Thanks to games like Doom, first-person shooters are getting more and more experimental. The over-the-top action, fluid movement, and fun combat have allowed many types of shooters to exist in the space. The rhythm shooter Bullets Per Minute (BPM) is a good indication of that since it borrows quite a bit from Doom, especially the retro play style. But that shouldn't turn players away, since BPM takes the best things about Doom and makes it better.
In BPM, just like Doom, the weapons are important, but only offer so much help. Since BPM has a ton of weapons, all with a wide range of power, players will find that not all are equal. In most cases, weapons alone are not enough to pass the hoards of enemies. What makes gameplay a lot more fluid, and helps the players fight better, are the abilities they can get. Just like the weapons, the abilities aren't all the same. Some are better than others for different situations.
5 Firebolt
The abilities in BPM are split into two types. Ultimate abilities take longer to cool down, and usually require players to clear at least one room before it comes back. Secondary abilities are the ones that players use most often since. They come back in beats, usually 4 or fewer, or kills. Both of these are more achievable. The Firebolt ability is a secondary, and useful for new and seasoned players to have.
Firebolt deals damage over time to an area. This can change the fight in favor of the player, because even if they're not attacking the enemies, the lasting damage can help make things a lot easier. Additionally, it penetrates shields. For the stronger and deadlier enemies that have shields, throwing a Firebolt their way offers a boost for players. As a secondary ability, it recharges in 4 beats, so there's no reason for players to not use it.
4 Hermóðr’s Enchantment
One of the most important things about BPM is keeping momentum and not losing the rhythm, because it helps players fight more aggressively. Hermóðr’s Enchantment is a great ability to have; however, being an Ultimate makes it harder to use, as means it takes longer to cool down.
But out of all the ultimate abilities, Hermóðr’s Enchantment is probably the quickest one to cool down. Since BPM is about movement, getting away, and dodging attacks, Hermóðr’s Enchantment is great to have. Because it increases movement speed for 8 beats, which in BPM is a rather long time. Howeverm since the music is so fast and its cooldown is just one beat, players will find themselves using this more often.
3 Valkyrie's Veil
This ability is one that players may not use, because just like in Doom and other games like it, players will want to fight more than evade. However, Valkyrie's Veil allows players to do just, and keep themselves safe at the same time. Valkyrie's Veil gives players a shield. While it blocks the enemy's first attack, that on paper may not seem like enough, but in reality, makes everything much more manageable.
When players have one life a shield is a lot more important here than in most other shooters. Valkyrie's Veil can allow players to get back into the flow of things quickly, and find the rhythm again, which will help them out on the game's harder difficulties. This shield's downsides are manageable. After one block, it goes away, but the cooldown is just killing 10 enemies, and that is easy to do.
2 Elli's Touch
As mentioned before, BPM plays a lot like Doom, from the combat to the movement. However, unlike Doom, when players are jamming to heavy metal music, it makes that game a lot more immersive. But for BPM, the music plays a huge role in its mechanics. It helps help players reload, shoot, and as mentioned before, use their abilities. Elli's Touch amplifies the beat, and how important it is.
First, it heals players up by 25 HP, which in BPM is a big deal. Secondly, it needs 64 beats to cool down, which is great for an ultimate. Unlike the other ultimate abilities, which require players to get past a certain number of rooms, for this, all they need to do is take down enemies. That comes easily as long as they keep on the beat. However, for players who run with Valkyries such as Odr, Sanngriðr, or Herfjötur, Elli's Touch won't work.
1 Snap Fingers
This ability should be used for either a last-ditch effort, or to quickly clear a room, but never for any other reason. Because when it's gone, players will wish they'd held on to it. In BPM, players can get overpowered quite early on. However, if they arm themselves with the right weapon and the right abilities — in this case, Snap Fingers — the game can be doable.
The ability causes many explosions, dealing a large amount of damage to enemies. This one move can pretty much clear a room, and if the boss is at 50 percent health, it'll kill them. As mentioned before, Snap Fingers is something of a Hail Mary type of attack and should only be used in certain situations, typically ones that overwhelm the player. The reason players should carefully time the use of Snap Fingers is that it takes 3 rooms to cool down, so if players get overwhelmed in those three rooms, things will get harder.
Bullets Per Minute is available now on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and PC.