Beck peaked here obvs
This is a rhythm game, a platformer, at times a stealth game, there are some gradius moments and above all it is a tool to compose beats. Very pretty, colorful and fun. Unfortunately, the game gradually prepares you for something that no longer exists, the levels created by the community. Still, the main campaign is worth at least playing once.
Fun music game but it has no replayability unless you really like the music
just shapes and beats if it was awesome
Cute but some RNG makes time trial stuff a total mind numbing experience.
After the first few hours, quickly loses its appeal.
This is a VERY cute game. Usually that doesn't do it for me, but here it works. It's so charming and fun to do things in a musically driven way. I love games that use music in unique ways.
Creative and unique way to incorporate music into a video game. Platinum was quite difficult but really fun to get. Definitely check this out if you have a playstation.
It just works
death mode is so dumb, in some levels most runs are dead on arrival
it's fun to use the level editor to make music
it's fun to use the level editor to make music
The platforming is mid and the music sucks. Music sequencer part was pretty fun, though.
Rhythm-based 2D platform. Pretty unique style that varies with each featured artist's levels, a little frustrating and unfortunately RNG-based at times.
El juego esta bastante bien, tiene su dificultad y es bastante divertido, pero es SUPER repetitivo, a tal punto de dejar de jugarlo porque te pudrís de lo mismo una y otra vez.
Además cuenta con mil expansiones totalmente innecesarias a mi gusto.
Además cuenta con mil expansiones totalmente innecesarias a mi gusto.
From a conceptual standpoint this SHOULD be something I'd hyperfixiate on but this didn't do much for me when I played it. I think the controls just didn't feel right. Also it was on PS3
Hey they got beck for this below average music puzzler!
Fun platforming, banging soundtrack.
Forgot how insanely charming this, but very few optional modes have completely dragged down a game for me like Death Mode has. RNG + platforming + time limits = disaster.
Top 50 Favorites: #49
A serene audiovisual spectacle - uses its pixelated pageantry not for cheap nostalgia points, but for honest-to-God authentic dreamscape texture. My biggest complaint - and make no mistake, this is certainly a complaint in this case - like with many games of this ilk, is that it's just too short (in this case almost feeling incomplete by its ending); and the add-ons - rather than more exceptional story levels - are instead just a bunch of creator tools. If that's your thing, that's probably really awesome - but personally I trust more talented people to make these sorts of levels rather than me fumbling to make my own. For reference, Hohokum is my favorite video game ever made - so naturally I was floored at the prospect of what that game's DLC in this game (two products with such wondrous, deeply emotive music directly connected to their visual auras during the creative process coming together) could have brought.... but instead it's just a bunch of lines and dings and shit that I don't know how to use. Obviously that is 100% a me problem, and does essentially very little to hinder my love for this overall - one of the most wholly original modern bit platformers ever painted onto a screen. Has the ability to transition naturally from 'calming stroll down a pleasant lane' to 'fuck fucking motherfuck goddammit how the fuck did I fucking die there??!?' with a sharp sense of control. Shame that such an auspicious vision like this hasn't spawned any sequels since, where imo it clearly deserves some. Beck, deadmau5, and some exemplary original tunes shine too brightly here to be forgotten.
A serene audiovisual spectacle - uses its pixelated pageantry not for cheap nostalgia points, but for honest-to-God authentic dreamscape texture. My biggest complaint - and make no mistake, this is certainly a complaint in this case - like with many games of this ilk, is that it's just too short (in this case almost feeling incomplete by its ending); and the add-ons - rather than more exceptional story levels - are instead just a bunch of creator tools. If that's your thing, that's probably really awesome - but personally I trust more talented people to make these sorts of levels rather than me fumbling to make my own. For reference, Hohokum is my favorite video game ever made - so naturally I was floored at the prospect of what that game's DLC in this game (two products with such wondrous, deeply emotive music directly connected to their visual auras during the creative process coming together) could have brought.... but instead it's just a bunch of lines and dings and shit that I don't know how to use. Obviously that is 100% a me problem, and does essentially very little to hinder my love for this overall - one of the most wholly original modern bit platformers ever painted onto a screen. Has the ability to transition naturally from 'calming stroll down a pleasant lane' to 'fuck fucking motherfuck goddammit how the fuck did I fucking die there??!?' with a sharp sense of control. Shame that such an auspicious vision like this hasn't spawned any sequels since, where imo it clearly deserves some. Beck, deadmau5, and some exemplary original tunes shine too brightly here to be forgotten.
Another pleasantly surprising indie that I absolutely adored. I'm a sucker for rhythm based gameplay but this one has so much style and solid level design that I couldn't help but smile the whole way through.
the name says it all
Genuinely one of my favorite games of all time, I hold huge nostalgia for it and still come back to it occasionally.
Unfortunately there are some factors holding it back, namely the Death Mode, which replaces the enjoyable gameplay with an RNG nightmare (the music isn't even very good...).
The content is also sort of lacking, which wasn't a big deal when the servers were still up, allowing you to make and play levels by other people, but those got shut down, a fate a sad amount of PlayStation 3 games share.
Also it introduced me to Beck which on its own makes it amazing.
Unfortunately there are some factors holding it back, namely the Death Mode, which replaces the enjoyable gameplay with an RNG nightmare (the music isn't even very good...).
The content is also sort of lacking, which wasn't a big deal when the servers were still up, allowing you to make and play levels by other people, but those got shut down, a fate a sad amount of PlayStation 3 games share.
Also it introduced me to Beck which on its own makes it amazing.
