The 6 best music games you’ve (probably) never played

“If music be the food of love, then ram my stomach full of tasty hot dogs and burgers and chocolate and just all those nice things, including those new Jacob’s Cracker Crisps that are really moreish and might even rival Chili Heatwave Doritos as my go-to football watching snack, if I’m honest. Now, where’s the ashtray? I fancy a Rekorderlig!”

John Shakespeare, 1602.

I don’t know about you, but I think that John was on to something. Old Shakey was a poet and didn’t even know it, and I think you should look him up. While I’m giving out top quality recommendations, given that music is my personal first love (even ahead of games – oh no, don’t kill me games people!), I thought I’d share with you some tasty morsels that are both game and music related. These are the best music games you’ve (probably) never played, but should, because they’re either incredibly good or very unique. I reckon even old Arsino Wenger from Twelfth Night would like these ones.

Thumper

Whether it’s on your Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox, or in VR, Thumper is a stonking game. It’s dark and has a sense of foreboding doom about it that is unlike any other rhythm game on the market. It’s a lane-game similar to the likes of Rock Band, but rather than notes, it’s about timing turns and jumps – you’ve got to make sure you don’t crash and burn. You’ll face bosses that require pattern memorisation, really testing your skills, and it’s all set on this backdrop of euphoria by way of death. It’s a strange game, and in VR it’s almost too much. There’s a massive sense of speed matched only by the feeling of accomplishment when you best a section. Thumper is tremendous, and although the soundtrack may not be for everyone (Thumper is described as a Rhythm Violence game for a reason), the gameplay is fantastic.

Lumines

Recently released as a Remastered edition, Lumines always felt like the natural evolution of Tetris. The timing of the re-release is good, too, since developer Enhance Games just announced Tetris Effect, a VR (and non-VR) game that takes Tetris itself to a new level. In Lumines you have to score higher by loading up moves, then a wave sweeps across the playing area and does everything at once: you are essentially matching four, but it’s the fact you can queue them up that makes it so engrossing and moreish. On Switch the HD rumble for the new edition is a bit much, but it’s the perfect music puzzler to have on the go, and with famed producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (he of Rez fame; also, play Rez), you know it’s worth a go. Also the title sounds like a Shakespeare play.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night

I feel like this one is a left-field choice, but the thing about music games is that if the gameplay is s***, it doesn’t matter what license it has attached to it. P4: DAN (Dan…Dan…Dan…Dan…yeah, you get it) sucks you in because it has “Persona 4” in the title, but it keeps you because it has a deep story with a cracking music game under the hood. Using the face buttons on the controller, the notes appear centre screen and you have to nail the timing. Do well enough and your Hype Gauge (success bar) will fill up letting you enter Fever Mode, which is full-on Persona fan-service as other characters jump on screen and dance with you. It’s a glorious celebration of Persona 4, and it’s even been re-released for PS4 in Japan, along with Persona 5: Dancing Star Night, so hopefully those versions will come West and you won’t have to get your PS Vita out of the bin to play it.

Rocksmith

This is a funny one, because more people should be aware of the series (two games counts as a series, right?) since it’s developed by French giant Ubisoft, and both titles were released while Rock Band was pretty popular. Yet, nobody seemed to care, or play it. While it’s a game you can play on Xbox One, PC, or PS4, it’s actually a valuable learning tool too. Rocksmith will actually teach you the basics of how to play guitar, all you have to do is grab the the guitar lead that comes with the package and lets you plug your instrument into the platform of your choosing via USB. There are mini-games that let you just have a laugh, too, but Rocksmith is a unique idea that really delivers on its promise to teach you guitar. You’ll need to provide your own dedication and drive, but Ubisoft’s teaching-tool-game deserved more love, just like the stars of everyone’s favourite Shakespeare play, Romelu Lukaku & Juliet did.

Elite Beat Agents

I imported this one on DS, where it was called Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, and it remains to this very day a top class banger. The impact of smashing the screen with your stylus really delivers on a one-to-one feel. You tap circles, hold the stylus on a ball and follow it, and spin the stylus for some moves, and it all feels intuitive and excellent. This game had a terrible good-bad cover of Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi, too, so there’s that. The story revolves around people reaching breaking point in society and begging for help, whereby your Beat Agents (of the Elite kind) jump in to help them via motivational dancing. I ask you: could we, as a society, not take lessons from this and expect our political leaders to give us some motivational dancing? Corbyn and May doing the macarena. Alright, boys.

PaRappa the Rapper

Hahaha, only joking. I just wanted to end on a gag like my hero and great friend Shakespeare would do. PaRappa is terrible, was always terrible, and he isn’t even a half decent dog.