Audiosurf

Last updated
Audiosurf
Audiosurf Boxart.png
Developer(s) Dylan Fitterer [1]
Publisher(s) Audiosurf, LLC
Composer(s) Pedro Macedo Camacho [2]
Engine Quest3D [3]
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, [1] Zune HD
ReleaseFebruary 15, 2008 [1] [4]
Genre(s) Puzzle, rhythm game
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Audiosurf is a puzzle rhythm game created by Invisible Handlebar, a company founded by Dylan Fitterer. [5] Its track-style stages visually mimic the music the player chooses, while the player races across several lanes collecting colored blocks that appear in sync with the music. The game was released on February 15, 2008 over Steam, a few days after winning the Independent Games Festival 2008 Excellence in Audio Award, heavily influenced by the soundtrack composed by Pedro Macedo Camacho. The full version was for a long time only available for purchase through Steam, but was later released as a retail product in Europe, by Ascaron. Audiosurf was the first third-party game to use Valve's Steamworks technology. The Zune HD version was also released as Audiosurf: Tilt. The sequel, Audiosurf 2 , was released in May 2015.

Contents

Gameplay

Audiosurf playing "Through the Fire and Flames", using the Ninja Mono character AudioSurf - Through The Fire and Flames 2.JPEG
Audiosurf playing "Through the Fire and Flames", using the Ninja Mono character

In Audiosurf, the player controls a levitating vehicle similar to those found in Wipeout or F-Zero . The player maneuvers it down a colorful multi-lane highway, collecting blocks in a manner similar to Klax .

The music used in the game is chosen from the user's own library, from almost any DRM-free format, as well as standard redbook CDs. In addition, Audiosurf includes the soundtrack to The Orange Box as part of the download. [1] An "Audiosurf Radio" tab is included on the "Song Select" screen that allows the user to play the Audiosurf Overture, as well as a shifting selection of songs by featured independent artists.[ citation needed ]

The goal of the game is to score points by collecting colored blocks (called 'cars') and forming clusters of 3 or more of the same color. The more blocks one accumulates in a cluster, the more points are scored. In the default color setting of the game, blocks that appear in hot colors such as red and yellow are worth more points, while cool colors such as blue and magenta are worth less. Players are also awarded bonus points at the end of each track based on the feats they achieved. These include finishing the song with no blocks left in the grid or collecting all the blocks of a certain color. Each track for each difficulty level has three medals: bronze, silver, and gold. These are awarded upon reaching the point total required for them. There are also additional game modes in the game where the goal of the game changes. There are three different high score lists for each song, for casual, pro, and elite characters respectively.[ citation needed ]

Audiosurf synchronizes the environment, traffic patterns, and scenery with the events in the current song. Each music file imported to the game by the user is first analyzed by the game engine, and an ASH file (containing the dynamics of the sounds and how the track and blocks are arranged) associated with the music is created and saved. The game loads the environment from the ASH files, with the track's elevation, surface, and layout reflected in the dynamics of the music being played.[ citation needed ]

The player can choose between 14 different characters to play in the game. The characters are divided between three difficulty levels and each has its own unique ability. An "Ironmode" option is also available during character selection, which makes the game more difficult.

Development

Dylan Fitterer, the creator of Audiosurf, in front of the game's booth at PAX 2008. PAX 2008 - Dylan Fitterer, Creator of Audiosurf (2816114458).jpg
Dylan Fitterer, the creator of Audiosurf, in front of the game's booth at PAX 2008.

The game was the brainchild of Dylan Fitterer who worked for a majority of the project alone, only bringing in outside help near the end. [6] Flitterer wanted to create a game that would fuse gameplay with a music visualizer. [7] Fitterer has cited the game Rez as his biggest influence. Flitterer also cited a music visualizer from WildTangent, which got him thinking about music in a 3D space. [7]

IGF 2008 Excellence in Audio Award won by Pedro Macedo Camacho for his work on Audiosurf Pedro Macedo Camacho Audiosurf IGF Award.jpg
IGF 2008 Excellence in Audio Award won by Pedro Macedo Camacho for his work on Audiosurf

Pedro Camacho created the soundtrack and was the sound effects supervisor on Audiosurf. "Audiosurf Overture" was a track previously done by Camacho as the main demo track for a virtual synthesizer called Predator from Rob Papen. The IGF awarded composer stated on his website that "this award would have never been possible to achieve if not coupled with such an amazing game by Dylan Fitterer".

