Building a video game is hard. I don’t really know, since
I’ve never tried to build one from scratch, but for all the effort and time
that goes into it, I can only imagine how difficult it would be. Most games
require artistic ability, knowledge of programming languages, design
sensibilities, and sound design knowledge… at the very least, and that’s just
the prerequisite before actually creating the thing. Luckily, accessible creation
tools have been around for decades. From Doom modding to RPG Maker, options for
garage game developers have steadily improved in both usability and depth over
the last couple decades.
Yet, game design still remains far more elusive than
something like making a film or writing a song. The simple act of clicking “record”
on a phone will always be easier for anyone to grasp than the involved process
of arranging polygons and sprites into a cohesive, interactive whole. You might
not make the next Clerks, but at least you’ve made something. Video games have few analogues to that.
There have however, emerged many games that have allowed
people to create worlds without the need for an advanced degree in game design.
The newest creation from Nintendo, Super Mario Maker is one such game, with its
combination of the archetypal, familiar platformer and simple grid-based level
creator program.
Full disclosure though, I haven’t played a minute of Super Mario
Maker. I have however, played a game similar to Super Mario Maker that never
seems to get the credit it fully deserves. It has a simple system with grid
based level editing, endless musical options, a vast suite of visual assets and
a robust, well curated library of community-created masterpieces. It’s
everything Mario Maker seems to be and more, lacking only the familiar Mario
visual toolset. I’m talking, of course, about Sound Shapes, the 2012 music-driven
platformer from Queasy Games.
Sound Shapes stands out in the platformer genre not because
it’s a tight, precise challenge like Super Meat Boy – it’s not – though it can
be very challenging at times, especially in the community levels. It doesn’t stand
out for its chill indie landscapes of interesting art and puzzles. It doesn’t
even stand out just because of the novel way it mixes music with level design.
It stands out for the way it so nimbly teaches and encourages players to do all
of these things themselves with their own creations.
Immediately upon starting Sound Shapes, your creation tools
are open for experimentation. Creating a level is almost as simple as pressing “record”
on your phone’s camera app. You use the joysticks (or on Vita, your fingers) to
place objects and creatures on the screen. Creatures have their own movement
patterns and AI routines, while objects are simple and stack easily. Creating a
single screen junk level is very achievable. Creating a great level on the
other hand – that’s a bit trickier. Luckily for new users – like Super Mario
Maker after it – Sound Shapes comes with a comprehensive tutorial.
What makes building Sound Shapes levels fun and challenging,
but all the more rewarding, is the way music ties into the design of each piece.
Every object and collectible makes sound and contributes to the overall
symphony of each stage. Balancing rhythm and melody with fun level design is
what separates a fun level from a masterpiece. Again, Sound Shapes features a
handy music school program to help players master the rich musical creation
tools. The music creation options are so robust that musicians like Beck and Jim
Guthrie were able to create stellar original tracks just for the game. Beck’s
“Cities” would be a great Beck song even without the game. See for yourself in the video below.
In my time playing Sound Shapes, I was able to create a
Portal-style puzzle level, a silly single screen music track, and an elaborate
tribute to thatgamecompany’s Journey (the former of which became one of the
most-played levels in the community). Other community members have created
dastardly challenging levels that eclipse anything the main game threw at
players. Some have made visually incredible story-based levels, while others
have designed stages notable, mostly for their superb tunes. Some others have
remade famous video game levels or even famous pop songs. The White Stripes’
Seven Nation Army is a surprisingly perfect fit for Sound Shapes. Some of these
creations are absolutely brilliant and far beyond anything I could ever make.
The number one compliment I hear people paying to Super
Mario Maker is that it’s grid-based. And that’s true, because the grid system
simplifies things into a language that lay-people can understand. It puts Mario
Maker in direct contrast to something like Little Big Planet or Project Spark.
But it’s important to remember that Queasy Games did this three years ago, and I
find it hard to imagine their achievement with Sound Shapes wasn’t a heavy
influence on the team at Nintendo. The grid system is what makes Sound Shapes
so easy to learn and fun to work with. Taking one screen at a time and building
your landscapes is as easy as putting a set of Legos together. In fact, Sound
Shapes often reminded me of the creativity those plastic blocks bred in my
adolescence.
In that way Sound Shapes is simply part of a new generation
of creativity-breeding games along with Minecraft, Little Big Planet, and now
Super Mario Maker. So all of this is not to disparage any of those games, it’s
simply to give credit where it’s due. Minecraft is infinite in ways Sound
Shapes never could be and Mario has the biggest hook of
all: Mario. But Queasy Games created something special with Sound Shapes that
still may be the gold standard for 2D creation tools. If you have a PS4, PS3,
or PS Vita and haven’t given Sound Shapes a try, it’s never too late to explore
the vast options and user-created symphonic masterpieces.
While you’re at it, feel free to look up my levels
(indiejones84). I’ve been looking for an excuse to jump back in.
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