ThumStruck Review (iPhone) Review
Posted by Joe Richardson on 02.01.2009
Does the rhythm genre translate to an enjoyable experience on the iPhone?
ThumStruck is an rhythm game, similar to the likes of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, or most accurately Tap Tap Revolution on the iPhone. The concept is largely the same, though some gameplay modifications do set this entry apart. The overarching question at hand though is whether music games on this new platform can translate to a fun, repayable experience.
ThumStruck presents you with a simple challenge; to tap the falling orbs as they pass over their corresponding tube. Blue orbs should be tapped when they pass over the frozen tube, orange ones when they pass over the molten tube, and red orbs when they pass over the electrified one. The challenge manifests itself in that the tubes are spaced horizontally at different heights on the screen. In other words the blue orbs travel the shortest distance before they need to be hit, and the red ones travel the longest distance before they must be hit. It is a difficult concept to grasp if you've played Guitar Hero or Rock Band, since in those games you always want to hit the notes as they reach your fret bar. The easy difficulty is very simple, but the harder difficulty levels will have you frantically tapping and predicting which notes you will need to hit next. ThumStruck wisely gives gamers a difficult experience which will drive perfectionists to hours of playtime.
The strongest aspect of ThumStruck is the variety and quality of songs included. There are ten songs from which to choose and they are pleasantly catchy for the most part. The songs are clear and have strong instrumental sections which really bring the gameplay and music together. If i have one gripe with the sound, it would be that the "ThumbStruck Theme," a strong guitar riff, has an inexplicable mixing error in the middle where vocals are heard for a second or so, before disappearing abruptly. At first i thought my it might have been part of the song, but on repeated listening it seems more like a bug of some sort.
The graphics of the game are fine, neither being setllar, nor obtrusive to the gameplay. The three areas where you are supposed to tap your orbs do look very nice though, and even have some animation to add a bit of flavor. Gameplay and sound usually take prescient in rhythm games, and ThumStruck is no exception.
The real question with ThumStruck is whether it is fun. I wrestled with this question for quite a bit and came to the conclusion that in their present state i don't believe that any rhythm game on the iPhone is truly and replayably fun. When you boil games down to their very core, they are a matter of pressing buttons in the right order and with the right timing to get the desired result. For a first person shooter it means directing your reticule over your enemy and pressing the trigger. For a platformer it means moving your character and running, jumping, and dodging the obstacles in your way. For rhythm games there is not a lot of freedom, you simply press the button exactly when the developer says you should. This is generally a universal concept of the medium, but the difference between ThumStruck and the most popular entries in the genre, is that you feel like you are actually involved in the music with the latter. Guitar Hero took off because you felt like a rockstar playing an actual guitar. When you miss a note there is no sound emitted and the song won't play. Unfortunately rhythm games on the iPhone are still playing to the console's strengths rather than its own. You don't feel like a rockstar when you're hunched over your phone tapping little colored orbs.
It doesn't help matters that there is not auditory response when you miss or incorrectly hit a note, the song just keeps playing. In fact you cannot fail a song in ThumStruck at all. For kicks I put a song on the hardest difficulty, hit start, and put my phone. After the song ended I was informed that I had a new high score of "0" points.
None of this is really ThumStruck's fault, it's just a game that hasn't pushed the unique technology of the iPhone far enough yet. It does do some great things such as allowing you to download the song you just played from iTunes, or post your scores on your twitter account, but the way to make music games on your iPhone really enjoyable is as simple a concept as I'm sure it is complex a programming issue. The great thing about having an iPhone or iPod Touch, is that you can store thousands of songs on them. It seems like the game that will incorporate the songs you already own into gameplay will truly take the genre to the next level. Hopefully the folks at Resolute Games, the creators of ThumStruck are up to the challenge.
In the meantime ThumStruck is a nice entry into the genre, its just not the groundbreaking leap forward we're all waiting for. For $2.99 you get ten songs that range from good to very catchy. The idea of hitting the notes at different heights on the screen is a good one, and the challenge is certainly intact. If you're a fan of music and rhythm games, give it a shot, just don't expect to feel like a rockstar.
Graphics
8.0
Developers of music games sometimes try to do too much with their graphics, when they are really not the focus of the game. Resolute plays its hand well, with animations in the right places and subtle touches elsewhere.
Gameplay
8.0
The challenge is high and having to predict which orbs will reach their designated areas first is more challenging than it seems, especially on the harder difficulty levels.
Sound
8.0
A great mix of songs overall which cover a wide variety of genres. The only reason this number isn't higher is because of the mixing error in its title track which completely pulls you out of the experience.
Lasting Appeal
7.0
Unless you are going for perfect scores and accuracy on all the songs, you'll probably only get a few hours of play out of ThumStruck.
Fun Factor
5.0
Without the feeling of having some sort of control over the music, you're basically just pressing the screen when developers tell you to. As a fan of the genre I just feel like we're treading water till someone takes things to the next level.
