I don't a mind a good challenge, but I sure hate a lousy challenge. The problem with Odium to the Core is that it doesn't allow a reasonable person to progress very far without contemplating suicide. And it's a damn shame because this game has one of the most exhilarating soundtracks to come out of an indie title.

All they needed to do was implement more checkpoints, extra chances, or another way to unlock new stages. Anything to push this one-button nightmare forward so that most buyers can enjoy the slick visuals and sick beats in a timely manner. I was able to get to "Return Null," which is about 2/3s the way through, but it was extremely time consuming having to repeat the same sections over and over building memory due to the incredible precision it took to make it to the next checkpoint. Games like this should allow anyone who wants to be weaned into the experience able to do so with as miminal suffering as possible, and a loss shouldn't feel like a loss of time. In other words, it needs to fun and engaging to learn how to win.

There's also an endless mode which throws procedurally generated obstacles your way, which is a nice distraction. In terms of controls, the one-button press is okay, but this isn't really a rhythm game because you're not moving to the music. It feels unnatural to press a button that doesn't go with the beat. If you just want to listen to the accompanying waveforms, check out the music here and here.