Incandescence Review – Finger Drumming Rhythm

Guerrilla Tea Games recently released a new game on iOS, Android, and Windows mobile devices, titled Incandescence .

. The game is a unique rhythm game that focuses on the speed and rapid movements of simply drumming one’s fingers against the touchscreen of the device. It also uses neon flashing lights and colors as a part of the graphics, so this game is not for those who are easily affected by bright lights or prone to seizures.

The game is fairly simple, with a single dub step song playing in the background that gets more intense and complicated as it continues. Players need to drum two-to-four of their fingers in rhythm with the music in order to increase the score. Incandescence might seem like an easy game with such simple controls and gameplay, but keeping time with drumming fingers at a rapid pace for a long period takes its toll after a while. As each playthrough continues, the game starts requiring players to increase the speed of their tapping, pushing players to the limit as they reach for higher scores.

The four circles represent where the four fingers (pinky, ring, middle, and index) land

The screen has a large darkened pyramid that moves very slightly to the beat of the song. As the game continues and the score increases for that specific playthrough, the pyramid and the background starts to change color, and bright laser lights start to appear all around the screen. It offers a good show, though ultimately does very little to add to the game.

The soundtrack itself isn’t anything particularly impressive, though it does play dynamically. Listening to the song, but not tapping the phone at all, leads players to listen to the same introductory part of the track again and again. It’s only when the tapping begins and the score increases that the song starts to get interesting and more complicated. It’s a great way to incorporate the music, and make the player feel like they have an effect on the game, even if it’s a minor one.

The entirety of Incandescence is only this one level, and simply challenges players to reach the highest score and then try to go even further. It’s not meant for players that are looking for a story or purposeful gameplay, and will leave people with somewhat tense and sore fingers, similar to how I feel after typing on a keyboard frantically for most of the day.

The game is a little fun in it’s own way, but the learning curve is a bit more substantial than I expected. The tutorial is a little vague in some respects, letting players know that they need to tap faster, and to follow the rhythm of the song. The problem is that the rhythm and tempo of the song never actually change, so it doesn’t feel like the game is very well connected to the in-game music. Actually, I got my highest score tapping to the game but listening to another song from a different computer. That’s hard to explain away.

Another issues comes up when a playthrough ends, giving little warning. This leaves the player unable to see what they had done wrong and how they can improve. The game functions, but learning it takes a bit of trial and error, and some self-motivation. It also blends a need for players to be coordinated and have fast fingers, which might annoy anyone looking for a slower, more mental or strategic type of gameplay. Incandescence won’t come easy to gamers used to rhythm games either, since it’s not about recognizing patterns or hitting the right button at the right time.

Incandescence is somewhat innovative in the fact that it’s a different way of playing a rhythm game, but it still requires a bit of tweaking. The game is available for Windows, Android, and iOSmobile devices for free, with ads at the top, so it’s worth a try for those who are curious about it and want to test their finger-drumming skills.

To learn more about Incandescence , and Guerrilla Tea Games, be sure to follow the developers on Facebookor Twitter.