World of Tunes

Developer: Com2uS Corp.
Price: $1.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0.1

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The big thing in gaming, on every platform, ever since Guitar Hero, has been rhythm games, so it's no surprise that the App Store has enjoyed a bevy of these games as well. However, these limited and stale linear tapping games have not really showcased the unique capabilities of the iPhone. Instead, they have attempted to convert a style of game clearly made for a faux guitar and a console to the iPhone. Rather than follow the lead of games such as Tap Tap Revenge, Com2uS's rhythm game World of Tunes embraces the possibilities of the iPhone and delivers a memorable game in the process.

World of Tunes contains four game modes, two of which are unlocked at first: story mode and free play. Story mode is the bulk of the game, and playing through unlocks songs in free play. Upon starting story mode, you are greeted with a cartoony cut scene to explain the set up: a group of Tuneys, musical note creatures, were happily living in an idyllic music world when an evil monster and his three minions stole the holy treble clef, plunging the world of tunes into chaos. Now, by completing songs, you can help the Tuneys restore their world. Story mode also comes complete with four unique boss battles. In addition, each game mode contains easy, normal, and hard difficulties.

The gameplay of World of Tunes is ultimately what makes it so unique. Tuneys (notes) jump from the bottom of the screen with the beat of the song to various places on the screen. Once they bounce, you'll have to tap them quickly. Easy difficulty will show you where the Tuneys will bounce, but on the other two difficulties, you'll have to closely follow the notes. World of Tunes also throws three special notes into the mix to make things more difficult. Some notes, before bouncing, will show a curved music line, and after touching the note, you'll have to drag it along the line. This can get difficult, as you have to drag at the correct speed (the speed of the song) or you'll lose the note. Large Tuneys, upon being tapped once, will decrease in size then bounce to a different place, and after you tap this Tuney, the same process will happen again for a total of three bounces. Bonus scratch notes will bounce in the middle of the screen, and you'll have to drag your finger back and forth across the Tuney to inflate him and gain a large bonus. Competing in story mode unlocks the remaining two modes, DJ mode, a linear five bar mode similar to TTR, and crazy mode, which throws some crazy note patterns into play including notes that bounce off the sides of the screen. Unfortunately, the game only has ten different songs/levels, although playing them on various modes will result in a unique experience. The game also assigns you a letter grade on each song based on your performance, and earning an A on all songs even on normal mode is tough.

The graphics are very cartoony and unique. I love the in game Tuney illustrations and animations, especially when you enter "fever" mode by achieving a certain combo and the background becomes a shiny disco ball. However, some of the normal backgrounds were a little rough but don't detract from the game experience.

Music is all-important for a rhythm game, and World of Tunes certainly delivers. This may not be your typical music for this genre; it's not hardcore rock, but the light upbeat tunes certainly fit the cartoony atmosphere of the game, and the songs are fairly catchy as well. Each song is wonderfully distinctive from the others, and the note charts are drastically different too. World of Tunes also features a "jukebox" where you can simply listen to your favorite songs from the game.

World of Tunes is definitely my new favorite App Store rhythm game. In comparison to the linear gameplay of its genre competitors, World of Tunes offers unique and quirky full-screen gameplay. The lack of a large music library is a notable shortcoming, but this is somewhat mitigated by the presence of four varied game modes. Overall, I would recommend this game to any fans rhythm games, and even gamers not enthralled with the genre may want to check out this fresh spin on music games.