Trying to get this emulated was probably the worst part of the game. ITS SO GOOD. Once I was able to get it running and figured out how to make files for custom songs for it I had a hell of a time. It's hard to explain other than it fired off every part of my autistic brain.
The gameplay is nice and simple, but I admit it can get to be a bit overwhelming at times. There are just times where I can't seem to get the timing right. This is made doubly frustrating when the tempo picks up or when I've messed up so much that the whole stage shakes and I can't read when I should press the prompt. If I mess up, it's a downward spiral for me. I think this game is also slightly made harder with the fact that I played with the English PAL version which means 50 Hz gameplay, baby (average PAL experience). I tried the NTSC hack with Duckstation and that seems to make the gameplay better but that messes with the timing of the high score dance. Seriously, why was this not released in North America? I guess we just don't deserve anything good huh 😔. Otherwise the gameplay is very basic but fun with its charming vector graphics.
I also want to quickly appreciate the bundled soundtrack. I have no idea where it came from or what its inspiration was but I am in absolute love with it. It's nowhere close to any other song I have heard from 1999. Instead, it sounds closer to the songs I listen within the indie scenes of modern day. And it works so well with the courses, too. No notes, the Parappa devs always got bangers.
Of course, the crowning jewel of this title is being able to load any music CD and it making a course based on that song. Genuinely insane for its time, and it's even more insane now with the prospect of being able to listen and download anything you want. I can imagine playing this game as it came out and having fun with burning mixes onto CDs to try and create the most challenging courses with my choices as I swap them with my friends as a way to challenge each other (and as a way to gauge who has the best music tastes). Of course, I can still do that very well with friends online, but there has to be some sort of charm of playing with CDs that I'm missing out on.
Even if I'm not playing the tracks due to them simply being too challenging for my current skill level, I enjoy seeing Vibri hop, skip, and roll along the obstacles laid out for her. Seeing her bounce along in a black void so carefree is soothing to me. Especially when I'm playing songs that I really enjoy and connect to me on a personal level. I can almost interpret that meanings onto Vibri, as if they were talking about her. In one track, she's a trans girl named J, and in another track, she's a phone line connecting online friends to each other. At the end of the day, though, she's such a lovely happy-go-lucky character that seems to be down to listen to any music you play for her. If anything bad happens to Vibri, I will kill everyone with my bare hands /lh.
Overall, amazing game that doesn't seem to garner much meaning but gathers its value from the fun that you make with it. Strict gameplay prevents me from giving it a perfect but I am addicted as hell.
The gameplay is nice and simple, but I admit it can get to be a bit overwhelming at times. There are just times where I can't seem to get the timing right. This is made doubly frustrating when the tempo picks up or when I've messed up so much that the whole stage shakes and I can't read when I should press the prompt. If I mess up, it's a downward spiral for me. I think this game is also slightly made harder with the fact that I played with the English PAL version which means 50 Hz gameplay, baby (average PAL experience). I tried the NTSC hack with Duckstation and that seems to make the gameplay better but that messes with the timing of the high score dance. Seriously, why was this not released in North America? I guess we just don't deserve anything good huh 😔. Otherwise the gameplay is very basic but fun with its charming vector graphics.
I also want to quickly appreciate the bundled soundtrack. I have no idea where it came from or what its inspiration was but I am in absolute love with it. It's nowhere close to any other song I have heard from 1999. Instead, it sounds closer to the songs I listen within the indie scenes of modern day. And it works so well with the courses, too. No notes, the Parappa devs always got bangers.
Of course, the crowning jewel of this title is being able to load any music CD and it making a course based on that song. Genuinely insane for its time, and it's even more insane now with the prospect of being able to listen and download anything you want. I can imagine playing this game as it came out and having fun with burning mixes onto CDs to try and create the most challenging courses with my choices as I swap them with my friends as a way to challenge each other (and as a way to gauge who has the best music tastes). Of course, I can still do that very well with friends online, but there has to be some sort of charm of playing with CDs that I'm missing out on.
Even if I'm not playing the tracks due to them simply being too challenging for my current skill level, I enjoy seeing Vibri hop, skip, and roll along the obstacles laid out for her. Seeing her bounce along in a black void so carefree is soothing to me. Especially when I'm playing songs that I really enjoy and connect to me on a personal level. I can almost interpret that meanings onto Vibri, as if they were talking about her. In one track, she's a trans girl named J, and in another track, she's a phone line connecting online friends to each other. At the end of the day, though, she's such a lovely happy-go-lucky character that seems to be down to listen to any music you play for her. If anything bad happens to Vibri, I will kill everyone with my bare hands /lh.
Overall, amazing game that doesn't seem to garner much meaning but gathers its value from the fun that you make with it. Strict gameplay prevents me from giving it a perfect but I am addicted as hell.