Let's Tap

Out came some orange tap boxes (Europe will get better ones with more pretty things spiraling over them, apparently), upon which remotes were placed, face down, and the tapping began. Of the five games included in the package I played two and watched two; sorry Visualiser fans, but that didn't get a look in this time. First up was the most famous and oft-showed off Tap Runner. You must've seen the videos - you take control of a little man in a wire frame world and race against up to three others. To run, place the tips of your fingers down on the edge of the box in front of the Wii remote and tap lightly with alternate hands. To jump, gently beat with both hands simultaneously (a double tap), which you'll need to master to deal with hurdles as you go. You'll also be diving off structures and tight rope walking with slow, firm, cautious taps to prevent humiliating falls. Tap Runner demonstrates how sensitive the Wii Remote really is; it distinguishes between taps with hardly any issue. Any control problems were quite literally in the player's hand; often there'd be an unwanted jump, but this was because of heavy handed taps and will likely be smoothed out with practice and experience.

The other game I had a go at was Rhythm Tap. The best way to describe this would be 'like Donkey Konga without the bongos'. It's got an identical interface, only with more psychedelia, less monkeys, and no banana-birds. Circles will scroll to the left and as they pass over a symbol at the far end of the screen the player must perform the appropriate move. Blue circles are light taps, green mid-range taps, a reddish orange a harder smack, and squiggly lines are frantic drum rolls. I'm not sure if you're supposed to use both hands in tandem at all times or alternate your weaker hand, preferred hand and both hands for the corresponding notes, but it didn't seem to matter much as everything was picked up with harder taps. It's very easy to get completely swept away and use both hands for every note (which probably defeats the object a bit, but oh well), and it's insanely fun.

 

Donkey Konga is still a game that gets pulled out every so often in my household, and it's fantastic to see that concept make a return - though it also makes me wonder why Nintendo haven't brought the series back yet. I found myself 'tapping' on the box with more force than strictly necessary, such was my enjoyment, but they're sturdy enough to take it. Seriously - playing along to that theme tune with the power of your hands on a cardboard box alone (yes, I'm aware of how silly that sounds) is one of my gaming moments of the year so far. Look forward to it, even more so if you're as much of a fan of Donkey Konga, or music games in general, as I am.

It wouldn't be fair for me to pass judgment on the other games, so I won't. You can have summaries, though. Bubble Voyager seemed to be a sort of horizontal shooter in which you tap to stay afloat and shoot by hitting with both hands, while Silent Blocks looked like a terribly confusing Jenga-a-like experience. Bubble Voyager definitely looked like the more interested of the two, but due to time constraints I didn't get the chance to play either.