Monday Must-Play: Music Catch 2
Welcome to “Monday Must-Play” at Pushing Buttons – a weekly feature looking to give you insight into some of the lesser-known works of gaming, right in time to idle away the start of another workweek. Enjoy and feel free to leave feedback or suggestions for future updates below!
Our premiere entry from the annals of independent game design is Isaac Shepard’s Music Catch 2. The game’s simple premise is explained before each round with the same four rules,
Collect the shapes to earn points! Yellow shapes are good! Red shapes are bad! Purple shapes are power!”
And that’s it. Truth is, there is no hidden depth to the game, just a damn fine risk-reward system that sees your mouse-controlled bubble getting bigger with each new multiplier. As your bubble expands, shapes/notes become easier to “catch,” for better or worse – those nasty red ones will cut your multiplier in half if you collide. New to the sequel is the capability to retrieve lost multipliers (yellow notes).
But what truly makes this a remarkable game is the synthesis between sound and interaction. It’s like having your own personal accompanist – the pieces engage on such a level that they seem to have been written just for that moment, just for you. You can’t help but feel drawn to the music, as you merge with the glowing notes that continue to cascade down the velvety black curtain. Notes surge when played forte, and cower when played pianissimo. It’s the kind of game that calls to you in the middle of the night, only to soothe you back to sleep.
Also new to this revision is the option to customize your experience at the start. The categories include song, shape style and note pattern. An awesome, if excessive, addition to Music Catch 2 is the option to play your own MP3’s within the game. Again, a great idea, but where the hell do you find a URL to an MP3 these days?
Shepard’s not only the game’s designer but also its outstanding composer. If you feel inspired to hear more of his work after experiencing Music Catch, I urge you to check out his site isaacshepard.com for more info.
Play Music Catch 2 @ Kongregate
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Think drummers are the only ones who get to pen scathing memoirs? They ain’t got nothing on a salaryman scorned. Prepare to be scandalized by one programmer’s unique method of venting.
LOVE this game. Great pick, Mr. Hayden!
The past few years has seena real explosion in game theory and design. Games like Crayon Physics, Desktop Tower Defense, and this have really shown why $100 Million budgets are not always necessary.
Marlese – I’m glad you enjoy! Any suggestions for an upcoming Monday??
James – I completely agree. It’s my hope to shed a bit of light on some of those fantastic small(er) scale games. They represent a kind of innovation that the big budget productions simply can’t afford to make.