Sound Shapes PlayStation Vita
User Score
7.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 112
  3. Negative: 17 out of 112

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  1. Anunnaki
    Aug 7, 2012
    9
    I bought the game in the morning and playing since then, It is awesome game, It is a steal at 15$ for both Vita and ps3. Everything about the game simply rocks, buy it if you love platformers, customization, infinite gameplay , music, trophies, art, graphics or casual games...well I only hope that the menu interface for community levels is changed...i would feel more happy if there were options for top rated levels, top played, most favorite users and highly rated and things like that.… Expand
  2. TurkishCritic
    Aug 7, 2012
    10
    Do you like music games? Then get Sound Shapes, the most innovative game of 2012, it has a great gameplay perfect for your Vita, its very addictive and has many content.
  3. lukwtwz
    Aug 8, 2012
    0
    Utter garbage. Musically atrocious throughout. Almost nauseating to look at and play. I can't imagine what kind of drug substances Sony, Colin Moriarty and IGN must be combining for Sound Shapes to be having the effect they claim it's having on them. I wasn't going to leave a written review until I noticed that, after deleting Sound Shapes from my PS Vita, it still permanently added this game to my PSN games list. If Sony refuses to remove Sound Shapes from my listing when I tried it with wifi OFF for only a short while before deciding to delete this extraordinarily unfun piece of **** I'm selling my PS Vita and recommending that other do the same. After Wipeout 2048 turning out to be rigged in more ways than one, this was the last straw.… Expand
  4. Lakyforever
    Aug 14, 2012
    1
    Frustrated.
    The uniqueness in the mechanism in this strange game is undeniable. But as an action game it doesn't do anything new and as a music game there is not satisfaction to be had from the incoherent control, visuals, sound and music. The "harmony" simply isn't there.
    And the editing mode is easily as complicated as that in LBP. Not recommended unless you have to find out how disapp    ointing this wonderful idea ends up with.… Expand
  5. Buster_Muffins
    Aug 8, 2012
    10
    Crazy good is the only way i can describe it. Think maybe super mario bros 2d sidescrolling simple gameplay mixed with a music game. Almost every bad guy or object can create a beat in the game to add the the background music. As you collect coins, more and more notes of the song play until finally at the end, you have the complete song in the background. I didn't think I would like this game at all, but once i tried it, i couldn't stop. I played the campaign almost the whole way through. I did a few "albums" as they call the stages of the game. each stage has 4 levels. I did the first one and had fun. Then I skipped ahead to deadmau5's album. It was epic. Pixellated space invader style graphics and gameplay to his beats. That should have took me over the top, but then I played Beck's album. I am not even a fan of his music, but his levels looked like a pink floyd concert. EPIC! The campaign isn't big at all, but it gives an idea of what can be created in the level editor which is the most important part of this game. If they keep the DLC flowing and the community keeps making levels, this game could be bigger than little big planet for sony. Without question, purchase this game. You get the identical ps3 version for free and it allows you to do cloud syncing instantly from vita to ps3, ps3 to vita without any waiting. This is my new favorite game :)… Expand
  6. bakagami
    Aug 9, 2012
    9
    It's not quite PSVita's killer app but its very unique, a lot of fun & infinitely re-playable. Starts out easy and slowly ramps up the difficulty, rewarding you constantly with new parts you can use to create your own levels. Will keep players entertained until LittleBigPlanet Vita is released next month. Well worth the $12 I payed for it plus I get the PS3 version as well so I can double up on the trophies :) Buy it now, you can't go wrong.… Expand
  7. BL_Kamaji
    Aug 11, 2012
    9
    Superb. The only thing that could make this game any better is the ability to make a loop longer than 4 measures. Musicians will love this game but will desire a little MORE with the music creation. One of the best VITA games out there, if not the best. Get it. Play it. Create.
  8. rjthakid
    Aug 8, 2012
    9
    I saw one review that listed Sound Shapes' short Campaign mode as one of it's shortcomings. That reviewer clearly missed the point. The Campaign mode can be completed in a day. It isn't about the Campaign mode. Like LittleBigPlanet before it, Campaign mode is only intended to be a launching pad for the REAL star of the show. The Community. Though the game was just released yesterday there are already some nice levels in the Community. I can pick up my Vita and play new levels for as long as I can because of the Community. I can follow users who create levels that I like and others can follow me.