"Clever And Unique, But Sadly Stripped Of Content"
"Sound Shapes" is a pretty creative experience - it's a platformer that plays music as you interact with each level and collect nodes. Every interaction/node captured plays a note in the track, and it all combines to create some interesting level design as well as some unconventional beats and songs. It feels like a "LittleBigPlanet" for the music platformer genre, but like that creative title this too has lost its online support for user-created levels. This leaves behind an albeit interesting and original game, but one massively stripped of content.
You pretty much control a blob that hops around random levels themed pretty abstractly towards the track itself. Obstacles move to the rhythm of the track, and you must make your way towards the end of the level - pretty straightforward. This isn't really a mechanically deep game nor one that is difficult (though there is a "Death Mode" option following the completion of the main campaign). Thus, it is easy to hop in and play without too much difficulty in the learning department.
The music is solid though absolutely has a weird mix. You have some downtrodden techno from the team itself, pulsating DJ mixes by Deadmau5, and electronic ballads from Beck (among a few others). There isn't a whole lot for the base game, but what's here works and definitely showcases a lot of the game's creativity, the developer's ear for quirky beats, and the potential for deeper mechanics.
Unfortunately, this title is only allowed to be so good nowadays due to the shutdown of this game's servers. This pretty much kills the long-term replayability of this title, but furthermore it destroyed the works of a community rich in creativity and passion that it cultivated during its short life. I would've preferred at least a "greatest hits" package to be included as a patch to the game itself so that certain creators' levels wouldn't be lost forever, but I guess this wasn't considered either due to budget reasons or potentially just downright neglect of the idea. It's a damn shame this game is stuck containing only its' base content, but it's solid enough to play regardless assuming you can find it for dirt cheap (free with PS Plus in my case).
"Sound Shapes" is a title from the earlier days of the indie boom that contains a hell of a lot of charm, imagination, and community interaction. It isn't a mechanically deep title, but the potential of its levels sparking imagination and creativity with music is something special. Sadly, it's a limited title nowadays due to its community aspect being stripped completely, so you'll not only find a glaring lack of content but also a glaring lack of its creativity lost to the void. Hopefully there is a spiritual sequel out there somewhere, and if not, at least another title created by someone who may have been touched by this game's creativity. Until then, it serves as a remnant of a lost indie generation still struggling with possible budgetary issues or a lack of care for its long term lifespan.
Final Verdict: 6/10 (Above Average)
"Sound Shapes" is a pretty creative experience - it's a platformer that plays music as you interact with each level and collect nodes. Every interaction/node captured plays a note in the track, and it all combines to create some interesting level design as well as some unconventional beats and songs. It feels like a "LittleBigPlanet" for the music platformer genre, but like that creative title this too has lost its online support for user-created levels. This leaves behind an albeit interesting and original game, but one massively stripped of content.
You pretty much control a blob that hops around random levels themed pretty abstractly towards the track itself. Obstacles move to the rhythm of the track, and you must make your way towards the end of the level - pretty straightforward. This isn't really a mechanically deep game nor one that is difficult (though there is a "Death Mode" option following the completion of the main campaign). Thus, it is easy to hop in and play without too much difficulty in the learning department.
The music is solid though absolutely has a weird mix. You have some downtrodden techno from the team itself, pulsating DJ mixes by Deadmau5, and electronic ballads from Beck (among a few others). There isn't a whole lot for the base game, but what's here works and definitely showcases a lot of the game's creativity, the developer's ear for quirky beats, and the potential for deeper mechanics.
Unfortunately, this title is only allowed to be so good nowadays due to the shutdown of this game's servers. This pretty much kills the long-term replayability of this title, but furthermore it destroyed the works of a community rich in creativity and passion that it cultivated during its short life. I would've preferred at least a "greatest hits" package to be included as a patch to the game itself so that certain creators' levels wouldn't be lost forever, but I guess this wasn't considered either due to budget reasons or potentially just downright neglect of the idea. It's a damn shame this game is stuck containing only its' base content, but it's solid enough to play regardless assuming you can find it for dirt cheap (free with PS Plus in my case).
"Sound Shapes" is a title from the earlier days of the indie boom that contains a hell of a lot of charm, imagination, and community interaction. It isn't a mechanically deep title, but the potential of its levels sparking imagination and creativity with music is something special. Sadly, it's a limited title nowadays due to its community aspect being stripped completely, so you'll not only find a glaring lack of content but also a glaring lack of its creativity lost to the void. Hopefully there is a spiritual sequel out there somewhere, and if not, at least another title created by someone who may have been touched by this game's creativity. Until then, it serves as a remnant of a lost indie generation still struggling with possible budgetary issues or a lack of care for its long term lifespan.
Final Verdict: 6/10 (Above Average)
Tragically, one of the games hit by Sony's removal of the PS3 network. Without user content, there's not much to this game.
There's a lot about Sound Shapes to love. I love how tightly integrated the music, platforming, and visuals are. I love how tightly coupled musical progression is to level progression. I love how usable the level designer is, and I also love the three levels I made. I love how far out there some of the levels go. I love how catchy each level's music can be. I had an amazing time with this game, it's just a profoundly cool and pitch perfect platformer that's very important to me. <3
Getting to play Beck songs as video game levels fulfilled something deep within me
A fun, rhythm-based platformer that you can really chill out and groove to.
Would've been mind-blowing in 2012, but it's just kinda cool in [current year]
A great musical platformer with a ton of very catchy tunes.
the music kinda feels samey