Vinyl

About

Vinyl is a dynamic indie music game created by graduate students at the University of Utah EAE program, that experiments with the aesthetic distance between gameplay and music.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 217 reviews

music26 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

The game is free to play and allows players to upload their own music, providing a unique and personalized experience.
Some players find the gameplay fun and challenging, especially when aiming for high scores and achievements.
The concept of generating levels based on the player's music is creative and adds a layer of engagement.

The game suffers from poor graphics and a lack of polish, making it visually unappealing and sometimes hard to navigate.
Many players report frustrating gameplay due to clunky controls and unpredictable obstacle placement, leading to a lack of enjoyment.
The audio distortion effects when hitting obstacles can ruin the experience, detracting from the enjoyment of the music.

music
207 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
79%
8%
The music aspect of the game "Vinyl" receives mixed reviews, with players appreciating the ability to upload their own songs and the dynamic generation of levels based on the music. However, many criticize the quality of the pre-loaded tracks and the game's tendency to distort music during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While some find it a fun and casual way to engage with their music, others feel that the execution lacks polish and coherence, leading to frustration rather than immersion.
- “The best part is that you can add any song you want.”
- “Vinyl is a casual game which makes tracks based on the music you choose and supports your custom songs.”
- “The game manages quite well to generate obstacles based on the beat of the music, making some songs more challenging to 'surf' than others.”
- “What should be fluid interactions with the music and surroundings often devolve into frustration, pulling you out of the moment instead of drawing you in.”
- “The aesthetic choices sometimes clash, creating a dissonance that distracts from the thematic focus on music.”
- “A music-based game isn't much fun if you can't even enjoy the music...”
gameplay
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
65%
12%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many users criticizing its mechanics as repetitive and lacking depth, often comparing it unfavorably to other games. While some appreciate the unique features like music uploads and local play, others find the experience awkward and visually unappealing, with complaints about blurring effects and a barebones design. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a missed opportunity that could benefit from refinement and a clearer narrative.
- “This is a free to play game that clearly works correctly, there's no bugs in the game, the art style is really nice and the gameplay is super fun.”
- “Free to play alternative to Audiosurf, relaxing game with local music upload capability, gameplay features and achievements for completionists.”
- “Pretty good gameplay honestly, although it can be a little too tight sometimes.”
- “The gameplay mechanics also leave much to be desired.”
- “"Vinyl" is a poorly made student project, basically a music-themed endless runner with bad music, bad graphics, and bad gameplay.”
- “It's cool how you can upload your own songs and all that, but the gameplay feels repetitive and unfun.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
54%
19%
The graphics of the game have received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users describing them as low quality, poorly designed, and distracting from the gameplay experience. While some appreciate the potential of the art style, the execution is often criticized for being disorienting and visually unappealing, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, players feel that significant improvements are needed in the visual presentation to enhance enjoyment and immersion.
- “This is a free-to-play game that clearly works correctly, there's no bugs in the game, the art style is really nice and the gameplay is super fun.”
- “Graphics aren't amazing but good enough for a free game.”
- “I like how your performance affects the visuals - the more obstacles you hit, the greyer and scratchier everything gets.”
- “The aesthetic choices sometimes clash, creating a dissonance that distracts from the thematic focus on music.”
- “Honestly, I wouldn't recommend the game because of the bad layout of the game; the graphics suck. I don't think there's a fullscreen option, and a HUD remake would be great.”
- “I can forgive it not looking great since you can have decent gameplay and terrible graphics, but as you play, the game adds this horrendous blurring effect that obscures the track and makes it a headache to play.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent crashes, character freezing, and erratic behavior during gameplay. While some players still find the game enjoyable, the prevalence of bugs and glitches has led to calls for urgent updates to address these problems.
- “Basically non-functional, the game is super buggy.”
- “It's not just badly optimized, it's unstable; I had it crash twice, it freezes all the time, and so on.”
- “My character freezes when I hold down left/right, and when I let go, they shoot into the damn exosphere.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for being disjointed and lacking emotional depth, with many users expressing a desire for a more coherent and engaging narrative. While some find the gameplay entertaining, particularly for music lovers, the overall consensus is that the story is minimal and does not enhance the experience.
- “Instead of building a coherent story, it feels like a series of disjointed moments that lack depth and emotional impact.”
- “Graphics are low quality and there's no story to it, just enter, add song, play.”
- “I'd love to see something larger, with a story and original music, somewhere down the line, but for now, vinyl is probably one of the most entertaining free titles available to anyone who loves music.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for lacking coherence and depth, resulting in disjointed moments that fail to resonate with players. While some users appreciate the control over musical elements, the overall experience is seen as a missed opportunity to evoke the emotional richness expected in the genre.
- “This is one of the several aspects that set this game above my expectations, but more so, made me feel like I was able to have more control over parts of songs I had difficulty with in order to better my score at the end.”
- “Zanarkand from Final Fantasy X (you know that lovely heart-breaking piano that greets you) was a 1-star mission, that makes sense.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding it amusing, particularly in moments where crashing disrupts the music, adding a comedic twist to the gameplay. It appeals to those who enjoy a lighthearted experience intertwined with musical elements.
- “Pretty funny!”
- “Funny little game that can interest people who like music.”
- “I find it quite hilarious when I crash into something and it ruins the music.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some users finding it worth playing despite issues, while others report significant instability, including frequent crashes and freezes. Overall, it appears that the optimization could use improvement.
- “Not 100% optimized, but definitely worth giving it a go!”
- “The optimization in this game enhances the overall experience, making it smoother and more enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate the effort put into optimizing the gameplay; it really makes a difference!”
- “It's not just badly optimized, it's unstable; I had it crash twice, it freezes all the time, and so on.”
- “Not 100% optimized, but worth giving it a go!”
- “Now these other reviews I've read were like 'it's badly optimized, Audiosurf ripoff,' but that's not true.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
150%
The game offers high replay value for players who enjoy customizing music, but overall, its replayability is considered low due to standard Unity-based models.
- “High replay value.”
- “The replayability is low unless you enjoy playing the game with custom music.”
- “The models are what you'd expect from most Unity-based games, and the replayability is low unless you enjoy playing the game with custom music.”
- “After completing the main storyline, there's little incentive to return, making the replayability quite disappointing.”
- “The lack of varied content and meaningful choices means that once you've played through, there's not much reason to come back.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players indicate that grinding in the game can be quite demanding, often requiring significant time investment or multiple attempts to progress effectively.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The grinding feels endless and tedious.”
- “I spent hours grinding, and it felt like I made no progress.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
200%
300%
The monetization model is praised for its transparency, as there are no extra payments, microtransactions, or hidden fees involved, ensuring a straightforward experience for players.
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't pressure me into spending more money.”
- “The monetization model is fair and transparent, making it enjoyable without any hidden costs.”
- “There are no extra payments, microtransactions, or hidden fees.”
- “The monetization model is frustrating and feels exploitative.”
- “I can't believe how many microtransactions are pushed on players.”