Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Rhythm games seem to be all the rage as of late. Be it Guitar Hero, Rock Band or even Rez, it is all about the music and rhythm that makes these games great. You just get a dose of great music while you play through the mechanics of the game. About the only thing that is missing is the option of mixing in your own personal soundtrack to play through. Well, Dylan Fitterer saw an opportunity and created Audiosurf, a highly addictive and fun music based game where you pick the music for the game.

Audiosurf puts you on a rollercoaster-like track that is designed, based on the pitch of the music you have selected for the game. You then choose from several game types including collecting singular colored tiles while avoiding others or collecting groups of colored blocks similar to Tetris, while avoiding black blocks. There are three tiers of difficulty, and several modes of gameplay in each difficulty level, with each game type offering a completely unique gaming experience.

It does not sound like much, but unlike most rhythm games out there, you choose the way the game plays, because you are supplying the music for the game. Audiosurf supports most music formats, including .wav, .mp3 and even iTunes files. All the blocks are based on the beats and notes that are in your song. The faster the beat, the more difficult the song can get at times.

The game is a single player game, but it does support worldwide leaderboards, so every time you play a song in the game, it reads the ID3 tags of the file and compares it to other songs with the same tags. And just to add to the competitive fire, if you reach the top of a song’s ladder, you get an email notice when your score is topped. Leader lists are grouped by Worldwide, Local Area and Friends.

The game is rather sparse and not much to look at, but it runs on most machines out there, including the lowly laptop from four years ago that I tested it on. It also requires the use of the Steam system to use the product, which is a non-starter for some people. It would also be nice if it tied into your Steam Friends list, instead of having to set up a new friends list in the Audiosurf game.

Little problems aside, the game is a stunning title that has shows what a single developer can do with some inventive gameplay. Audiosurf is a simple concept, but the execution has made a game with a “one more time” quality that is the stamp of approval of most gamers. Audiosurf gets a 4.5 out of 5 Aeropausonauts.