Tadpole Treble

Tadpole Treble is an enjoyable, well presented rhythm game, with a wonderful composition mode, full of great moments and creative level design, with fairly good replay value. Its extent falls short, and there's room for making the rhythm aspect more engaging, but neither of those flaws overshadows its overall amusing and memorable experience.

96%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

atmosphere, stability

96% User Score Based on 247 reviews

Critic Score 81%Based on 6 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $2.88

Buy NowGet on Steam$4.99

About

"Tadpole Treble" is a charming and engaging adventure game where you play as Baton, a tadpole navigating through musical levels to the rhythm of an outstanding soundtrack. The game is praised for its unique gameplay, seamless synchronization with music, and abundant charm and personality. Reviewers describe it as a must-have game with simple yet fun gameplay and a sweet, terrifying, and delightful experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 247 reviews

music142 positive mentions

stability2 negative mentions

Charming and unique gameplay that combines rhythm and obstacle dodging, making it a refreshing take on the genre.
Catchy and diverse soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, with many memorable tracks.
Cute art style and engaging story that adds to the game's charm, making it enjoyable for players of all ages.

The game is relatively short, with a main story that can be completed in about 1-2 hours, which may leave some players wanting more content.
Some controls can feel a bit clunky or imprecise, particularly when navigating through obstacles in later levels.
The composition mode has limitations in sharing levels and can be cumbersome to use, which may hinder creativity for some players.

