World Of Tunes Review

We understand if you need break away from the Tap Tap universe and its ilk. The music genre tends to be built on the backs of copycats. Thankfully, World of Tunes, with its unique interface, replayability and game options, provides a refreshing change to a music genre that has otherwise grown stale.

Definitely not Guitar Hero

World of Tunes does a particularly good job integrating the gameplay into the soundtrack -- a crucial element with any music game. There was never a moment that sounded out-of-sync or misplaced. Flawless execution across its four game modes of Story, Free Play, Crazy mode and DJ shows the polish and work developer Com2Us put into this title.

Story mode runs through all of the songs to save a music statue, having you tap “Tuneys” as they jump onto the screen to the rhythm of the music. There are variations, including Tuneys that must be slid across a path, hit multiple times or dragged back and forth until they grow and explode. Controls are implemented flawlessly, although it was sometimes difficult to slide the Tuney. Tapping up to 10 in a row earns a score multiplier.

The game is presented through a series of charming comic book-style cut scenes, which add an air of silliness to the gameplay. The graphic style is carried throughout the rest of the game, as well, which shine particularly in the interactive boss battles that really make this mode special. The boss battles, which include stopping bombs from hitting the screen and slapping an evil plant in the face, add a new and challenging aspect to the Story.

DJ Blue... Ball?

The Story is replayable through Free Play and Crazy mode, which builds on the previous two options by having the Tuneys bounce around the screen before you to tap them for an added challenge.

The most noticeable variation on the game was DJ mode, which also featured the least amount of content. The concept here is much like the console music games -- think Tap Tap with five bars. It plays the same, and is a lot of fun, but only incorporates six of the 10 tracks. We hope this will be fixed in future updates.

As one would assume, music plays a huge role in World of Tunes. The game's quirky pop-esque soundtrack fits perfectly with the art style. Although the game only has 10 tracks, each of them was varied enough to keep us interested. The biggest issue was that the songs tended to be on the short side of what one might find in a music game, so each round ends rather quickly. Considering that every song is an original track -- playable through three different styles on three difficulty levels -- the replayability factor alone makes this title a great value.