Beatstar Manual

Beatstar

Beatstar is an audio-based rhythm game about listening to the beat, pressing the right keys at the right time, and through going an ever-growing library of community-created sound packs.

Getting Started

When you launch Beatstar for the first time, a setup wizard will guide you through:

Language — Choose between English and Spanish.
Speech system — Pick how the game talks to you:
- Web TTS — Built-in text-to-speech with customizable voice and speed.
- ARIA — Uses your screen reader (NVDA recommended; press NVDA+5 to enable dynamic content changes).
- Clipboard — Copies text to clipboard for your own reader to pick up.
Keyboard layout — Select a control scheme (see Controls below).

After setup you’ll land on the Main Menu, where you can start a game, browse packs, play mini-games, check your stats, and more.

How to Play

The basics

Pick a pack — Each pack is a collection of levels built around a music track. On your first run you will only be able to play default, which goes from a very slow beat to quite fast.
Buy safeguards (optional) — Safeguards absorb a missed action so you can keep playing. They cost 700 Beatcoins each. Playing without safeguards earns you double rewards. You can’t play with safeguards on your first run because you don’t have any beatcoins.
Listen to the beat — Music plays in rhythmic cycles. During each cycle one of two things happens:
- An action sound plays — press the matching key when the beat hits (~50 % of the cycle).
- A freeze sound plays — do nothing and wait for the next cycle.
Stay on beat — Your timing is scored from 1 to 100. Better timing means more Beatcoins.
Clear all levels — Complete every level in a pack to win it and earn your reward.

Failing and safeguards

Press the wrong key or miss the timing window and you fail.
If you have a safeguard, it is consumed and you continue.
If you have no safeguards left, the game ends.

Controls

Key	Action
Up / Down arrows	Browse items
Left / Right arrows	Change a setting or sort order
Enter	Select
First letter of an item	Jump to it
Tab	Preview pack music
Q or Escape	Go back / quit

During Gameplay

Key	Action
P	Pause
S	Save progress (available after your first pack win)
C	Hear your current Beatcoins
T	Hear elapsed time
G	Hear remaining safeguards
V	Hear current level
Page Up / Page Down	Adjust music volume
Q or Escape	Quit the current game

Keyboard Layouts

Layout 1 — Mark 1 (default)

Key	Action
Space action 1
Tab	Action 2
Enter	Action 3
Backspace	Action 4
Up arrow	Action 5
Down arrow	Action 6
Right arrow	Action 7
Left arrow	Action 8

Layout 2 — Mark 2

Key	Action
E	Action 2
D	Action 3
R	Action 4
F	Action 5
I	Action 6
K	Action 7
J	Action 8
L	Action 9

You can switch layouts at any time from Settings.

Scoring and Beatcoins

Every correct action is scored 1–100 based on timing accuracy. 100 is a perfect hit.
Better accuracy earns more Beatcoins per action.
Winning an entire pack without using any safeguards doubles your total earnings.
Beatcoins are spent on new packs, safeguards, and mini-games.

Song Packs

Browsing and downloading

From the main menu, go to Browse Packs to see what’s available. Packs can be sorted by:

Name (alphabetical)
Your personal rating
Community rating

Select a pack to download it. Downloaded packs appear in your library and are ready to play.

Learning a pack

Before diving in, you can use Learn Mode to hear each action sound and practice the keys without any pressure. This is especially useful for new packs with unfamiliar sounds.

Rating packs

After playing a pack you can rate it from 1 to 5 stars. Ratings are shared with the community and help other players find great packs and help other players not get shitty packs.

Mini-Games

Earn extra Beatcoins (or lose them!) in a variety of mini-games. Each mini-game has a one-time unlock cost, after which you can play it whenever you like.

Mini-Game	Unlock Cost	Description
Slots	8,500	Spin three wheels — match sounds to win up to 2x your bet
Memory	6,500	Simon Says with sounds — memorize and repeat sequences
Code Breaker	10,000	Crack a secret code through trial and feedback
High / Low	15,000	Guess whether the next card is higher or lower
Double or Nothing	10,000	50/50 bet — double your stake or lose it all
Football	12,000	Score goals by sheer luck like penalty throws
Quick Tap	14,000	React as fast as you can when the countdown hits
Ready Set Go	18,000	Press at exactly the 3-second mark
Pack Quiz	35,000	Identify which pack a music clip belongs to
Chance	25,000	Pick cases for random prizes
Dice of Doom	26,000	Roll dice — multiply your coins, divide them, or lose everything

Mission credits (earned through the mission system) can also be used for one free play per mini-game.

Missions

Missions track your long-term progress and reward you with mission credits. Each mission has multiple levels with increasing targets.

Mission	What to do
Runs	Launch the game regularly
Games	Start games
Levels	Complete levels
Wins	Win packs
Fails	Fail (yes, even failing counts!)
Cash	Accumulate Beatcoins
Time	Spend time playing
Taps	Land accurate key presses

Achievements

There are 22 achievements to unlock. A few highlights:

Win packs — Unlock progressive achievements at 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 pack wins.
Use Pinky — Win a pack without using any safeguards.
On Fire — Stay on beat for 6+ levels in a row.
Bulk Download — Download all available packs at once.
Various mini-game achievements for wins, losses, and impressive feats.

Check your full achievement list and progress from the main menu.

Statistics

The Stats menu tracks your career numbers:

Total runs, games, levels, wins, and fails
Correct actions and total taps
Beatcoins earned (lifetime)
Packs downloaded
Safeguards used
Total playtime

Beat Reverse Mode

An alternative game mode accessible from the main menu. Controls are remapped (reversed), offering a fresh challenge on packs you’ve already mastered.

Settings

Open Settings and Help from the main menu to adjust:

Setting	Options
Speech system	Web TTS / ARIA / Clipboard
TTS voice	Any voice installed on your system
Speech rate	Faster or slower
Keyboard layout	Mark 1 / Mark 2
Score announcement	On / Off — hear your accuracy after each action
Speech interrupt	On / Off — whether key presses cut off current speech
Language	English / Spanish
Pack directory	Change where downloaded packs are stored (default: ~/beatpacks)

Saving and Backups

Your progress is saved automatically in ~/beatpacks/save.beatstar.
Press S during gameplay (after your first pack win) to save mid-level progress. This save is consumed when you resume or play a mini-game.
Export your save from Settings — it copies an encrypted string to your clipboard.
Import a previously exported save by pasting it back in Settings. A backup is created automatically before importing.

Accessibility Tips

NVDA users: Press NVDA+5 to enable dynamic content changes for the best experience.
Headphones recommended: Spatial audio cues and subtle timing feedback are easier to hear with headphones.
Start with Learn Mode: Familiarize yourself with each pack’s action sounds before playing for real.
Adjust speech rate: Speed up TTS once you’re comfortable to keep the game flowing.

Community

Download packs created by other players from the in-game pack browser.
Rate packs to help the community find the best content.
Create and upload your own packs using the built-in pack editor (advanced).

Enjoy the beat!