music
368 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
60%
1%
The music in "Tadpole Treble" is widely praised for its catchy, diverse, and well-composed tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the unique integration of music with level design, where obstacles correspond to the notes of the songs, creating a charming and engaging rhythm game. The soundtrack, featuring original compositions by Matthew Taranto, is considered one of the standout features, making the game enjoyable for both music lovers and casual players alike.
- “Cute rhythm game that surprised me with its great music and well-crafted levels.”
- “The music is fantastic and there's a nice wide margin between passing a level and doing well, so I could focus on unlocking everything and only get better at the levels I like best.”
- “The music is catchy and fun, and it has a great atmosphere.”
- “My only constructive criticism is that it could maybe be clearer as to which part of the music sheet the tadpole is on or the music sheet stand out a bit from the background so it's clearer to see where you are.”
- “It's not that the game is too easy (it's not -- there are some difficult optional challenges in the game), but rather that the game isn't very reliable in terms of synchronizing the gameplay to the music.”
- “Music is very boring.”
gameplay
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The gameplay of "Tadpole Treble" is characterized by its unique blend of rhythm and auto-runner mechanics, where players dodge musical notes while collecting items, creating a fresh and engaging experience. While the controls are simple and accessible, allowing for a casual pick-up-and-play style, the game also offers challenging optional content for more experienced players. Overall, the charming visuals and catchy soundtrack enhance the gameplay, making it enjoyable despite some minor issues with mechanics and level explanations.
- “This game's simple charm, groovy soundtrack, and solid gameplay makes for a great rhythm-game-like romp.”
- “The gameplay is solid, with a good difficulty curve.”
- “An original, creative, and fun rhythm game - the music is catchy, the art is gorgeous, and the score-chasing gameplay is addictive and fun.”
- “I did have to look up several things because the game isn't exactly forthcoming about its mechanics.”
- “It's not that the game is too easy (it's not -- there are some difficult optional challenges in the game), but rather that the game isn't very reliable in terms of synchronizing the gameplay to the music.”
- “If based on presentation alone, Tadpole Treble is a joyful experience; however, the gameplay is a bit too simplistic to pull in the major rhythm game fans.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
52%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, hand-drawn art style and vibrant colors, creating a whimsical and engaging visual experience. Players appreciate the cute aesthetics and the effective integration of animated elements that enhance gameplay, while the overall design evokes a nostalgic, homemade feel. Despite some minor graphical issues, the visuals are consistently described as delightful and well-suited to the game's musical themes.
- “Every frame is hand-drawn in a colorful, quirky art style.”
- “The graphics in and of themselves made me feel I was a kid again, with literally every single thing in the game being drawn by hand and the overall atmosphere feeling like an old educational game but with music instead of the ABCs.”
- “The cartoonish, hand-drawn art style of the game is also very nice and charming.”
- “There are some graphical issues in the stage select screen, and the final boss is very unintuitive if you're playing it for the first time.”
- “My only gripes are lack of any graphics options, the screen scrolling gets pretty jerky sometimes, and the editor is a tad cumbersome (and rather limited if you want to share levels via QR codes).”
- “The graphics in of itself made me feel I was a kid again with literally every single thing in the game being drawn by hand and the overall atmosphere feeling like an old educational game but with music instead of the ABC's.”
story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
70%
7%
The game's story, centered around a cute and heartwarming quest of a tadpole trying to return home, is generally well-received despite its brevity, typically taking around 1-3 hours to complete. Players appreciate the charming narrative presented through comic-style cutscenes and the engaging level design, although some express frustration over the lack of resolution options that can obscure story elements. While the main plot is simple, it is complemented by various challenges and unlockables that enhance replayability and overall enjoyment.
- “The story is that you're a newly hatched tadpole who is separated from her family and must try to get back home.”
- “Tadpole Treble is a short, but absolutely adorable game featuring one brave tadpole in her quest to return home, save the world, and not get eaten like a bite-sized frogsicle.”
- “The music is very catchy, the stages have interesting mechanics, and the storytelling is simple yet effective.”
- “The only downside to this game is how short the story mode is.”
- “The story is pretty simplistic: a tadpole trying to get home.”
- “There is currently no resolution settings, no windowed or virtual fullscreen mode, and for someone like me who doesn't have a widescreen monitor there are some parts of story elements that get cut off.”
replayability
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
47%
9%
The game offers significant replayability despite its short main campaign, typically lasting 1-2 hours. Players can enjoy numerous collectibles, challenges, and a composition mode that enhances the experience, along with online leaderboards for score chasing. Overall, the combination of engaging gameplay, catchy music, and additional content ensures that players will find plenty of reasons to return.
- “A great score-chasing premise with online leaderboards, numerous modes including an editor, collectibles, unlockables, secrets, and a memorable soundtrack ensure high replay value.”
- “The amount of collectibles and challenges gives the game a lot of replayability, as well as the composition mode which lets you make your own music/levels, though it is slightly limited.”
- “Though completionists will find plenty of replayability in an attempt to get all the extras and top scores, even a casual gamer will get a great experience and enjoy the wonderful tunes this game has to offer.”
- “There are a ton of hidden objectives and unlockables that make the game have a surprising amount of replayability.”
humor
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in these games is characterized by a blend of cuteness, clever writing, and heartfelt moments, often drawing on nostalgic references while maintaining a lighthearted tone. Players appreciate the charming art style, catchy music, and the inclusion of funny commentary and dev comments that enhance the overall experience. The games successfully balance humor with emotional depth, making them enjoyable and memorable.
- “Brawl in the Family combines humor, cuteness, and heart to not merely riff on Nintendo with nerdy jokes, but also captures the spirit of why so many people love it.”
- “The cartoony aesthetic is cute, the music is excellent (at least one song will get stuck in your head), and the game is full of good-natured humor.”
- “A short but charming game with an unapologetically goofy sense of humor.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes a strong sense of nostalgia and emotional connection, reminiscent of the charm found in "Brawl in the Family." While the plot may be simple, it delivers a heartwarming experience that fosters an emotional bond with its characters, enhanced by hand-drawn graphics and a nostalgic atmosphere.
- “It oozes the same charm and wholesomeness that made Brawl in the Family so endearing.”
- “The plot isn't anything special, but it's still heartwarming.”
- “Thank you, Matt and Mike, for making me feel an emotional bond with a tadpole.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by catchy and fun music, complemented by hand-drawn graphics that evoke a nostalgic, childlike feel reminiscent of old educational games. This combination creates a unique and enjoyable experience that many players find to be the standout feature of the game.
- “The music is catchy and fun, and it creates a great atmosphere.”
- “The graphics made me feel like a kid again, with everything in the game being hand-drawn. The overall atmosphere feels like an old educational game, but with music instead of the ABCs.”
- “The atmosphere and music are what really make the game special.”
- “The graphics made me feel like a kid again, with everything in the game being hand-drawn. The overall atmosphere felt like an old educational game, but with music instead of the ABCs.”
- “The atmosphere is lacking depth and fails to immerse me in the game world. It feels flat and uninspired.”
- “Despite the potential, the atmosphere feels disconnected and fails to evoke any real emotion or engagement.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users noting that it is very buggy, particularly in the level creator feature.
- “Sad to report that it is very buggy.”
- “The level creator seems a little bit buggy.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be potentially tedious and challenging, leading some to avoid engaging with the various challenges altogether.
- “I have the feeling that completing all the 'challenges' in this game would be extremely difficult and perhaps even tedious, so it's a good thing I don't attempt those.”