Release

Audiosurf: Tilt

A portable version of the game called Audiosurf: Tilt was released on November 11, 2009 for the Zune HD. [8] It was available to download for free from the Zune Marketplace. The gameplay is largely simplified, though it retains the same basic principles. There are no characters to choose from in this version, nor is there an Ironmode. The game follows one basic formula, in which the player tries to collect all the blocks while dodging roadblocks (it can be played at "normal" and "turbo" speeds). In addition, there is a "Watch Lightshow" mode, in which the player does not collect blocks at all. Simply put, it is similar to a full-screen display that matches up to music in many popular music player applications (Windows Media Player, Xbox 360, etc.).

Reception

Audiosurf was positively received with the broad majority of critics. On Metacritic, the title holds an average of 85 out of 100, suggesting favorable reviews. [9] 1Up.com awarded Audiosurf an "A" rating citing the massive replay value. [10] IGN gave the title an 8.6 out of 10, and stated that "[Audiosurf is] one of those games that offers something for everyone". [12] Eurogamer were slightly less impressed, giving the game a 7 out of 10, criticizing its rough edges, yet remained convinced that the title had enough potential to become "a bite-sized obsession". [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Space Colony</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Space Colony is a real-time strategy video game developed by Firefly Studios and published by Gathering in 2003. Aspyr Media released a Mac OS X port in 2004. The game was re-released as digital HD version on November 8, 2012.

<i>Age of Empires II</i> 1999 real-time strategy video game

Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. Released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh in 2001, it is the second game in the Age of Empires series. The Age of Kings is set in the Middle Ages and contains 13 playable civilizations. Players aim to gather resources, which they use to build towns, create armies, and defeat their enemies. There are 5 historically based campaigns, which conscript the player to specialized and story-backed conditions, and 3 additional single-player game modes; multiplayer is also supported.

<i>Soulcalibur II</i> 2002 video game

Soulcalibur II is a 2002 fighting game developed by Project Soul and published by Namco and the third installment in the Soulcalibur series of weapon-based fighting games. It is the sequel to Soulcalibur, which was released in July 1998. Originally intended to be released on Sega's NAOMI board, the game was released on the Namco System 246 arcade board before being ported to the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox in 2003.

<i>Hitman: Blood Money</i> 2006 video game

Hitman: Blood Money is a 2006 stealth video game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released in May 2006 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Hitman video game series, and the sequel to 2004's Hitman: Contracts. The story follows cloned assassin Agent 47's efforts to bring down the Franchise, a rival contract killing organization that is threatening his employers, the International Contract Agency (ICA), and seeking to obtain the same cloning technology that created 47. Meanwhile, a frame story presents 47's life and various contracts he carried out, as narrated by a former FBI director to a journalist.

<i>Lumines: Puzzle Fusion</i> 2004 puzzle video game

Lumines: Puzzle Fusion is a 2004 puzzle game developed by Q Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). During the game, players must strategically arrange falling 2×2 blocks comprising two colors to form single-color 2×2 squares. A vertical "time line" sweeps across the field, erases completed squares, and awards points. Each stage features a unique skin that influences the background, block colors, accompanying music, and the time line's speed.

<i>Meteos</i> 2005 video game

Meteos is a 2005 tile-matching video game developed by Q Entertainment and published by Bandai for the Nintendo DS. It was produced by Q Entertainment founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi and designed by Masahiro Sakurai. Meteos was inspired by the video game Missile Command (1980), the film The Matrix (1999) and the television series 24 (2001-2010).

<i>Guitar Hero</i> (video game) 2005 music rhythm video game

Guitar Hero is a 2005 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2. It is the first installment in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released in November 2005 in North America, April 2006 in Europe and June 2006 in Australia. The game's development was a result of collaboration between RedOctane and Harmonix to bring a Guitar Freaks-like game to United States.

