Sound Shapes
A platformer where every jump creates a sound.
Sound Shapes is a music and platform game developed by Queasy Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012. It combines side-scrolling platforming with musical creation, and includes a level editor that uses the Vita's touch screen and back touch pad. The game features contributions from musicians Deadmau5 and Beck, with Beck's three exclusive songs remaining unavailable outside the game as of 2026.
Quick Facts
- Publisher
- Sony Computer Entertainment
- Composer
- Shaw-Han Liem
- Jessica Mak
- Jim Guthrie
- Deadmau5
- Beck
- Genre
- Music, platform
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3
- PlayStation Vita
- PlayStation 4
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The server for Sound Shapes was shut down on 15 October 2018, removing access to community-made levels and level uploading across all platforms.
- Sound Shapes won Best Handheld Game at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards and Best Song in a Game for 'Cities' by Beck.
- At the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, it was nominated for Handheld Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, and Casual Game of the Year.
Development
Mak and Liem aimed to let beginners experience joyful creation without needing harmonic training or music theory. They prototyped the concept for about a year before finalizing the coin-collecting musical mechanics. Death Mode was added to appeal to hardcore platformer players. Each album resulted from close collaboration between a musician and a visual artist, with levels sometimes starting from a song and sometimes from a visual style.
Downloadable content
The first DLC round on 4 December 2012 included three sound packs and a curved terrain pack, adding five instruments and Beat School levels. A second round on 12 March 2013 introduced offline play and a Car Mini-Album Creator pack. On 14 May 2013, an 80s sound pack and a dubstep sound pack were released. Five free Milkcrate albums followed on 28 May 2013.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the music for Sound Shapes?
The music for Sound Shapes was composed by Shaw-Han Liem, Jessica Mak, Jim Guthrie, Deadmau5 and Beck.
Is Sound Shapes single-player or multiplayer?
Sound Shapes offers single-player play.
More in PlayStation Vita Game Library of the 2010s
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