Rytmos
- February 28, 2023
- Floppy Club
Get on Steam"Rytmos is a single-player Science Fiction Musical game where you solve maze puzzles to create unique musical loops on each planet. Unlock and jam with 20+ musical toys, layering sequences to form full compositions inspired by various genres like Zimbabwean Kalimba-based music, Ethiopean Jazz, German electronic music, Indonesian Gamelan, and Japanese environmental music. Learn about rare music history while immersed in this compelling musical journey."
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a relaxing experience with enjoyable music and a unique concept that combines puzzles with music education.
- Players can learn about various music genres and instruments, making it an informative and engaging experience.
- The visual style is stunning, and the gameplay is intuitive, making it accessible for casual players.
- The puzzles are generally very simple and lack challenge, leading to a short gameplay experience that may feel unsatisfying.
- The game is best suited for touchscreen devices, making it cumbersome to play with a keyboard and mouse or controller.
- There are issues with the interface and progression requirements that can frustrate players, along with minor bugs that detract from the overall experience.
- music104 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its eclectic variety, introducing players to lesser-known genres and instruments, making it an enjoyable and educational experience. While the puzzles serve as a backdrop for the music rather than being intricately tied to it, players appreciate the laid-back atmosphere and the opportunity to learn about music history. However, some reviewers note that the musical elements feel detached from the gameplay, and the overall impact may not be as satisfying for those seeking a more challenging puzzle experience.
“The puzzles are fun and the music is really interesting.”
“It's a stylish trip through various styles of music across a range of eras and countries, and if you're looking for something that's more of a playful exploration of music and rhythm rather than a tautly designed puzzle with a flair for music, this might be for you.”
“Overall, I'd say that you're mostly playing for the delightful musicality of the game, rather than any sort of intense puzzling challenge.”
“The musical element is completely detached from the gameplay, and you can even complete the game with the sound turned off.”
“Videogame that shows off the developers' musical preferences rather than a game with meaningful musical impact on its gameplay.”
“The promised 'music creation' is you completing levels and collecting missing beats that make up a composition, unless you want to count a rudimentary instrument sampler as such.”
- gameplay30 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for being disconnected from its musical elements, lacking tutorials, and failing to fully develop its interesting mechanics. While some players appreciate the intuitive and chill nature of the puzzles, they also note that the game feels simplistic and reminiscent of mobile games, with many mechanics introduced but not fully explored. Overall, the game struggles to create engaging gameplay that meaningfully integrates its musical themes.
“The introductions to new puzzles, and the way the game teaches and reinforces the player's knowledge is awesome, especially when it brings back previous mechanics.”
“Chill & intuitive gameplay that's just challenging enough.”
“Part of me hopes that down the line this game will expand with larger levels using all the mechanics to their full potential.”
“No tutorial or context for new gameplay elements.”
“The musical element is completely detached from the gameplay, and you can even complete the game with sound turned off.”
“Also, the general mechanics and aesthetic of the game made it feel like I was playing a mobile game that the developers then decided to remodel into a Steam game.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as aesthetically pleasing, featuring jazzy visuals that appeal to a specific audience, particularly those who prefer simpler puzzles. However, some reviewers feel that the overall design and mechanics resemble a mobile game that has been adapted for Steam, suggesting a lack of depth in the visual experience.
“An aesthetically pleasing puzzle game.”
“The general mechanics and aesthetic of the game made it feel like I was playing a mobile game that the developers then decided to remodel into a Steam game.”
“The visuals are jazzy and impressive, appealing to those who appreciate vibrant graphics.”
“Also, the general mechanics and aesthetic of the game made it feel like I was playing a mobile game that the developers then decided to remodel into a Steam game.”
“I'd have considered myself in the target audience for this game, but its actual intended audience is more narrow: people who are not good at hard puzzles, people who are easily impressed by some jazzy visuals, and people who like to be reminded of things they already know.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its engaging music and educational elements, creating an immersive experience. However, some players feel that while the atmosphere is appealing, it is overshadowed by mediocre puzzle design and frustrating interface issues. Overall, the atmosphere stands out, but it may not be enough to compensate for other gameplay shortcomings.
“Great atmosphere, music, educational moment built in beautifully.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for its unexpectedly poor performance on the RX 6600 graphics card, leading to frustration among users. Despite this, the game offers informative summaries for each level, enhancing the overall experience.
“Every level set has a short summary of the instrument/style, and if it sounds interesting (figuratively or literally), then you can follow their link to get much more information, either on the history with further sources or links to performances for further listening.”
“Weirdly bad performance on an RX 6600 for some reason.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers find the humor in the game's ability to evoke a sense of both personal connection and estrangement, creating a unique and amusing experience. This duality adds depth to the comedic elements, making the humor feel relatable yet oddly distant.
“It is funny to me that the selection feels both personal and estranged simultaneously.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits notable stability issues on PC, with users reporting bugs that may be related to controller compatibility. While the puzzle concepts are innovative, the execution varies significantly, leading to a mix of challenging and overly simplistic experiences. Additionally, players with musical backgrounds find the relationship between puzzle solutions and the resulting music to be unsatisfactorily indirect.
“It's kinda buggy on PC; I don't know to what extent the problem is my controller, though it's a bog-standard Xbox controller. The puzzle concepts are clever, but the puzzles themselves are hit and miss and can mostly be solved by trial and error. You get some difficult ones followed by others where you can sleepwalk into the solution. For me, as someone with a background in percussion, the connection between my puzzle solutions and the resulting music is frustratingly indirect.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game offers little to no replay value, primarily appealing to players who enjoy the record system.
“There is little to no replay value unless you enjoy the record system.”
“The game offers minimal replayability unless you're a fan of tracking records.”
“Replay value is almost nonexistent unless you're interested in the record-keeping aspect.”