    As a musician, the music creation is a thing of beauty for me. I'm working on my first created level and I'm absolutely in love. I can express myself musically and share it for the world to see. Being able to start a level on my PS3, sync to the cloud, and then pick it back up on my Vita is pretty cool as well.

    I think DLC (extra albums, extra sound effects, extra tools) is a safe bet. Sound Shapes looks like it was MADE for DLC. Even if there isn't any DLC, there are enough tools and sounds available for the Community to last for a very long time. Sound Shapes combines platforming and music creation to form a refreshing, unique experience. If you like platformers, buy Sound Shapes.

    If you like music, buy Sound Shapes.

    If you like chasing High Scores, buy Sound Shapes.

    If you like.......you know what? Just buy Sound Shapes.    … Expand
  9. alexandredds
    Aug 14, 2012
    9
    This is a portuguese review. Please say yes for this!

    Sound Shapes é completamente diferente dos jogos de ritmo ou musicais que temos até hoje, é único! Imagine um game de aventura (como Little Big Planet por exemplo, onde você pode até mesmo criar suas fases e compartilhar na comunidade do jogo) que é desafiador e que ao mesmo tempo passa     algo além da mera experiência da jogabilidade. As músicas, que também são fases, passam ao jogador uma experiência que vai além do objetivo de se chegar ao seu fim, ou destino. É possível sentir a evolução da música conforme se progride na aventura entre as telas. Cada música realmente tem uma história para contar e cada álbum confeccionado pelos artistas convidados tem sua marca característica. É uma excelente compra e vale cada centavo! Mesmo que sejam poucos álbuns e músicas. Ademais, o excelente sistema online ainda tem fases pouco criativas e superficiais, mas isso pode ser atribuído por ser ainda os primeiros dias de contato com a engine de confecção de fases pelos novos jogadores deste título - o qual enfatizo que têm um grande potencial para receber inúmeros DLC´s. Sound Shapes é considerado épico pela originalidade da proposta diferenciada aos gamers já cansados da mesmice em se tratando de jogos musicais. Compre já!… Expand
  10. kshiraj
    Aug 19, 2012
    6
    Bought this game for two reasons: 1) appreciation it was receiving from all directions 2) being among the first few Playstation game releases that support: cross save and the latest addition 'cross buy'. The cross buy proved out to be a great feeling, and I was thrilled to see the game on both my consoles at the price of one. However, the short campaign is the main reason you won't probably get to enjoy the cross save feature. It makes a major meaning only when your game campaign is a long one where you might want to play it on one and continue on the other. The gameplay was fun but not extraordinary and the platforming experience was satisfying but not extremely rewarding. The checkpoints are quite close so the difficulty is not too hard. The editor is fun and great way to boost your experience (designers are going to love it), but it will take a bit of time for the community to have great levels. The connection with music is cool and the city based album is the greatest connect with music and game elements. The game also feels like a cross between Super Meat Boy, Little Big Planet and Space Mutant Blob attacks. The developers can however elongate the gaming experience by either introducing more game levels or by reducing the difficulties in Death Mode, or else the game will not see a launch after you've completed the campaign and are not challenged much by the Death Mode.… Expand
  11. D_Mise
    Oct 17, 2012
    10
    Sound Shapes is amazing. The music, art direction, aesthetic feel and portability are elements that come together to make this a must have single player experience for any Vita owner. What? Oh, wait, there's also user generated content, which essentially blows the game wide open. This is where it shines, and where the community drives the experience. I've beaten Super Marios and Super Meat Boys, Limbos and Bit Trips, Braids and Mega Men, and I have little to no incentive to replay them after I've seen the credits roll. But you know what? I've replayed the Sound Shapes campaign stages numerous times as inspiration for the level I'm creating or intend to create. I check up on the community often to see how much it has matured and also to use as further inspiration. The game is still in its infancy, yet I can easily think of 40+ user levels that I've played and thoroughly enjoyed. Check out users like Daftbomb, TonyTough, The BeejAbides, and many others who have contributed to the experience (myself included). Games like this do not come around often. I can't give this anything less than a 10.… Collapse
  12. Wendigo2064
    Aug 22, 2012
    6
    The good part? A unique way to listen to new tracks by some great artists. The bad part? The music might not make up for some dull gameplay. Don't get me wrong -- the first few levels will amaze you, as each "coin" unlocks more and more of a song. But after some play, you'll be frustrated by some level sections and completely bored by others. The game mechanics are just so dull... Imagine "Gish" with amazing music, but you have to play the first section over and over again. Acutally, it's more like "Little Big Planet" with a music generator, since they're obviously hoping for some innovative user generated content. The level editor is far easier to use than "LBP," and my adivce is write your coin song first and design the level around it second. But the content isn't there yet, and the main game will probably take you an hour or two to finish. This might be great once some other folks start designing, but I wouldn't keep my fingers crossed since the engine is just too watered down. Ah well, I really wanted to like this more than I did...… Expand
  13. raga2502
    Nov 27, 2012
    3
    Great artwork and presentation aside this game fails to live up to the hype. It's a simple 2d side scroller at heart and fails as a 'music game'. Going through the levels you pick up the notes to make the tune more complex and 'better' but I didn't get a sense of achievement from this. Whether you got half the notes or all of them you can't really tell the difference. If this were more complex and had real songs in it this would help it.

    The game is just frustrating at times especially death mode. The trophy list also sucks. You spend most of your time doing the campaign (which is still short) so why are all but one of the trophies on the extra modes (beat mode and death mode). Surely having a bronze for collecting all the notes in each level in campaign would make more sense. The game is not worth £10/$10 even if you get the cross buy with ps3.....ios has been doing cute little (emphasis on the little) for years for a 10th of the price. This game should have been £4.99 or £2.99 without cross buy.    … Expand
  14. iBash
    Aug 30, 2012
    7
    The problem I have with "musically themed" games like this is that they usually have little to do with music to begin with but instead you get a normal platformer or whatever other genre the try to press into it and listen to an unusual soundtrack while playing it. So I had high hopes for Sound Shapes, but unfortunately, it pretty much falls into the same category. While the soundtrack is (mostly) pretty good and interesting, the only way it is linked to the gameplay is that you collect coins in the levels that will then add something to the music. A few times, what goes on on the screen is in "the rhythm" of the music, that's about it. So, at least for me, the game more or less fails to bring anything new or interesting to the table. The levels themselves are, with a few exceptional parts, extremely easy to get through and even getting every coin in every level is ridiculously easy. They didn't even try to make it hard to either find or reach them, they're just ... there. I got them all on my first time through the levels with little to effort. So the platforming is somewhat ... pointless, too. It's still fun to play, though, and with the ... thing you control sticking to certain surfaces, it does have a nice little, unique twist to it, but honestly, nothing special otherwise, so I was tempted to give this 6 out of 10, especially if you think about how shockingly short this game is as well, at least the campaign. However, there's the editor and for that, I added another point, because this could breed a lot of interesting levels, even though you're pretty much stuck with the sounds and items provided by the game's artists. Downside: of course you can only access new levels when having a decent internet connection ready, which is not a given for a handheld game and not everyone has WLAN at home. If you purchase this game, you get the PS3 version for free, though, so you can always get new levels there. If user generated content has proven one thing so far, it'd be to never underestimate the creativity of a passionate community. Other than that, this this game pretty much only lives on its artistic value which is definitely there with the music and designs. 7 out 10. 6 or even less if you don't care for user generated/-ing content.… Expand
  15. RUST
    Aug 28, 2012
    8
    It feels so organic, fluid and unique that it\'s impossible to not fall under it\'s charm. That said, there isn\'t an awful lot to it. Certainly for Vita owners, this is something worth looking for.
  16. sooem
    Aug 16, 2012
    10
    Jedna z najlepszych do tej pory gierek na PS Vita. Sound Shape to nowatorska i nietuzinkowa produkcja, która z każdą kolejną minutą i każdym kolejnym etapem wywołuje kolejne fale uśmiechu i niedowierzania.
    Za 48zł otrzymujemy najbardziej kreatywną grę na Vitę. Jest to musowa pozycja dla osób kochających muzykę     elektroniczna i nie tylko oraz wszystkich tych, którzy uwielbiają tworzyć coś własnego. Jednym z elementów Sound Shape jest niesamowity edytor, który umożliwia tworzenie własnych plansz/etapów/krain. Otrzymujemy w tym celu zestaw wszystkich elementów, które spotkaliśmy w kampanii, dając nam nieograniczone pole do popisu. Jedynym ograniczeniem staje się nasza wyobraźnia.
    Jest to fenomenalna produkcja, która powinna być wgrana na stałe w każdą Vitę.    … Expand
  17. CaptainAwesomer
    Sep 19, 2012
    9
    I had a lot of fun with this game. The music part of it is a bit over rated, but the levels are diverse and fun, and they're never infuriating even when you die 50 times in a row because the checkpoints are on almost every screen.

    Playing the actual levels will only take you 2 or 3 hours, but there seemed to be around 10 fun community made levels too. And the levels that come with the g    ame don't feel very repetitive, so replayability is good.

    Then there's the level editor, which you're introduced to when you first start the game, and just want to finish so you can get to playing. But when you actually want to make a level it's a lot of fun too, even placing everything on the smaller Vita screen is fine.    … Expand
  18. dh4645
    Aug 17, 2012
    9
    great game, played on the vita, then cloud synced my save to get 2 platinums.
    it had some great tunes, but a few were annoying. the death mode levels weren't too bad, just a few were frustrating. i love these creative downloadable games...in the same class as journey & papo & yo for me.
  19. Narash
    Aug 17, 2012
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Simply the most terrible game I've played in a while. The "campaign" is very uninspired and has a sub-par soundtrack, plus it was very, very short (Less than two hours). The post game content is entirely based on lucky spawns / trial and error. I wonder why this was released on VITA, there are plenty of free browser games with better visuals and better gameplay. This was not worth the 10… Expand
  20. Crash48493
    Aug 18, 2012
    2
    The game started really good. First, you have to play the campaign. It lasts about 2 hours, and was quite nice. Nothing revolutionary game-play wise, but nice art and music, an interesting experience. When you have finished the campaign, you unlock two new modes: Beat School and Death Mode. In Beat School, you hear a track and have to write down the "notes". It was nothing special, but a nice addition.

    The next mode, Death Mode, is were things are starting to get ugly. There are 20 Death Mode levels, for each level, you can get a silver trophy, it is a big part of the game and you need to complete it to get the platinum trophy. Every level consists of one screen of the campaign, where you have to collect a number of notes. These notes appear randomly on the whole screen.

    The problem with this mode: You have an extremely strict time limit. In combination with those randomly spawning notes, it means that most of the time, even if you are playing perfect, you won't get all notes. So you have to repeat the level over and over until you get lucky with several notes spawning nearby. To complete all levels, you need on average about 50 tries per level (sometimes I needed only 30, but too many times 100+). That means you will probably die 1000 times, and will need about 20 minutes or more per level, that's at least 7 hours on those boring, and really horrible levels. I don't think this is acceptable for a video-game in 2012, and it is certainly not fun. The last important feature of the game is the editor. Here you can build your own levels, upload them and share them with others. This is probably the best part of the game, which is, in some way, quite sad.

    I think the game has potential. I liked the (short) campaign, the editor, and Beat School isn't too bad. But what really destroys this game is Death Mode. It is so unfair and bad, that it made me really hate the game. Maybe they will release a patch to make it a little bit more bearable, but I doubt it.

    PS: If you want to see what Death Mode looks like, you can find some levels on youtube    … Expand
  21. Joruto
    Aug 29, 2012
    7
    Graphics: This really depends on the album you're playing. I'd say that Cities has the best art style. But overall I'd say that the graphics are simplistic and easy on the eye whilst being impressive. 10/10

    Sound: Most of the enemies and obstacles make some kind of music or noise which is a really nice touch. Plus all of the music sounds really good. But when it comes to the custom maps     online the music can get pretty annoying and repetitive. 8/10 (Oh the Irony!)

    Gameplay: If you're looking for challenge then you came to the right place! The story mode may not be very hard but the Death Mode challenges will have you pulling out your hair! I will give it a 9/10 because I don't like the "Stick to walls" kinda gameplay.

    Re-playability: I'm going to be honest after getting the platinum there isn't much to do. There aren't many good custom maps online and the level editor is pretty poor and needs more detail. 3/10

    Trophies: I'd say it's worth getting the platinum all the trophies are fair and work properly.

    Price: Seeing as it has hardly any replayability I'd say it is over priced and should be priced at £5-£8 not £10.

    Overall I'd say it's a good game but it shouldn't have got the hype that it got.