<i>Eets</i> 2006 video game

Eets is a 2D puzzle video game developed by Klei Entertainment and released on March 27, 2006 for Microsoft Windows. It was later released for Mac OS X on December 9, 2010. Both the Windows and Macintosh versions of the game are distributed digitally via Steam. On April 25, 2007 the game was released for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade under the title Eets: Chowdown. Eets is a puzzle game with similarities to Lemmings where players must guide a character through an on-screen puzzle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zune</span> Microsofts former digital media brand

Zune was a brand of digital media products and services that was marketed by Microsoft from November 2006 until it was discontinued in June 2012. Zune consisted of a line of portable media players, a music subscription service known as Zune Music Pass plus Zune Marketplace for music, TV and movies, streaming services for the Xbox 360 game console, and the Zune software media player for Windows PCs which also acted as desktop sync software for Windows Phone.

<i>Castle Crashers</i> 2008 2D hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth

Castle Crashers is a 2D side-scrolling hack-and-slash video game developed by The Behemoth. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008, via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. The PlayStation 3 version was released in North America on August 31, 2010, and November 3, 2010, in Europe via the PlayStation Network. A Microsoft Windows and MacOS version, exclusive to Steam, was released on September 26, 2012. The game is set in a fictional medieval universe in which a dark wizard steals a mystical crystal and captures four princesses. Four knights are charged by the king to rescue the princesses, recover the crystal, and bring the wizard to justice. The game includes music created by members of Newgrounds.

<i>Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix</i> 2008 video game

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix is a two dimensional fighting game released using the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Arcade download services. A physical copy of the game was later released as part of Capcom Digital Collection. It is a remake of Super Street Fighter II Turbo featuring the original game and a high definition version using graphics drawn by UDON Entertainment, and arranged music by OverClocked ReMix members. The game was designed by Backbone Entertainment's David Sirlin to be the sixth definitive version of Street Fighter II, although it is in fact the seventh, being released after Hyper Street Fighter II.

<i>The Orange Box</i> Video game compilation by Valve

The Orange Box is a video game compilation containing five games developed and published by Valve. Two of the games included, Half-Life 2 and its first stand-alone expansion, Episode One; had previously been released as separate products. Three new games were also included in the compilation: the second stand-alone expansion, Half-Life 2: Episode Two; the puzzle game Portal; and Team Fortress 2, the multiplayer game sequel to Team Fortress Classic. Valve also released a soundtrack containing music from the games within the compilation. A separate product entitled The Black Box was planned, which would have included only the new games, but was later canceled.

<i>Switchball</i> 2007 video game

Switchball is a 3D action-puzzle game, made by the Swedish developer Atomic Elbow, which was released for Microsoft Windows on June 26, 2007, on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 on November 7, and on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 on September 17, 2009. A HD version of the game was released on Steam on May 17, 2021.

<i>Wipeout HD</i> 2008 racing video game

Wipeout HD is a futuristic racing video game developed by Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the eighth installment of the Wipeout series and was first released on the PlayStation Network on 25 September 2008 in both Europe and North America, and on 29 October in Japan. A major expansion pack titled Wipeout HD Fury was released worldwide via the PlayStation Network worldwide on 23 July 2009. A retail version was later made available in Europe on 16 October. Both Wipeout HD and its HD Fury Expansion are playable in 3D when connected to a 3D TV.

<i>World of Goo</i> 2008 puzzle video game

World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle video game developed and published by independent game developer 2D Boy. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and Wii on October 13, 2008, with releases on Nintendo Switch, Mac OS X, Linux, and various mobile devices in subsequent years. World of Goo has the player use small balls of goo to create bridges and similar structures over chasms and obstacles to help other goo balls reach a goal point, with the challenge to use as few goo balls as possible to build this structure.

