VIB RIBBON (PS)
I can’t exactly remember how or why I ever played this game in the first place, but I believe that I chanced upon it at a market stall and vaguely remembered reading an article about it in the Official UK PlayStation magazine. So with my curiosity of oddball games getting the better of me, I took it home to see what to make of it. Within five minutes I was laughing hysterically, in the next ten minutes shouting at the screen, and fifteen minutes after that was putting my obliterated controller in the bin. To say this is a weird game is a slight understatement, but what it does exemplify is undeniable proof that gameplay is the fundamental feature of all great video games. With the massive advancements in graphical realism, it’s fair to say many modern titles can be empty inside, the visuals glossing over the true lack of depth and playability. With all the nuttiness it can muster, Vib Ribbon reminds us that gameplay is king. So let’s whack on a Japanese pop song, and take a stick figure rabbit for a walk in the dark. No, really!
So where do I start? Vib Ribbon, a strange name for a strange game, categorised as a music game, your objective is to guide a friendly rabbit by the name of Vibri along a course of obstacles using four basic commands. The music dictates the variance and frequency of said obstacles, and completion of the track marks the end of the level. That’s it really, pretty simple stuff. Problem is; it’s not that simple at all! Created by Masaya Matsuura, former frontman of self-styled Japanese hyper-pop band PSY-S, we seriously are delving into the eccentricities of Japanese pop culture. Since it’s obvious that the graphics look like something from the second generation era, it’s a perfect place to start. Fans of the Sinclair Spectrum will rejoice with the principally monochrome look, simple white stick lines, shapes and words are only used. A dash of colour is added very sporadically, but it’s a presentation that would not challenge the hardware of most machines before the PS. However, despite the simplicity of colour use and design, it is animated to a high standard; the movements of our leporine heroine are unique and fun and the layout of the screen is easy on the eyes. Well, it is until things start getting mad, with the course line shaking and distorting, obstacles spinning and camera views randomly changing. All this apparent glitchy movement is deliberate and intended to flummox the player, and is not a result of your PlayStation regressing into a Magnavox.
...the music is driving Vibri round the bend!
I have found that over the years, the sometimes-lengthy sets of commands and control actions can hamper games to some extent, but with Vib Ribbon you have four commands, and use combinations of these to progress through each level. The controls are as simple as the graphics, but that is all you need. Executed in the right way, even the most uncomplicated setup can produce an absorbing game, and this is exactly the trick Matsuura pulls off. Starting with an easy jump over a dip, followed by a roll over the next obstruction, things build up gradually, with more and more moves to perform in rapid regularity. All of a sudden you find yourself forgetting what each button does, forcing you to think hard, concentrate and follow the flow of the music to ascertain what’s going to come along next. This is where Vib Ribbon pulls another rabbit out of the hat (erm). Keeping with the minimalism of the game, you only have a mere three levels to conquer, but each time you play, the course subtly alters. This effectively makes the game neverending, but then there’s even more to keep the interest going. Using only the PlayStation’s RAM to run the game, you can put any music CD into the system and Vib will generate a new level from your selected track. Potentially, this means the game is limited only by the number of CDs you own, and although many of us now choose MP3 over the old compact disc, this remains an innovative factor. It’s hilarious to see what happens when your favourite track is loaded in, and at other times, utterly impossible and infuriating.
Three colours would be an unwarranted extravagance
This aside, the music included on the built-in levels is actually pretty good. The bubblegum pop sounds of the Japanese tracks are catchy, nutty, and like the game itself, so much innocent fun. As you would imagine, the rest of the audio is not awe-inspiring, but equally as mad as the rest of the game. The SFX of Vibri squealing is annoying at times, but only because you’re getting more frustrated with your own incompetence while playing, and the little intro tracks and weird Japanese speech samples are again smile-inducing. For something billed as a music game, the audio is of high quality as it should be, but all the little details, blips and beeps are so so strange to hear coming out of a fifth generation system. The PS was the best machine to pull this off however, and while unseasoned modern gamers and those who judge solely off graphical looks will immediately scoff, the understanding and experienced gamer will see that such things as a whole could not have been achieved from the 8-bit or even 16-bit machines. It’s simple, but has undercurrents of complexity.
In summary, Vib Ribbon is a one-of-a-kind title that many would have ignored out of sheer naivety or pre-rendered judgement, because to be honest it doesn’t cover itself in glory and draw-factor on the outside. The age old phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is all so apt. It’s an acquired taste for sure, but like the gamers of the 8-bit era, you have to look past the visual precincts and focus on the core gameplay. Leading you to think that it would be easy to master and get bored with in hours, Vib is far greater than the sum of its parts, the combination of high difficulty, massive addictiveness, effectively endless levels and all in an utterly unique style, it’s a rare title that brings back the simple joy into gaming. Mad as a box of frogs, but excellent at the same time.
In summary, Vib Ribbon is a one-of-a-kind title that many would have ignored out of sheer naivety or pre-rendered judgement, because to be honest it doesn’t cover itself in glory and draw-factor on the outside. The age old phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is all so apt. It’s an acquired taste for sure, but like the gamers of the 8-bit era, you have to look past the visual precincts and focus on the core gameplay. Leading you to think that it would be easy to master and get bored with in hours, Vib is far greater than the sum of its parts, the combination of high difficulty, massive addictiveness, effectively endless levels and all in an utterly unique style, it’s a rare title that brings back the simple joy into gaming. Mad as a box of frogs, but excellent at the same time.