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IGN Preview of Let's Tap
A few days ago Yuji Naka, one of the developers behind the Sonic series, announced a new title called Let's Tap. The game's allure is that it can be played almost entirely without the use of a controller and we had the pleasure of experiencing this unique title on the first day of Tokyo Game Show. Instead of holding the Wiimote, players place it buttons-down on a box, and then tap their fingers on this box to produce vibrations measured by the controller. The box we used was a branded cardboard Let's Tap container, but presumably it can be anything that reacts to the impact of your fingers.
There was a variety of game modes on display at the TGS booth but the public was only able to compete in a game called Tap Runner. This is a side-scrolling race that can take place between four players who tap their fingers to make a glowing stick figure run through an obstacle course. Tapping in rhythm makes the character trot, a hard tap makes him jump, and faster tap patterns result in a dash. It takes a little time to get used to exactly how much tapping is needed to get the desired reaction. The controls are difficult to describe, but players look like they are playing the piano on a cardboard box.
The racecourse is filled with obstacles that include some simple platforming, electrified barriers, tight ropes, ramps, and boosts. In some instances the game forces players to tap as quickly as they can to inflate a balloon and float across a chasm but in other instances a nice even tapping keeps the characters balanced. The visual style resembles a neon line drawing against a black background. It looks clean, stylized, and definitely original. It was amusing to watch people flutter their fingers as quickly as possible to get their character across the screen.
The other modes that we witnessed were Rhythm Tap, Visualizer, Silent Blocks, and Bubble Voyager. Rhythm Tap is a Guitar Hero-type game that has players tap in time with a moving time line of different beats. It almost looks like playing the bongos with the tips of your fingers. The Visualizer has a few different options but includes imagery like fireworks over a futuristic cityscape, paint splattering on a canvas, or ripples over a pond. Players manipulate each environment by tapping their fingers in the same way described above.
Silent Blocks and Bubble Voyager are a little bit more difficult to describe and we'd need to get our fingers on these games before we could accurately describe exactly what is going on. Let's Tap is such a strange game that it has to be experienced to really be understood. Hopefully we'll get more time with the game soon.
©2008-10-09, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
There was a variety of game modes on display at the TGS booth but the public was only able to compete in a game called Tap Runner. This is a side-scrolling race that can take place between four players who tap their fingers to make a glowing stick figure run through an obstacle course. Tapping in rhythm makes the character trot, a hard tap makes him jump, and faster tap patterns result in a dash. It takes a little time to get used to exactly how much tapping is needed to get the desired reaction. The controls are difficult to describe, but players look like they are playing the piano on a cardboard box.
The racecourse is filled with obstacles that include some simple platforming, electrified barriers, tight ropes, ramps, and boosts. In some instances the game forces players to tap as quickly as they can to inflate a balloon and float across a chasm but in other instances a nice even tapping keeps the characters balanced. The visual style resembles a neon line drawing against a black background. It looks clean, stylized, and definitely original. It was amusing to watch people flutter their fingers as quickly as possible to get their character across the screen.
The other modes that we witnessed were Rhythm Tap, Visualizer, Silent Blocks, and Bubble Voyager. Rhythm Tap is a Guitar Hero-type game that has players tap in time with a moving time line of different beats. It almost looks like playing the bongos with the tips of your fingers. The Visualizer has a few different options but includes imagery like fireworks over a futuristic cityscape, paint splattering on a canvas, or ripples over a pond. Players manipulate each environment by tapping their fingers in the same way described above.
Silent Blocks and Bubble Voyager are a little bit more difficult to describe and we'd need to get our fingers on these games before we could accurately describe exactly what is going on. Let's Tap is such a strange game that it has to be experienced to really be understood. Hopefully we'll get more time with the game soon.
©2008-10-09, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved