I recently downloaded Pulse, a rhythm game from the same group that made Auditorium (free web game, very interesting). This iPad game basically revolves around several songs, where you tap various beats that rotate around a circle. The catch is that a pulse originages from the center of the circle, and you need to tap specific beats when it coincides with the pulse. Easier to explain via a video:
I really like the game, but the difficulty curve immediately turned me off. I like to think music games are a bit different than your traditional video games from a design standpoint. Music games, for me, are all about interacting with the music, not necessarily about competition and challenge. Sure, I like a bit of challenge, but the great part about a game like Rock Band is I can adjust the challenge level. With Pulse, I’m stuck with what the designers prescribe.
One of my favorite rhythm games is Audiosurf. From a design perspective, they did two things that I wish Pulse would implement:
- The game elements are fairly basic, picking up certain blocks with your vehicle while avoiding others. This mechanic allows me to enjoy interacting with the music without having to really pay much attention to the score or mechanics.
- It’s MY music I’m interacting with in Audiosurf, which makes it even more enjoyable. I’m still waiting on Rock Band, Pulse or any other rhythm game coming down the line to implement a feature set that allows me to use my own music to populate the game.
Interacting with music is an incredible feeling, especially for those of us that aren’t musicians but huge music fans. Rock Band got the formula right, as did Audiosurf. Pulse has a really cool mechanic, but I need to be able to tune it down a bit for my enjoyment. Once I get a Kinect, I’m hoping to try out Child of Eden, another game that has a heavy rhythm element that many people report make the player feel like a conductor.