Beat Refle
| beat refle | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Qureate, Orgesta |
| Publisher(s) | Qureate |
| Producer(s) | Yujiro Usuda |
| Artist(s) | Kazune Inui |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Rhythm |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Beat Refle (Japanese: サマーレッスン), stylized beat refle, is a 2022 rhythm video game developed by Qureate, released on Steam for PCs.
Gameplay
[edit]Beat Refle sees the human player massage girls to the rhythm of the music by pressing the appropriate control buttons in time with the music. The game contains 50 songs, and the player-character is also able to meet customers outside the parlor and interact in dialog.[1]
Plot
[edit]Atsushi Yubihara cleans his late grandfather's massage parlor when he meets a talking cat named Momiji. At the same time, debt collectors show up to take back the money Atsushi's grandfather owed and leave him with just one month to pay it back. Consequently, Atsushi takes over the massage parlor and massages girls as he works to pay back his grandfather's debt.[1]
Release and controversy
[edit]The game was originally titled Massage Freaks and slated for release on Nintendo Switch on August 4, 2022. It received criticism for its depiction of women, which was considered discriminatory and reminiscent of real-world sexual crimes at massage parlors in Japan.[1][2][3] It was also noted that female characters in the game shared their first names with members of the idol group Hinatazaka46.[2][3][4] Following the criticism, qureate delayed the Switch release indefinitely,[4][5] cancelled preorders,[1] and changed the characters' names.[3][4][5] beat refle was silently released on Steam on July 31, 2022,[4] albeit censored.[5] As of 2024, Qureate are yet to officially comment about the delayed Nintendo Switch version.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Yamanaka, Taijiro (July 22, 2022). "Massage Freaks delayed after receiving backlash in Japan over its risqué subject matter [Update]". Automaton. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Ollie (July 25, 2022). "Raunchy Rhythm Title 'Massage Freaks' Delayed Indefinitely After Online Backlash". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c Tolentino, Josh (August 1, 2022). "Beat Refle Is the New Title of Massage Freaks, Now on PC". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Romano, Sal (July 31, 2022). "Massage Freaks renamed beat refle, now available for PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on August 2, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c Reynolds, Ollie (August 1, 2022). "Controversial Rhythm Game 'Massage Freaks' May Have Been Canned On Switch". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.