Review: Audiosurf
By Reach For The Sky
This is...a difficult game to describe. The best I can do is say that Guitar Hero and Bejeweled had a child together and named it Audiosurf. The concept is actually simple. The game lets you select a song from your own music library, and it automatically creates a level from the various components of the song (tempo, rhythm, etc.) The actual game is a simple color matching game, you get blocks of the same color together, they disappear, the big number at the top of the screen increases, hooray, who cares. If I had to play this mute, it would probably be the most boring game ever. What I really love about the game is the concept fueling it. Allow me to explain.
The developer didn't actually have to create a single level. While I'm sure the programming was as difficult to create as it was genius, it was probably easier than designing, say, 100 different levels, which isn't a fraction of a decimal of a sliver of the content Audiosurf has to offer in its current state. There are several different modes ranging from simple to complex, to satiate those (like myself) Who simply want to enjoy the music while they play, as well as anyone truly interested in the puzzles. The level adaption is simply brilliant, for one thing. When a song goes "slowly" the track ascends, and when the song picks up it starts falling. This creates a roller-coaster effect that just feels perfect for whatever song that's playing. The block placement seems to be along the beats, which makes it easier to grab them by following the song, rather than simply catch them visually.
The Controls are exceedingly simple. There are many options, and all can be played with one hand easily. This sort of simplicity allows for newcomers to adapt easily, and difficulty varies from song to song, for an essentially infinite range of difficulty settings, although you can also decide how difficult you want the song to be when selecting game modes, if you're looking for an extra kick for slower songs (or a handicap for faster music). There's plenty for the more competitive players as well, like scoreboard tracking for each song. There isn't much to say about the atmosphere of the game, because it simply mirrors the song being played, and it mirrors it perfectly. You can expect bright reds and yellows for Dragonforce and deep blues and purples for Johnny Cash.
This is a fantastic game and a gem for Indie design. It provides a new and exciting way for people to enjoy their music .The game-play tends to match the user perfectly. The only people I wouldn't recommend this game to are those with small music libraries. Everyone else, it's cheap, it's lightweight, and it's incredibly fun. If you're still not convinced, there's a demo available on Steam, so give it a try.
This is...a difficult game to describe. The best I can do is say that Guitar Hero and Bejeweled had a child together and named it Audiosurf. The concept is actually simple. The game lets you select a song from your own music library, and it automatically creates a level from the various components of the song (tempo, rhythm, etc.) The actual game is a simple color matching game, you get blocks of the same color together, they disappear, the big number at the top of the screen increases, hooray, who cares. If I had to play this mute, it would probably be the most boring game ever. What I really love about the game is the concept fueling it. Allow me to explain.The developer didn't actually have to create a single level. While I'm sure the programming was as difficult to create as it was genius, it was probably easier than designing, say, 100 different levels, which isn't a fraction of a decimal of a sliver of the content Audiosurf has to offer in its current state. There are several different modes ranging from simple to complex, to satiate those (like myself) Who simply want to enjoy the music while they play, as well as anyone truly interested in the puzzles. The level adaption is simply brilliant, for one thing. When a song goes "slowly" the track ascends, and when the song picks up it starts falling. This creates a roller-coaster effect that just feels perfect for whatever song that's playing. The block placement seems to be along the beats, which makes it easier to grab them by following the song, rather than simply catch them visually.
The Controls are exceedingly simple. There are many options, and all can be played with one hand easily. This sort of simplicity allows for newcomers to adapt easily, and difficulty varies from song to song, for an essentially infinite range of difficulty settings, although you can also decide how difficult you want the song to be when selecting game modes, if you're looking for an extra kick for slower songs (or a handicap for faster music). There's plenty for the more competitive players as well, like scoreboard tracking for each song. There isn't much to say about the atmosphere of the game, because it simply mirrors the song being played, and it mirrors it perfectly. You can expect bright reds and yellows for Dragonforce and deep blues and purples for Johnny Cash.
This is a fantastic game and a gem for Indie design. It provides a new and exciting way for people to enjoy their music .The game-play tends to match the user perfectly. The only people I wouldn't recommend this game to are those with small music libraries. Everyone else, it's cheap, it's lightweight, and it's incredibly fun. If you're still not convinced, there's a demo available on Steam, so give it a try.
-Reach
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