Amplitude was one of my favorite games for the PlayStation 2. Those early Harmonix games really helped open the doors for the rhythm games we play today. You could imagine my surprise and excitement when it was announce that Harmonix was seeking to crowd-fund a remake of this classic rhythm game. It has been several years since the original game and the Kickstarter would just barely get funded. Everyone was waiting to see if they could rejuvenate this wonderful IP.
Jumping straight into to the game it certainly looks and feels a lot like the original. You have six tracks for your ship to fly on each representing a different instrument in the song. Along these tracks are three columns of notes. If you can successfully hit a series of notes on a track it will disappear and that instrument will continue to play as you move over to the next one. Continue hitting without letting any past to increase your multiplier to achieve a high-score and good rating. Its a fast game that really requires you to get into the rhythm of song to help time your hitting of the notes.
There are really just a few little differences from this game compared to the original. For one, there is actually a short, non-intrusive, story to liven up the campaign mode. Turns out you are trying to awaken a comatose patient by simulating their neural passage ways. Theres not much to it but it is incorporated in a way that seems to fit the game quite naturally. One feature I was delighted to see Harmonix add is that once you finish section and move over your ship instantly goes to the next available track. This is extremely helpful when you only have factions of a second to keep your multiplier going.
A music game is nothing without its songs. The game features 30 different tracks which is quite impressive considering how tight the budget and that fact that this is just a downloadable title unlike the original game. Harmonix didn't have the funds this time around to license any mainstream bands. As a consequence of that half of the tracks in the game are original scores. That being said I personally found the songs to all be quite enjoyable. Even a couple favorites from the original game returned such as Freezepop and Symbion Project. Throw in a couple videogame composers such as Danny Baranowsky and C418 and you have a pretty well-rounded soundtrack.
This game might not be quite on the scale of the original but its still a blast to play. You really feel like you have control over how well the song is going to sound. Your playing as much to keep the song playing fully as you are to get a high-score. All the classic power-ups have returned as well to hopefully making it a little bit easier to keep your streaks going. There is even both competitive and cooperative multiplayer if you wish to get your friends in on the action. Any way you look at it this is a must buy for fans of the rhythm games genre.