Wave Trip’ Review – Tripping Out

‘Wave Trip’ Review – Tripping Out
I really want to love Wave Trip .

. In a way I do. It’s beautifully crafted around the concept of interactive music, it’s visually compelling and there’s plenty to do for the price. Yet something kept bugging me every time I picked it up, I’m actually embarrassed to even mention it but … well, here it goes.

I’m just not a good enough player.

The trick to gaining a high score, in turn rising up the leaderboards, is a keen sense of accuracy and timing. Wave Trip revolves around two different targets, one set of icons to gain points and the other to increase the score multiplier. In between that there’s a number of different obstacles to avoid, creating patterns of their own that can throw you out and destroy your multiplier with one awkward hit.

And here rests my awkward problem. I consider myself to be a half decent gamer, certainly competitive in most genres, but every score I made across each level seemed to be far beyond some of the higher results other users are clocking in. In a way it was depressing, I just couldn’t string a high enough multiplier together to make each run worthwhile.

I think the problem rests with the control scheme. It’s not bad or broken, mind, but it can be a little tricky to get used to. Being a character that literally floats in waves, once you start each level your character will automatically move down to the lower end of the screen. Only a well timed tap of your ‘jump’ button will raise the character back to the top, though you’ll have to alter how long you tap it to determine how high it goes. On top of that, you’ll have to alter your timing as new obstacle types are introduced.

But I’m not about to bag it out just because I’m not its best player. On the contrary, I’m actually going to praise it. There’s clearly a lot of players out there who have taken to its gameplay rather quickly and easily, considering the high scores I read, so maybe I’m just in the minority of those who find things a little more difficult than intended. Besides, everything else here is worthy of praising.

As I mentioned, Wave Trip’s graphics make the most of the platform (be sure to play on an iPad for the best visual quality), but its musical score is its biggest asset. Given the importance of sound within the game (every item, villain or obstacle makes a note all its own), a weak soundtrack would have killed it off before it even started. It’s not all dub step either, thank God.

There’s also the opportunity to make your own levels. Those already on offer will keep you going for a while, but the ability to create and share your own music based puzzles really opens things out. We’ve already mentioned there’s extra DLC now available, but that’s nothing compared to the endless supply of new levels created by players around the world. What’s more, building your own map, for lack of a better word, is rather easy. Drop a few bits here and there, listen to the rhythm of the song as you go to get it just right, and Bob’s your uncle.

I actually do have an uncle named Bob … where was I?

Right, Wave Trip . If you like a challenge but don’t want to just shoot things down or solve complex puzzles, here’s your answer. Just be sure to set some time aside to try all the extra content, and be wary that it might drive you a little insane. Just a little, not a lot, I swear!

[review pros=”Colourful presentation, user created levels add a ton of content, inventive use of sound/music” cons=”Be wary of possible onset of insanity, controls take a little getting used to” score=89]