Let's Tap (Wii) Review

Posted by John De Large on 07.22.2009

No, this ISN'T a game about the UFC or the WWE, but I understand your confusion. Instead, what we've got here are five minigames with something for everybody.



Title: Let's Tap!
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Prope
Genre: Party, Multiplayer, Rhythm Game, Mini-games
Players: 1 to 4 Players
Rated: E for Everyone

GAMEPLAY
Once you open up Let's Tap and put the Disc in the Wii, you'll be instructed to get a secure flat surface and place the remote down horizontally (if you're wondering, I used a countertop, which worked out pretty well). From there, you tap the surface, which shakes the remote and results in a consequence of some sort on the screen (movement, visual effects, etcetera). You can even use tapping to navigate the menus! If tapping feels awkward to navigate the menus (and it will at first), don't fret! You can still use the remote and the D-Pad like normal, 'til you get the hang of things (and you will!).

Once you've got tapping down, you can get into the mini-games, each one is either an adaptation of a game from years past or a combination of two or more games and/or real life activities.

TAP RUNNER
It's like....: Most sidescrolling platformers.

This one is pretty straight-forward. By tapping the surface you run and jump through an obstacle course featuring hurdles, tight ropes, slides, electricity, exploding balloons, falling cages and more. You can play multi-player against 3 other friends, or you can play against the CPU. If you do play against the CPU, you HAVE to run against 3 other computer controlled racers, which isn't the worst thing in the world, but it'd be nice to go one-on-one.

Sometimes it isn't crystal clear if and when you need to keep tapping. Sliding down slides usually results in going flying through the air via a ramp. If you aren't tapping when you land, you're going to hit the ground with a cartoonish splat.

Speaking of tapping, if you tap too hard (which is quite possible even if you don't always intend to), you'll jump through the air. There should be a meter that tells you how hard you're tapping and if you're going to tap too hard, that might've helped things a bit.

Also, there is no stop button. In the face of danger (electricity or a falling cage), you cannot STOP or go backwards, at best you can try and slow down and hope you don't collide with oncoming danger.

For what it's worth, this is the game I liked least.



RHYTHM TAP
It's like....: DDR and Elite Beat Agents or playing a tambourine.
Tap your surface in time with the beat of a different song, play alone or with 3 friends. Again, nothing too straining. You get to do sweet drums rolls on top of tapping, which is pretty fun (at least for those of us who grew up looking for situations in elementary school that required a drum roll).

Honestly, I've got nothing bad to say about this one; the music is catchy and peppy and easy to tap along; very rarely will you be unable to keep up with a song.

For those keeping score at home, this is probably the game I had the most fun playing on my own.



SILENT BLOCKS
It's like....: Jenga with.... well, Jenga.
If you've never played Jenga, here's how it works. You take a vertical stack of blocks, then you pick one to remove. If the stack falls over, you're done. Silent Blocks is very much like that, except to remove a selected block, you tap gently. This can be a little difficult without completely shifting the entire stack of blocks. There's also an Alchemy mode where the blocks are all blue and red and it's your job to match the colors by 3's.

What's great about this game is that you can play it with virtually any number of people. The Alchemy mode can only accommodate 4 players total, but the classic mode, simply distinguishes turns with a "NEXT TURN," message. If you've got 5, 10 or 15 people that want to play, this game is for them.

Coincidentally, this game is the game I had the most fun playing with my friends (and my Mom.... yes, even my Mom is a gamer).



BUBBLE VOYAGER
It's like....: Gradius with the water levels from Super Mario Bros.

Bubble Voyager is freakin' sweet. If someone had the brain power or ingenuity, they could make a whole game out of this alone (this would be REALLY awesome on the DS or PSP!). Using the tapping you float through.... space? The sea? It's never really disclosed where you are, but you float through avoiding spikes, coal and laser while shooting missiles. The animation is really awesome, I would implore you to imagine a cel-shaded polygonal Mega Man, had I not embedded a video for you to enjoy. There's also a multiplayer mode (again, for up to 4 people) that functions a lot like Asteriods (c'mon, you remember Asteroids!).

I could nitpick and tack on the same complaints I had about Tap Runner, but Bubble Voyager has meters for everything and not being able to stop or go back makes games like this more challenging instead of unfair.

