the 941

Let’s Tap
Developer:Prope
Publisher: Sega
Released: June 16, 2009
MSRP: $29.99

We thought we had it all. We could use the Wii remote as a sword, fishing rod, tennis racket, baseball bat, lightsaber and an assortment of other weapons and sports paraphernalia. But alas, we didn’t have it all. At least not until Let’s Tap. Now, gamers can set their Wiimotes down for a change and tap their way to single or multiplayer victory. Or just have fun with fish in a pond or fireworks in the sky.

Let’s Tap does introduce a new way to play with the Wii remote, but is it more tech demo than game? Before you can begin, Let’s Tap runs you through a quick tutorial to make sure you get the hang of navigating it’s menus. Single tap to run through menu options and double tap to make your selection. If you can use a computer (i.e. if you’re reading this), you’ve got the control system Let’s Tap down pat. But if you prefer a more Wii-centric menu navigation you can just pick the Wiimote up, point and click.

FINDING THE RIGHT BOX

Finding the right box for Let’s Tap is a bit like finding the right wand for yourself in the Harry Potter universe. Wizards don’t really choose their wand; their wand chooses them. Gamers don’t actually pick their Let’s Tap box; their box finds them. Finding the right box isn’t hard at all, but we found (and some discerning gamers might also find) that some boxes are just a bit too sensitive or not sensitive enough to register our taps.

We grabbed the box closest to us, naturally a half empty box of Twinkies, and started tapping away. Although we do recommend the consumption of Twinkies for gaming energy, we don’t recommend it for Let’s Tap.

Sega Recommends:

An empty tissue box.

VGTribune Recommends:

A small rectangular or square cardboard box. We had a small shipping box next to us at the moment, but really any small cardboard box will do.

Even one of these works fine:

Let’s Tap consists of five categories of games. A hurdle-jumping competition, a space-themed shooter, a visualizer, a Jenga style game and a rhythm game. Let’s break down the games.

TAP RUNNER

The object of the hurdle jumping game? Get to the end of the track before your competition does. Tap lightly to run, tap faster to run faster and use a forceful tap to jump. It’s a simple concept, but it’s probably the most entertaining game Let’s Tap includes. It may also sound easy, but the computers players are up against have no mercy. One tap too soft or too strong may cost you the race. Although Tap Runner contains obstacles ranging from swinging ropes to orbs of electricity that keep the levels fresh and challenging, its 16 levels leave you wanting more.

RHYTHM TAP

Although it’s not Rock Band or Guitar Hero, Let’s Tap serves justice to the rhythm game genre with Rhythm Tap. Three different colored and sized circles indicate a light, medium and forceful tap, but any tap will do as it does not penalize the player for a “wrong” tap. Ever played Donkey Conga? That’s the feel you get when you play the rhythm game included in Let’s Tap. Simple, but fun to play and tap to the beat. Although it does not include any licensed tracks (It’s a budget-priced title, cut it some slack), the 16 songs it does include are quite catchy.

SILENT BLOCKS

In this Jenga-style game players must remove blocks from a stack in whichever order they please as long as the stack doesn’t topple and the object on top reaches the bottom safely. Players choose a block by tapping the surface of their box when the block is selected. An arrow will then circle the block chosen and players will tap when it points in the direction they wish to move the block. Then the removal begins. The lighter the tap, the less the block moves. The stronger the tap, the more the block moves.

If you have any patience at all, you’ll be able to get the object on top to the bottom safely without toppling your tower of blocks. There’s only so much fun that a single player game of Silent Blocks (or Jenga for that matter) can provide, so for the single player the most entertaining version would have to be “Alchemist” mode. Get 3 or more blocks of the same color lined up and they create a Jewel block. Play your cards/blocks right and you’ll have to deal with less blocks in your stack to win. Again, the game is simple, but it proves to be entertaining.

BUBBLE VOYAGER

Traverse 2D levels as “Bubble Voyager” (who looks to be half man, half spaceship) collecting stars to increase your score while avoiding deadly objects and destroying others to reach the end of the level. A light tap propels Bubble Voyager upwards and a more forceful tap launches a missile. Bubble Voyager is a simple, fun side-scroller or can be a bit more frantic when you battle up to three other friends in battlefield mode.

VISUALIZER

The visualizer translates player’s taps into fireworks or paintings or uses taps to control bouncing “gems” or to attract fish in a river. The only control player’s have when using the visualizer is three distinct taps. A light tap, a medium tap or a hard tap. Because of this, most of the visualizer games are a matter of “luck of the draw.” Tap wildly and something will appear. A certain combination of taps (light, medium and hard) create specific effects in the games, but because they are not clearly outlined it feels as if you have no control.

MULTIPLAYER

The Multiplayer aspect of Let’s Tap may be the biggest attraction to some, second only to tapping. My cousin was my Let’s Tap multiplayer guinea pig, and after a few “test” runs we found Tap Runner to be the best multiplayer minigame. There’s nothing like a good race to spark some competition. It may not be a multiplayer experience of Mario Kart proportions, but Let’s Tap holds it’s own in the multiplayer arena.

THE VERDICT

Although it provides a fun experience, Let’s Tap does feel a little shallow. After playing through a good portion of it, you begin to realize how far the tap mechanism could have been taken. Let’s Tap feels almost like an appetizer or a sampler platter. It shows that the mechanic works, and works well, without providing a deep experience. Let’s Tap is a well rounded, fun experience, but not enough for a main (gaming) course. We hope we’ll soon see something along the lines of a Let’s Tap “Adventure” in the vein of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat as it would incorporate Let’s Tap’s control mechanism in a deep, full fledged adventure.

But enough about what Let’s Tap isn’t. It shouldn’t be expected to have lots of depth or play time considering it is a budget title priced at $29.99. The gameplay concept behind Let’s Tap is simple and that’s the beauty of it. Tapping to control the game was a fresh new experience that not only worked, but was fun in four out of the five categories of minigames (Sorry Visualizer, you didn’t make the cut). Let’s Tap provides a fresh, solid, fun experience for just $29.99.

VGTRIBUNE.COM GIVES LET’S TAP 7 OUT OF 10

Bookmark to:

Posted in Arts | Leave a comment