AVICII Invector Encore Edition (Switch)

Following the release of AVICII Invector in 2019, a pair of DLC packs had since been announced, the Tim Song Pack and Magma Song Pack, each containing five additional songs from across Avicii’s short-lived career. Around this time, I learned about a physical re-release of the game for Nintendo Switch that includes said DLC already on it, titled AVICII Invector Encore Edition. While this version of the game was available at retail, I opted instead to pre-order the game through Limited Run and somehow managed to receive it in a fairly timely fashion, about a month off from its release date. After playing it shortly upon receiving it, I found the Encore re-release to be a good package.

Before getting into the additional content, I should note that, much like the Oblivion levels in the base AVICII Invector version of the game, said DLC is playable right at the start. As I had already completed the other levels on the PS4 version of the original game, I decided to jump straight into the new tracks to see how they stacked up to the rest of the game.

The Tim Song Pack consist entirely of additional tracks taken from Avicii’s posthumous third album, Tim: “Peace of Mind”, “Freak”, “Bad Reputation”, “SOS” and “Heart Upon My Sleeve”. I will admit I still have not yet heard the actual album, though I did generally like what I heard through this song pack, with my personal favorites from this selection being “Peace of Mind” and “Heart Upon My Sleeve”. The songs continue off of the difficulty curve present during the rest of the game, bringing a new challenge to people who had already completed the base game. I will also note that, fitting with the other Tim tracks, the songs take place within the Oblivion backdrop, giving these tracks some visual consistency.

The Magma Song Pack is more varied than the Tim Song Pack, featuring two new songs from his first two albums, True and Stories, along with two singles and a collab track from David Guetta’s Nothing but the Beat album: “Addicted to You”, “My Feelings for You”, “Seek Bromance”, “Sunshine” and “Trouble”. I was personally more familiar with the True and Stories tracks (“Addicted to You” and “Trouble” respectively), though the former is one of my personal highlights from this pack, as is “Sunshine”, the aforementioned David Guetta collab. Along with the added difficulty curve, this pack also introduces a new World to explore, the titular Magma, which makes good use of its volcano theme to create a visually stunning experience.

Since I played the Nintendo Switch version of the game, I should mention that I learned of a secret bonus track exclusive to the Switch. This track, “Wake Me Up 8-bit” by 8 Bit Universe, is unlocked by inputting a special code in the main menu (Up, Down x6, A) and is then immediately accessible and listed after every other track (DLC included). The gameplay of this track is similar to that of “Wake Me Up” in the base game, however the visuals are appropriately pixelated to complement the song without becoming unreadable.

For those who have not played AVICII Invector, the Encore Edition is a solid package worth checking out for rhythm game fans, particularly fans of the late Avicii. The physical edition of the game is worth getting if you want all the DLC up front and on an actual cartridge, though if you already have the original game then the DLC tracks are still worth it for an additional challenge.