick me up. I know that, of course, but I suppose there are moments where my head is up my own ass just enough to think I can go it alone. But I’ve never been alone. Not really, anyway. 

The totality of the messaging in UNBEATBLE does come out a bit saccharine. Themes about love, support, and forgiveness are pervasive. Yet, at least for the moment, I can’t help but feel that sweetness myself. The feeling that, if I simply accept the love and care thrown my way, we really can band together and become unbeatable.