Fret Nice
A guitar-controlled platformer with side-scrolling action.
Fret Nice is a platform game developed by Pieces Interactive AB and published by Tecmo, released on Xbox Live Arcade in February 2010 and on PlayStation Network later that month. It is notable for being designed to work with a guitar controller, though it can also be played with a standard gamepad. Players control a rock band duo called the Vibrant Chords as they navigate side-scrolling stages.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Pieces Interactive AB
- Publisher
- Tecmo
- Platforms
- Xbox 360 (XBLA); PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network)
- Genre
- Platform game; Music video game
- Released
- February 4, 2010 (Xbox 360); February 24, 2010 (PS3)
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Fret Nice is a side-scrolling platformer starring the Vibrant Chords, a two-person rock band. Players can go solo or team up in co-op, guiding the character from left to right through each stage. The hero fights enemies by strumming a guitar in midair. Monsters display one of five different faces, each one a visual hint for the correct note to play against them. Pulling off a combo means strumming several notes during a single jump and taking out multiple foes. At a level’s end, the player hops onto a helicopter and fires bells to form a melody. Medals are earned by defeating monsters with combos and hitting a high score, finishing stages within certain time limits, and clearing out as many enemies as possible. These medals unlock further levels. There are 12 stages in total, each offering 10 medals to collect. The game works with either a guitar controller or a standard one. On a guitar controller, swinging the neck upward makes the character jump, while the green and yellow buttons move left and right. Other face buttons on the stem target monsters. Strumming the controller on the ground triggers a run, but strumming in the air freezes the character in place. With a standard controller, strumming actions are assigned to the trigger and face buttons.
Development
Fret Nice was created by Swedish developer Mårten Brüggemann as his college thesis at the University of Skövde. Brüggemann was inspired by Donkey Kong Jungle Beat to create a game using a guitar controller for a platform game, and he intentionally made Fret Nice play differently from Jungle Beat. The guitar controller heavily influenced the overall game design. Because the controller was difficult to use, Brüggemann decided to have the player's momentum carry them forward, inspired by games like Sonic the Hedgehog. He worked with schoolmate Emil Burner, who created the artwork. Brüggemann used Multimedia Fusion 2 because he is not good at programming. The version submitted to the 2008 Independent Games Festival took six months to make: the first half went to core game mechanics, the second half to level design with Burner.
Reception
Reviewers widely criticized the guitar controller implementation. IGN's Daemon Hatfield said swinging the neck up to jump becomes old fast. Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald felt the poor responsiveness made her appreciate how essential a control system is. GameSpot's Tom McShea said trying the guitar controls was worth it only to gain appreciation for a traditional controller. 1Up's Cole Jones said the jump mechanic makes the control scheme feel immediately broken. Despite this criticism, the developers received the Best Innovation prize from the Swedish Game Awards in 2007 for their use of the guitar controller. Most reviews also found the game lacking with a normal controller. McShea noted repetitive mission design with mushy controls. MacDonald criticized the medals setup as adding considerably to the frustration. Hatfield said with a normal controller, Fret Nice is a run-of-the-mill game not worth a purchase. Jones, in an overall positive review, compared it favorably to LocoRoco and called it a quirky platformer with an awesome aesthetic, a humorous story, and a ton of collectibles when using the standard control scheme.
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