Bridging the gap between music visualizer and game, Masaya Matsurra’s musika brings a unique experience to Apple’s iPod.
Matsurra, best known as the creator of PaRappa the Rapper for the original PlayStation, has long used Apple’s tools as a means of creative expression. He sees the iPod as a natural for interactive music visualization.
“The iPod is a device that revolutionized music and it is now poised to be a progressive gaming platform,” said Masaya Matsuura, President of NanaOn-Sha. “Many years ago Apple’s tools first opened my eyes to the power of music and multimedia, so it’s exciting to release my first game for this device.”
Like Apple’s own Music Quiz, which comes with the iPod, musika uses your own music library as the basis for the game. musika can be a passive experience — just kick back and enjoy the trippy visuals — or a more active one in which you press the iPod’s center button as letters in the song’s title appear. As you score points and advance to higher levels, you are rewarded with additional visual effects.
musika is almost brain-dead simple to play. If it weren’t for the superior eye candy, you’d tire of it very quickly. Let’s face it, despite Matsurra’s enthusiasm, the iPod isn’t much of a gaming platform. But as a quick diversion, it’s perfect. Musika is played with a single button and its use of your own music library is inspired. Just as Snake captured the imagination of an earlier generation of mobile phone users, musika is set to revolutionize mobile gaming.
musika is available for purchase and download from the iTunes Music Store for USD$5. It requires a fifth-generation iPod with iPod software 1.2 or later and won’t work on any other iPod or the iPhone.
Masaya Matsuura (Parappa) Releases musika For iPod [Gamastura]