NOISZ is a hybrid Shoot 'Em Up-style Bullet Hell/Visual Novel/Rhythm Game by Anarch Entertainment.
You are an Unlucky Everydude who is attacked by a Noise Beast, a physical being made of music, before being rescued by the mysterious Beyond. Given the titular NOISZ, you try to uncover her secrets while fending off Noise Beasts.
It, alongside its Expansion Pack re:||VERSE, can be bought on Steam for $19.99 and $9.99, respectively.
NOISZ has a mobile sequel, named NOISZ STARLIVHT, which focuses more on the rhythm game elements, and which in itself has a spinoff visual novel, 2ECONDS TO STARLIVHT.
An arcade spinoff, NOISZ: ARC⌖CODA, was released in 2022 for the exA-Arcadia hardware platform. Unlike the original game, there is no story mode; you simply play three songs of your choice, and instead of having damage negated when you run out of life, the song ends prematurely. Additionally, there are courses of four songs each available for play. Players who also have NOISZ STARLIVHT can upload their ARC⌖CODA scores to online leaderboards via the former app by scanning QR codes.
A Nintendo Switch port of the original game, NOISZ re:||COLLECTION G, was released on October 7, 2023. It has both the content of the base game and re:||VERSE, as well as a new "episode G" prologue story chapter.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Gender: The protagonist's gender is left ambiguous.
- Big Bad: Arietta appears to be this, until it is revealed that she is undergoing Demonic Possession by Alpha..
- Boss Game: The gameplay consists entirely of fighting bosses, unlike many traditional shmups where each level has a main body of the stage with Mooks to shoot up before facing the boss.
- Cat Girl: While not a girl, the protagonist ends up becoming one after prolonged use of the NOISZ. Byakko also counts due to being a Great White Feline.
- Charged Attack:
- Mega Style can hold its attack for 2-4 beats to increase the combo and damage of its attack.
- Crash Style is a "collect" type, using your combo as the resource. Pressing the special button will consume 32 combo to power your shots up for four beats. In ARC⌖CODA, it will also allow you to shield against red bullets during this same period.
- The ARC⌖CODA-exclusive Exceed Style is another "collect" version of this trope. By absorbing blue bullets with your shield, you will build up a circular gauge around your Noisz. Holding the special button will gradually consume the gauge to shield yourself and fire a high-powered attack.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul: The NOISZ's power slowly destroys the users' souls, including the NOISZ Beasts.
- Demonic Possession: Arietta undergoes this in the C-Route.
- Dwindling Party: Alpha does this to your friends, turning them into Void Beasts that you are forced to kill.
- Energy Absorption: The NOISZ will absorb excess energy from Noisz Beasts.
- Every blue note you absorb with your shield will give you a single bonus combo. With Harmonic Style, it can absorb red notes under certain conditions.
- Some Styles rely on this. Blaster Style allows you to absorb four blue notes in one beat in order to deliver a charged attack, while Crash Style can sacrifice its combo to use its Super Mode.
- Every blue note you absorb with your shield will give you a single bonus combo. With Harmonic Style, it can absorb red notes under certain conditions.
- Eyes Always Shut: The NOISZ Beasts always have this.
- Flawed Prototype: The NOISZ Beasts have a mass-produced, experimental version of the NOISZ.
- The Four Gods: Three of them appear as NOISZ Beasts.
- Gender Bender: In the C-Story, Naga becomes female after being purified by the Player Character.
- Great White Feline: Byakko, one of the NOISZ Beasts, is a white tiger, naturally.
- Harder Than Hard: Overload difficulty, where running out of lives is an instant game over.
- Hello, [Insert Name Here]: The name you use for leaderboards is also the name given to the protagonist.
- The Hero Dies: At the ends of all three routes, you end up dying in some way or another.
- Little Bit Beastly: Noise Beasts often take this appearance after being purified.
- Little Girls Kick Shins: Karin kicks the protagonist in the shins when they mention her height or weight.
- MacGuffin Title: The NOISZ is a weapon you use to fight the Noise Beasts.
- Mercy Mode: Every time you lose a fight in story mode, you can try it again, or you can retry on an easier difficulty or even skip it outright at the cost of any points you would've gotten on it.
- Mysterious Protector: Beyond is quite mysterious, often performing a Stealth Hi/Bye. She also gives you the NOISZ during your first encounter.
- Our Dragons Are Different: Seiryu, one of the NOISZ Beasts, is a blue western-style dragon.
- The Phoenix: Suzaku is a Phoenix. She is also one of the NOISZ Beasts.
- Resist the Beast: Wolf-Girl does this just long enough to warn you before attacking you.
- Rhino Rampage: Moca is a guard who is first seen sleeping, who enjoys fighting others.
- Sibling Yin-Yang: Beyond is nice and generally concerned about the well-beings of others, while Arietta is unscrupulous, up to killing the protagonist and at least three other NOISZ users, reanimating them into NOISZ Beasts.
- Slave Mook: NOISZ Beasts can be controlled by Arietta. You're also converted into one at the end of the B-Story.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Naga, a Noise Beast that you fight, is a cobra.
- Super Prototype: The first Player Character has a superior NOISZ to other users, including it not destroying their soul as fast. However, it could be considered more that the NOISZ Beasts' versions are Flawed Prototypes as they are mass produced.
- Sweet Sheep: Karin is a sheep girl who helps you in the Tacet Forest. However, Beware the Nice Ones, especially considering that [[spoilers: NOISZ users had killed her family.]]
- Video Game Delegation Penalty: Dancer Style automatically fires and shields for you; the shot button switches between the two action types. This makes it easier to focus on dodging, but inflicts less damage than the other Styles.
