Sound Shapes is a game that was developed by Queasy Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment of America, this game is available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4. Sound Shapes was announced at E3 2011 and the game had a lot of high praise from the critics at the expo. Sound Shapes at its core is a two dimensional action platformer with musical elements, the developer likes to call Sound Shapes a musical platformer. Sound Shapes starts off with the player controlling as a blob in the tutorial, yes a blob a very unique character to control in this already unique game. In the campaign of Sound Shapes you have the choice of going into five world or albums as the game calls them; each album has a different theme compared to the next.
Gameplay of Sounds Shapes is very simple; the goal of every stage in an album is to collect all the circles collectibles throughout the stage. The blob’s unique characteristics allow it to stick to platforms/walls, roll at a faster speed at your choice and has unlimited lives; this blob cannot die no matter how many times you try. While collecting these circles more background music is added as you proceed through the stage, which makes game more enjoyable as you play it. Death in Sounds Shapes is very forgiving; the moment it happens you’re instantly put back into the game thanks to the many checkpoint circles you pass through in the stage. Difficulty wise the Sound Shapes campaign is not that hard and can be beaten in a short amount of time, it is a game where the experience is enjoyed more than the difficulty.
Sound Shapes as a game is a very artistic game and if you look deeper you can see something else in this game that will speak to you. Every platform and wall in the game is placed with a purpose in mind. There was never a moment in this game I thought the level design was good for a fifteen dollar game, the level design is fantastic and if the game was worth more I would still buy it. The level designs for each album in the game is thought out in a very unique way and they each tell a story from the level and sound design alone.
If the art of the game doesn't buy you on the game then the music will definitely do that. The music in Sound Shapes has many different artists in mind going from Beck to deadmau5 to other artists featured in other Sound Shapes stages in the game. Each artist in the game has their own unique stage in each album; so if you have your own tastes in music you just might get to experience it in this game. The music in Sound Shapes is really the reason why this is a fantastic game; without the music the game on its own is just a good platformer and that’s it.
Sound Shapes as a game really starts to get interesting when the campaign is finished, the game unlocks two new modes called Death Mode and Beat School. Death Mode is where you have to collect a questionable amount of circles in a certain amount of time; it’s a mode in the game you need patience and luck to beat. Beat School on the other hand is not necessarily a hard mode to beat; musical smart players can easily beat this mode while regular players can have trouble with this mode. In Beat school players have to match up a certain tune with the creation tools the developer has provided.
Another mode in Sound Shapes that you learned about in the beginning of the game is how to create your own Sound Shapes level at a basic level; a mode I personally did not play with but creative people will have fun with it. The game comes with its own creation tools for the creative people who want to make their own dream Sound Shapes level. There is a vibrant community of levels that are arguably better than the levels in the campaign. Which goes to show how creative players can be when you give the players the tools they need to create something special. The developer has added more content as downloadable content for beat school if you enjoy that mode more than the community levels.
For trophy hunters Sound Shapes is a game that will loved by these group of people, on an individual trophy list with downloadable content trophies included there are 64 trophies for this game alone; which includes one platinum, one gold and sixty two silver trophies. Since the trophy list isn’t tied to one platform and this game is available on three separate PlayStation platforms. For fifteen dollars plus the downloadable content on the PlayStation Network it is possible to get one hundred and ninety two trophies on this purchase. Syncing your save to the cloud on one platform allows the trophies to show up on another platform; if you really want those trophies then this is a way to avoid playing death mode two more times. Sound Shapes can definitely be enjoyed both by casual and non-casual players, there is something for everyone in Sound Shapes.
Sound Shapes is a very fun and special game at its core, even though the game is available on two other PlayStation platforms; it plays best on the PlayStation Vita which isn't a surprise since Sound Shapes was originally an exclusive for that platform. Sound Shapes brings platform game mechanics and music into one neat package. While some games have music that compliments the gameplay, Sound Shapes goes the opposite route; the gameplay compliments the music in the game in every way. Sound Shapes can be seen as a simple platformer with good music, but there is something more to be seen with this game not with your eyes though; if you listen hard enough you can hear the message and the themes the creators of this game is trying to put out there. This is a game that should be played with headphones. When it comes to recommending games for new owners of a PlayStation Vita, Sound Shapes is the game I recommend first and I mean it when I say that because this is a game that every PlayStation Vita owner should play and own.
Verdict:5/5
Sound Shapes as a game is a very artistic game and if you look deeper you can see something else in this game that will speak to you. Every platform and wall in the game is placed with a purpose in mind. There was never a moment in this game I thought the level design was good for a fifteen dollar game, the level design is fantastic and if the game was worth more I would still buy it. The level designs for each album in the game is thought out in a very unique way and they each tell a story from the level and sound design alone.
If the art of the game doesn't buy you on the game then the music will definitely do that. The music in Sound Shapes has many different artists in mind going from Beck to deadmau5 to other artists featured in other Sound Shapes stages in the game. Each artist in the game has their own unique stage in each album; so if you have your own tastes in music you just might get to experience it in this game. The music in Sound Shapes is really the reason why this is a fantastic game; without the music the game on its own is just a good platformer and that’s it.
Another mode in Sound Shapes that you learned about in the beginning of the game is how to create your own Sound Shapes level at a basic level; a mode I personally did not play with but creative people will have fun with it. The game comes with its own creation tools for the creative people who want to make their own dream Sound Shapes level. There is a vibrant community of levels that are arguably better than the levels in the campaign. Which goes to show how creative players can be when you give the players the tools they need to create something special. The developer has added more content as downloadable content for beat school if you enjoy that mode more than the community levels.
Sound Shapes is a very fun and special game at its core, even though the game is available on two other PlayStation platforms; it plays best on the PlayStation Vita which isn't a surprise since Sound Shapes was originally an exclusive for that platform. Sound Shapes brings platform game mechanics and music into one neat package. While some games have music that compliments the gameplay, Sound Shapes goes the opposite route; the gameplay compliments the music in the game in every way. Sound Shapes can be seen as a simple platformer with good music, but there is something more to be seen with this game not with your eyes though; if you listen hard enough you can hear the message and the themes the creators of this game is trying to put out there. This is a game that should be played with headphones. When it comes to recommending games for new owners of a PlayStation Vita, Sound Shapes is the game I recommend first and I mean it when I say that because this is a game that every PlayStation Vita owner should play and own.
Verdict:5/5