The only REAL gripe I have left is that there are these little landing pads that pop up every now and again and if you miss them, you miss out on a lot of points and a health boost. These are vital to winning, but if you miss them, you're boned. This is a little bit unforgiving, if you ask me.

All in all, I'd say this is the mini-game that offers the most to the most gamers, regardless of genre which genre they prefer.



VISUALIZER
It's like....: Fingerpaint and Mario Paint.
This mini-game isn't even really a mini-game. There's no score to keep track of, no defined time limit, nothing. Every time you tap, the background reacts and if you tap in rhythm to the background music, you might get a special reaction.

For example, you get a city skyline behind you. If you tap your surface, you get to see some fireworks. Now, if you tap in rhythm with the techno song that will be playing in the background, you get some fireworks in the shape of stuff (a smiley face, a tree, etcetera).

You can change up the background every couple of seconds with a randomizer option, but outside of some pretty colors and awesome graphics, there's not much to see here.

If you ask me, you could let your toddler play this for a couple of hours and they'd get a big kick out of it.



GRAPHICS
The graphics are pretty great, if I can get away with gushing. Everything is bright, colorful and futuristic, with an orthogonal design to it. Tap Runner and Silent Blocks don't really have graphics to write home about (not to say that they are bad), but Visualizers backgrounds are all pretty to look at, in a wide-eyed, dumbfounded way. Also worth mentioning is Bubble Voyager's pseudo cellshaded graphics.

MUSIC
The title screens and menus have that sterile sound that all Wii games marketed to kids and kids parents have, but the in-game music features a lot of electronic and techno sounds with some ambient and easy listening thrown in. For the most part though, I'll give the music a thumbs up, since it all sounds good and nothing is out of place.

For example, the song used in Tap Runner is an electronic version of some late 90's exercise-rock, the kind that was so prevalent in that era. All of the songs used for Rhythm Tap sound like they belong in Dance Dance Revolution (appropriate as Rhythm Tap is basically a hands-instead-of-feet version of DDR). Silent Blocks has tense, futuristic background music to make playing Super Jenga just a wee bit more tense. Bubble Voyager has a nice electronic background that goes along with the futuristic design of the main character and Visualizers has a nice medley of songs (from electro, to nature-inspired, to Oriental) each to go with a bunch of different backgrounds and visual themes.

Most of the songs are in the background of the videos, so have a listen and see what you think!

FUN FACTOR AND LASTING APPEAL
Let's Tap is a clever departure from the same old series of mini-games. It has enough diversity to attract every gamer and it has enough detail to keep any gamer glued to at least one mini-game until they master it. People are going to enjoy the unorthodox tap based controls, since there aren't too many controls to remember, just a sense of rhythm to develop/adjust.

Once you pick this up, you'll be playing it for a good long while, possibly longer if you have a game night with friends and/or family. Chances are if you have a game night, this'll quickly work it's way into the rotation and become a permanent fixture.

TIPS
I see that other reviewers don't include tips for games that they endorse and encourage others to buy, which strikes me as odd, so here's some tips from JDL!

-For light tapping, focus on using just your fingertips. This comes in handy for the Silent Blocks mini-game.
-Though you may be tempted to use your Let's Tap case as a flat surface, while balancing it on your knee or leg, DON'T. It's really easy for the box to fall off and the remote to jounce around causing you to overshoot a tap or lose your place.
-If you insist on using the case, set it front of you on the floor.
-When playing Tap Runner, don't tap before the announcer tells you that you can go, otherwise you'll fall on your face.
-When playing Bubble Voyager, stay away from the top of the screen and stay away from anything that isn't a power-up or a star.
-Also when playing Bubble Voyager, don't miss the landing stations that pop-up every once in a while, these are vital to making it to the end and racking up a high score!

THE 411
Whether you're 8, 18 or 80, Let's Tap has got you covered with something you're bound to enjoy on your own or with friends or family.

Graphics	8.0	Nothing state of art, but everything here is clean, colorful and stylish.
Gameplay	9.0	Props to Prope for bringing a fun and innovative new control system to the Wii!
Sound	9.0	The soundtrack is going to get stuck in your head.... and you're going to love it.
Lasting Appeal	9.0	Do not be surprised if you're playing this with friends months or even years from now.
Fun Factor	10.0	Only the most icy-hearted, soulless gamer could turn down this kind of happiness.
Overall	9.0   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 3 Let's Tap Screenshots