Longtime FPS players have hardwired strategies and muscle memory. They reload at every opportunity, even if there are bullets left in the clip. They peek corners and strafe like pros. They unload on enemies the instant one appears in their crosshairs. For most FPS games, these skills are all transferable. Once in a while, however, the player will find a game that subverts traditional FPS expectations.
BPM: Bullets Per Minute is a rhythm shooter. This means that staying on beat is even more important to the player's survival than how many bullets they have left. The mechanics that come with this unusual premise can be hard for beginners to wrap their heads around. Here are some great tips for players new to BPM.
6 Stay On Beat
BPM: Bullets Per Minute is an FPS, but it's also a rhythm game, which means staying on beat is crucial. Shooting on beat, reloading on beat, dashing on beat, and even using special abilities on beat is the single most important thing to master in this game. That may seem simple on paper, but in practice, it can be very difficult.
The main reason learning to stay on beat has nothing to do with one's ear for music. Instead, it's about unlearning muscle memory and hardwired strategies that have likely carried the player to victory in other FPSs. Shooting the second an enemy is in one's crosshairs may work in tactical shooters like Valorant, but it will only hurt the player in BPM. Staying on beat and battling enemies rhythmically is the key to success as well as fun in BPM, and it has to come before everything else.
5 Practice Mode
Like most FPSs, BPM includes several different difficulty modes, ranging from Practice to Hardcore. Many players who are already familiar with FPSs are likely to want to jump right into Easy or even Standard difficulty. There's a very good reason not to do so, however. Just because the main character has a first-person POV and is holding a gun doesn't mean BPM: Bullets Per Minute is going to feel like other shooters.
The rhythm mechanics make a tremendous difference in how the player has to battle enemies in the game, and until the player adjusts to this, they're going to fail a lot. There is simply no substitute for the Practice difficulty when it comes to learning the game. Even Easy mode will be too much of a challenge for most players who jump in unprepared. Take time to learn the basics, perhaps beating the boss on the fourth floor before graduating to easy mode. The higher difficulties aren't going anywhere.
4 Circle Enemies
How much movement matters in an FPS strongly depends on the individual game. In many of the best FPS games, sprinting around, bunny hopping, vaulting, and other movement techniques are the only things that will keep the player intact for longer than 10 seconds. In others, any kind of movement will severely impair the player's aim, forcing them to pick their positions carefully and take their time when moving and lining up shots.
BPM: Bullets Per Minute lies somewhere between these two extremes. Though it doesn't require the radical movements that some other games do, staying in motion is a must for surviving the game's enemies. The best strategy is typically to circle enemies, keeping to the edge of the room so that the enemies can all be tracked at once and won't sneak behind the player. Though some cramped interiors make this difficult, this strategy pays off whenever it can be employed.
3 Use A Loose Rhythm
Fortunately, BPM is well aware that many players will struggle to adjust to its rhythm mechanics, and the game offers a few quality-of-life features to help players along in their learning process. One of the most important for beginners is the Rhythm Detection option accessible from the main menu.
By changing the Rhythm Detection setting to Loose, the beat will become easier for the player to match without losing the satisfaction that comes with proper gameplay. This feature can serve as a stepping stone, changed by the player as soon as they become more comfortable with the game's mechanics and more confident in their skill, or it can stay on forever. There's no wrong choice. Whatever makes things easier for the player is great since it will encourage them to spend more time with the game and learn more of its unique features.
2 Bind Reload To M2
Determining what key bindings are best for a given game is a highly subjective enterprise. Not all players have the same preferences or physical capabilities, so there is often tremendous variation in the suitability of key bindings. That said, there's one binding that stands out as an easy recommendation for PC players.
Several weapons in the game require the player to press the Reload button multiple times, which prevents the player from strafing properly if Reload is bound to R. Rebinding Reload to M2 (the right mouse button) solves this problem. Console players may find similar solutions to small gameplay issues like this one, so it's always advisable to play with the key bindings and see what makes sense to change. If a given binding fails, the player can always return it to the default settings with no harm done.
1 Upgrade Damage, Not Abilities
Whenever the player gets the chance to increase their damage at a Damage Shrine, they should do so. The only cases in which the player should do otherwise is if they instead have the opportunity to pick up a better weapon upgrade or a high-quality item like the Infinite Ammo Shield.
The player should pass on most ability upgrades when they're first learning the game. Abilities are only unlocked by beating the game on Easy or Hard Mode or from special chests and libraries. This means that most ability upgrades will do nothing for the player at first. Once the player has beaten the game on these other modes, ability upgrades will become much more important. Until then, it's safe to give them a pass.
BPM: Bullets Per Minute is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.