Play or download ROM on itch.io.
Hyperbeatz is a rhythm game for the NES, and the first game I started developing for a retro console (though I finished Blobert before Hyperbeatz). It is similar to DDR/Stepmania: Notes scroll up towards targets, and the player must press the corresponding button when the note hits the target. Points are awarded based on how well the button press is timed. It has 16 songs with 3 charts each, with unlockable bonus modes.
All of this fits in 40KiB, the same size as the original Super Mario Bros. This was possible by storing the music and chart data compressed, and keeping graphics simple enough that more music data could be stored in part of the graphics ROM. This ended up making the project quite difficult for my first time using 6502 assembly. If I had infinite time, I'd love to make a sequel that uses a bigger ROM to add more songs, better music, better graphics, more effects, and a song & chart editor. Maybe even with a WiFi-enabled cartridge so you can share songs, charts and scores.
If you just want to listen to the music from Hyperbeatz, I uploaded a playlist to soundcloud.
