Let's be clear on one thing: Note Ride is not a game. (If my review seems out of character, this is why... it's harder than it looks, alright?) Rather, it is a simple but enjoyable interactive music player. It feels incomplete and somewhat unpolished, but it is full of potential, and more interesting and elegant than a fair number of actual games.
The program is, as I've said, an interactive music player, for chiptunes specifically. The "game" involves a simple visualization of the different tracks in a MOD file - scrolling lines that are drawn relative to the tempo, rhythm and pitch changes of the music. The player controls a blue square that can capture the color of any of the scrolling tracks, and then shoot and destroy tracks of other colors. The addition of actual gameplay seems vaguely out of place; the "game" feels almost as if it was meant to be, well, a game. It feels quite incomplete, though this isn't to say it's unenjoyable.
Okay, so maybe it doesn't sound very interesting yet. This is really the problem with reviewing a non-game; there are no analytical formulas to follow, and when it comes to what makes them good, it can be much harder to express than with games. Note Ride might sound uninteresting, but I think it is a diamond in the rough. This thing pretty much oozes potential, in fact. There are only a few features, really - you can load the included MOD files or your own, and you can fly your little square around and shoot. The graphics are unornamented, the sound is just, well, music - and yet I find it engaging. Perhaps the author himself explains its appeal better than I can:
There isn't a goal in this game. The object in making this was to let the player explore music and notice things they may have never noticed before.
And the "game" really does do this. It's an interesting and relaxing thing to watch - maybe you'll find it useful if you need to unwind - and a great potential basis for some kind of game, or perhaps just a more elabourate music player. Like I said, it oozes potential.
But this is its biggest shortcoming as well as its biggest strength - when you get right down to it, this game is *all* potential, little of it realized. Perhaps the creator will turn it into something bigger and better at some point in the future; I think that would be great. Either way, though, it's worth a little of your time. It even doubles as a MOD player, if you don't have one already.
Author's Description:
An interactive music player/visualizer.
Many mod music files are included, but you can play your own if you'd like to try them.
Because most games are not hosted on this site, some download links might not work. If this game has a broken link or violates our guidelines, please report it.
Download Note Ride
Suitable for everyone
Report This Game