    7/10    … Expand
  22. HardcoreMobile
    Sep 29, 2012
    8
    How many games can you say took you places? every game you say? well that's true. You've been to the mushroom kingdom, the city of rapture and any other place in any other game. However I can tell you with no doubt that Sound shapes will take you some place you've never been before. This game is a music game like no other, it's not a dance game or instrument game where you interact with the music, or a DJ game where you make the music, but a game that literally puts you in the music. every platform you touch has a rhythmic effect to the song, every coin you collect another note in the loop, and every level from start to finish is a song track that you simply couldn't capture on a iPod or MP3. However do not expect this same experience from death mode which allows you to earn trophies. Death mode is a platforming challenge that shuns music entirely and cuts out exploration. instead you must collect a certain number of coins in a certain amount of time while avoiding death. This is a departure from the sounds shapes you will come to know over the regular tracks but it is still a good option for the trophy hunters and platforming masochist.… Expand
  23. WJR1986
    Nov 29, 2012
    9
    If you like little big planet, music making games and platform games, then give this game a shot! I loved it, making levels is great with the Vita functionality i.e. touch screen and the music editor is fantastic fun. On line allows for players to submit levels and enjoy the community created levels. Lots of fun for little money 9/10
  24. vitareviewer
    Nov 28, 2012
    9
    Let me say this is a great game for vita. I loved how buying the vita version scored me a free ps3 copy. That is one plus. Another great thing is the cross saves are really convenient. Now the negative things I have to say are how you can't download user generated content. You can in LBP vita which is great (on my review i gave it a 10) but i would love that in the future for Sound Shapes. Another problem was that some of the death challenges are WAY too hard, but if you just keep trying you will eventually get lucky (that's how i beat them)

    PLUS: Great, fun game... Cross buy and cross save... Cheap $15 price
    MINUS: Some death mode challenges are too challenging... no downloadable user generated content    … Expand
  25. Omeguis
    Dec 5, 2012
    8
    It's a great game for a portable, as the levels are pretty short and addictive. It's all about timing, and the game's artwork make the experience worth it. Besides, for all trophy obsessed out there, platinum either vita or ps3 version and get the other platinum trophy with no extra effort :)
  26. tylerstravis
    Mar 7, 2013
    9
    I completely fell in love with this game! I found myself smiling a great deal while playing. The music was good, the visuals were fantastic and I adored the gameplay.
  27. AlElmes
    Jan 3, 2013
    9
    Fantastic game. I have never played a platform game that had music play such an intrinsic part. It's a simple idea very well executed. The final level with Beck's music was my particular favourite. If you love music, video games or even art you should play this game.
  28. DarrenMacNally
    Mar 6, 2013
    9
    If you like Indie Games, you will sink alot of time into Sound Shapes, especially if you have a Vita. As part of Sony’s Cross-Buy initiative, if you buy it once, you get it twice, for Vita and PS3, with your save being carried over whenever you play. Imagine sitting on a flight, a train or bus, creating new tracks or playing some of the community ones to kill some time, and with Death Modede you will be stuck for ages trying to get that Platinum! Sound Shapes is a great deal of fun and for the price is well worth it as there is virtually endless hours of playtime thanks to Play. Create. Share.
    Trophy Difficulty Hard

    Gameplay 8/10
    Graphics 10/10
    Sound 8/10
    Lasting Appeal 8/10

    Read my full review at: http://playstationgamereview.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/sound-shapes-ps3-review/    … Expand
  29. TheHollaway
    Apr 23, 2013
    8
    The game of Sound Shapes is a slasher. It’s a puzzle-slash-music-slash-art-slash-platformer-esque game that put’s you in the place of an ambiguous blob who sticks and rolls along through colorfully crafted surfaces making music wherever it goes. What draws you in are it’s personal visuals but what keeps you sucked in are the albums you play through. With contributors such as Beck and Deadm Deadmau5 you can expect an experience given by no other. Sound Shapes is also cross-buy/cross-play so it’s a no-brainer investment for $15 on the Playstation Store.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 55 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 55
  3. Negative: 0 out of 55
  1. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Oct 1, 2012
    86
    Some games are brilliant because of their simplicity. Take Sound Shapes for example, a game in which you roll a ball through colourful, minimalistic environments that vary from grey office buildings to beautiful sceneries of nature. [October 2012, p.78]
  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Sep 25, 2012
    80
    Sound Shapes' ready-made content is refreshing, creative and fun – but it's also in very short supply. That said, there's a more than capable platformer waiting for you here, and it's backed up by a versatile level editor that's pregnant with possibilities. Queasy has laid one heck of a good egg, and we honestly can't wait to see how many ways the community will cook this up. [October 2012, p74]
  3. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Sep 20, 2012
    90
    It's particularly satisfying on Vita, where the back panel is used to move and adjust pieces, but Sound Shapes otherwise plays identically across platforms. [Nov 2012, p.84]
See all critic reviews »