Have you ever played a game so unique, so different, that you had trouble explaining it? Well, Orgarhythm is one of those games. Simply put, the game can be described as a 3D version of the Patapon series, but it is more than that. Orgarhythm is a unique blend of the rhythm and real-time strategy genres. Co-developed between ACQUIRE and Neilo, Orgarhythm had a few big names working behind it. Most notable are director Takashi Hirai (Space Channel 5) and composer Ayako Minami (Armored Core and Enchanted Arms).
The gameplay revolves around the triple-tap mechanic. You start by tapping the god, then tap one of four elements, and finally, tap one of four troops (or one of five magic spells if you picked light). Once you finish the triple-tap, you must drag your finger across the screen to direct your troops or to cast your spell. Trust me, it sounds more complicated than what it really is, plus there is a useful tutorial that will show you the ropes.
Besides the gameplay, the soundtrack is central to the Orgarhythm experience. The soundtrack is composed by Ayako Minami, and I am confident in saying that this is her best work yet. She has expertly blended tribal, rock, and electric sounds perfectly in the crafting of the music for Orgarhythm. What sets the game’s soundtrack apart from the rest of the pack is the fact that it is dynamic. Each stage starts with the song at level 1, so the music will just be a simple beat that you must tap. Tap to the beat three times in a row, and you increase it to level two. With each new level, a new element will be added to the song. So what starts out as a simple drum beat ends up a full-blown tribal/rock song, complete with electric guitars and chanting.
As stated above, the gameplay and soundtrack are intertwined. In order to be successful in Orgarhythm, you must listen to the beat of the song and tap in unison with it. There is a visible circle that will pulsate with the beat to help you out, but you really need to use your ears. Each successful triple-tap not only increases your song level and score, but it also increases your number of units. For example, you tap the god, then water, then archer without missing a beat, and your water units increase by one. Orgarhythm lets the player know that they are tapping on beat by producing the sound of a clap, or a snare drum if you were off beat. You can have a maximum of 16 units at any given time. Now, if you miss a beat at any stage of the triple-tap, your song level goes down by one, your combo meter restarts, and you miss out on increasing your unit size. Once again, this system sounds more complicated than what it really is. It is, in reality, a very intuitive mechanic.
Besides rhythmic gameplay, Orgarhythm is also a real-time strategy game. You have four elements to choose from; you have earth, water, fire, and light. There is a rock-paper-scissors element that the elements are based on – earth beats water, water beats fire, and fire beats earth. Light is composed of magic which can be used as offensive and defensive buffs, regaining health, a speed de-buff, and a powerful attack spell. Magic is gained through a meter that is above the god’s head, and this meter is gained by defeating enemies and fallen allies. On top of the magic, each of the elements has four troop types. They are melee, archer, catapult, and kamikaze. Each troop has their specific uses and the number of units that will move to a specific area will depend on how far you drag your finger.
One should know that besides a single, full-meter spell, the god is completely defenseless. It is always good to have a few units hanging back to defend the god. You could always recall all of your troops by tapping the rear touch-pad repeatedly four times, but this will reset the song’s level to one.
There are three difficulty levels in Orgarhythm (casual, normal, and hard). Casual allows you to move the same troop constantly, whereas normal and hard allows for one move per complete attack cycle. I recommend playing on Casual until you really have a great ear for the songs.
Outside of ad-hoc co-op and competitive multiplayer (which could not be reviewed), there is still a good amount of replay value. Whether you are trying to unlock all of the perks (such as god’s health is increased by 25%), trying to best your high score, or you just want to listen to the songs again, Orgarhythm will keep you busy despite its short length.
Graphically, Orgarhythm is passable. All of the units on screen are either red (fire), blue (water), or yellow (earth). The environments are barren wastelands, and they do not look very impressive. However, the bosses do sport unique designs and look rather impressive. Make no mistake though, this game is not pushing the Vita’s hardware to the limit by any stretch of the imagination.
It is worth noting that everything in Orgarhythm utilizes the Vita’s touch screen. From the gameplay to the menus, you will not use a single button or move a single analogue stick. The interface works, and not once did I run into a problem of choosing the wrong menu option or tapping on the wrong unit. The on-screen prompts are large enough and spaced out enough that even people with large hands will have no problem navigating the game.
If you are looking to play Orgarhythm for an engrossing story, you should look elsewhere. Outside of some text in the manual, and an opening and closing cutscene, the story is completely absent. Basically, the game revolves around two brothers who were gods. One decided to live underground, and the other decided to live on the earth. Both gods created their own creatures to keep them company, but the dark god wanted more. As a result, he ventured up to the earth’s surface and attempted to take over his brother’s domain. As the god of light, you have no choice but to fight your brother’s forces.
I have a feeling that Orgarhythm is going to be criminally overlooked by the average gamer. Even though it just has ad-hoc, the story is non-existent, and it does not push the Vita to the limits in terms of graphics, Orgarhythm has heart. The gameplay is addictive, the soundtrack is therapeutic, and it is just a fun game to play. Give it a try, and I guarantee that once you start quick-tapping to Orgarhythm, you will be tapping to every song you hear for a very long time.
