Last time I talked about pitch games which were based on the traditional idea of karaoke, so the players use their voice to participate in the game. This time I'd like to introduce a slightly different sub-category of music games, namely rhythm games.
Game types:
The point of rhythm games is to test how much you are in sync with the music, and for that they require spot on movements from the player. The movements can range from as small as pushing a button on time to following complicated dance steps and jumps on screen. Either way, these games are mighty fun to play and also to watch someone else playing it.
However, the key factor for education purposes is that they have actually much more use than one would think. While they offer great entertainment for a large group of people, the players also learn to polish their reflex, and ability to promptly follow instructions on the screen. Let's take a closer look at some of the games.
I. Finger movement:
The most basic but not always the simplest rhythm games are when you have to mash buttons in time with the beat of the song.
PaRappa the Rapper:
One of the first and most influential game in this category is PaRappa the Rapper, which first came out for the Playstation in 1996. The idea was to listen to a sequence and then repeat as accurately as possible. The player is graded for every single step, based on their accuracy. Although it's a good game for children due to its cartoony characters, easy to understand game-play, and its striking similarity to the popular children's game, Simon Says, the evaluation process is quite strict. If the player happens to miss a couple of steps or score too low in a row, they fail the song and have to start from the beginning. This can indeed make you frustrated after a while so it's advisable to only play for 30 minutes at a time.
Repeat and rap – The buttons you have to push are displayed on the top of the screen with an indicator showing when to do it. The score and the rating lets you know how well you’re doing.
Gitaroo Man:
A similarly frustrating although entertaining game for the Playstation 2, where instead of mimicking a previously heard sequence, the player has to push certain buttons when prompted. The game-play has three parts: First you build up your defence by following the curvy "beat" line with the analogue stick, then you have to avoid the enemy’s projectiles by pressing the right buttons at the right time while they come towards you from all four directions. Finally, you attack the enemy by repeating the first part. Does it sound difficult? It's even more difficult to play, that's why there are only 10 songs in the whole game!
Charge, guard and attack – Note the initial difference between the two life bars on the top of the screen. If you fail to charge your energy, then you start the battle handicapped!
Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan:
While this Nintendo DS game was not released outside of Japan, it has gained such popularity worldwide that fans made a free counterpart of it for the PC, called Osu!, and a very similar game was released for the DS in Western countries, labelled Elite Beat Agents.
Cheer girls from Ouendan and beat boys from Elite Beat Agents – you can play as either gender in both games.
The goal of the game is to simply cheer for someone in need by touching the numbered bubbles in order and in time with the music. This is done via the touch screen of the DS with the pen provided, called the stylus. Besides touching the bubbles, the game-play also features following a trail and spinning the stylus in a circle as fast as you can. It’s also important to keep your eye on the “zeal bar” on top, which is gradually going down, unless you cheer with all your might! :)
Elite Beat Agents: Make the agents dance on the lower screen by tapping and spinning, while a story unfolds on the top screen. You get regular feedback of your performance during the short breaks in the song.
The fan-made PC version, Osu! follows the same idea, only with a mouse instead of a pen and a touch screen.
In this game, you can even make your own beatmaps and share them with other players.
Rhythm Heaven:
I'd like to introduce one more small game on the Nintendo DS system, which is in fact a collection of mini games and it's known as "Rhythm Paradise" in Europe.
The game-play is based solely on the touch screen but it features lots of different types of movements, for example touching, tapping, swiping, etc. It's a very fun game for all ages and besides its fun factor, it helps to develop and polish motoric movement in young children.
II. Arm movement:
As if moving your fingers wasn't challenging enough, the second sub-category features music games which require you to move your arms and upper body too. The game-play is generally based on the same concept as before; hit a specific button as it reaches a certain point on the screen. Thus paying very close attention to the screen while coordinating your body movement is crucial, making these type of games somewhat more challenging than games of other genres.
Pop'n Music:
Unfortunately this arcade game never reached the Western shores but it has become increasingly popular in Japan, ever since its first release in 1998. It's a seemingly fun children's game but don't let appearances fool you - the harder levels pose quite a challenge, even for those blessed with a good sense of rhythm. This game is played with a special keyboard, consisting of 9 big, colourful buttons. All of these buttons stand for a specific sound (piano, drum, whistle, etc.) in each song, rather than being associated with a certain instrument. The ever changing association of sounds to buttons is a core difference compared to other music games on the market, yet it's not a detrimental aspect to game-play.
Taiko no Tatsujin (Taiko Drum Master):
Another Japanese gem, which just had to be added to the list. Similarly to the previous case, this fun arcade game can only be found in the country of the rising sun; however it's not unheard of in other countries either. Instead of a regular controller, the player has to beat the rhythm on 2 Japanese styled taiko drums. The franchise has gained massive popularity in Japan, probably partially due to the fact that the taiko drum is a traditional Japanese instrument, but nevertheless, different versions of this game came out on the Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, and even on mobile phones.
My post has become bigger than I originally intended to so I'm going to leave the most famous rhythm games for next time, in Music Games part 3, coming up next week! :)
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