<i>Bit.Trip</i> Video game series

Bit.Trip, stylized BIT.TRIP, is a series of nine video games developed by Choice Provisions and published by Aksys Games for the Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Microsoft Windows, macOS, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5. It was published by Arc System Works for WiiWare and Nintendo eShop in Japan, and by Namco Networks America Inc for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Each game revolves around the adventures of a character named "Commander Video", and features "a crazy mix of 80s aesthetics and modern game design". The styles of the games range from pong-like, to platforming, and shooting. Each game in the series features a chiptune-inspired soundtrack, but a different style of rhythm-based gameplay in each. Most games in the series have few levels; Beat, Core, Void and Flux have only three levels each while Fate has six and Runner has 36. Most of the games feature levels lasting between 10 and 25 minutes to make up for having such few levels. The games also consists of 8 modes; Nether, Hyper, Mega, Super, Ultra, Extra, Giga, and Meta; which changes based on how well the player does. Each successive game adds a new mode, the highest being Mega in Beat, and Meta in Flux.

<i>Trials HD</i> 2009 video game developed by RedLynx

Trials HD is an Xbox Live Arcade game developed by RedLynx and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on August 12, 2009 as part of the second annual Xbox Live Summer of Arcade and was later re-released in a retail pack alongside Limbo and 'Splosion Man in April 2011. It is a 2.5D puzzle/racing game. The player must guide a trial motorcycle with exaggerated physics through various obstacles to reach each stage's finish line. On September 6, 2012 it was announced that a Microsoft Windows version of Trials HD would be bundled inside a special version of Trials Evolution, dubbed Trials Evolution: Gold Edition—although this version changes the physics of the game. It is the third game in the series. On February 11, 2016, Microsoft added Trials HD as part of its backwards compatibility program for Xbox One.

<i>Trauma</i> (video game) 2011 video game

Trauma is a graphical adventure interactive fiction game developed by Polish-German programmer Krystian Majewski as part of a thesis project, and released in August 2011. The game is based on a woman that has suffered a physiological trauma, and has been languishing in several dreamscapes while unconscious and hospitalized. The player resolves these by using both point-and-click and gesture-based actions to move about the dreamscapes, composed of photographs with digitally altered features, to complete a certain task. Each dreamscape also contains several alternate conclusions and a number of hidden photographs that provide hints towards these alternate conclusions in other dreamscapes. Along the way, parts of a backstory are revealed through a narrative voice.

<i>Guacamelee!</i> 2013 Metroidvania platforming video game

Guacamelee! is a Metroidvania action platforming video game developed and published by DrinkBox Studios, initially launched in April 2013 for platforms PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita and was later ported to Windows in August and to OS X and Linux in February 2014. The enhanced Super Turbo Championship Edition was released for Wii U, Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 in July 2014 and later on the Nintendo Switch in October 2018. The game is inspired by traditional Mexican culture and folklore, like alebrijes and Day of the Dead.

<i>Audiosurf 2</i> 2015 video game

Audiosurf 2, previously named Audiosurf Air, is a rhythm game created by Dylan Fitterer, and the sequel to Audiosurf. It was launched on October 2, 2013, for Windows through Steam Early Access, OS X and Linux versions were released on January 9, 2015. The game is Steam Workshop compatible, allowing players to create and share mods for the game. It came out of early access on May 26, 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "AudioSurf". Steam . Valve. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  2. ↑ "Audiosurf credits page at mobygames.com". MobyGames. Archived from the original on 2009-07-05. Retrieved 2008-12-28.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ↑ "Quest3D". Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  4. ↑ "PC Gamer Blog: Audiosurf rides Steam – PC Gamer Magazine". Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  5. ↑ "IndieGames.com – The Weblog – Indie Game Pick: Audiosurf (Invisible Handlebar)". Archived from the original on 2008-02-06. Retrieved 2008-01-29.
  6. ↑ THOMSEN, Michael (4 March 2008). "AUDIOSURF: THE INTERVIEW". IGN. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  7. 1 2 "Road To The IGF: Audiosurf Making Waves With Music". Gamasutra. 11 December 2007. Archived from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  8. ↑ Warren, Tom (2009-11-11). "New Zune HD games released". Neowin.net. Archived from the original on 2009-11-14. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
  9. 1 2 "AudioSurf for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2020-07-30. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  10. 1 2 Sharkey, Scott. "Audiosurf Review from 1UP.com" . Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  11. 1 2 Whitehead, Dan (20 February 2008). "Audiosurf Review – Eurogamer". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2021-02-16. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
  12. 1 2 Onyett, Charles. "Audiosurf Review on IGN". Archived from the original on 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2009-08-29.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.