morphê

Music is part of everyone’s life, regardless of what genre you might enjoy or which artist speaks to you the most. Modern technology makes it very easy to always be listening to your favorite music, even if sometimes this means you are blocking everyone else around you. Depending on what kind of person you are, solitude can be either torture or a blessing, because not everyone functions the same.

morphê is a neat concept game in which the goal is for you to relax and create ambient music using a couple of simple samples. There’s no story, no characters and no hidden agenda, which means that it’s not the kind of game you’ll remember for years to come. On the other hand, it can be the perfect way to relax every now and again, especially if you are a music fan.

The way things work is quite simple, although the gameplay mechanics can be a bit abstract. Hence, there are a couple of obelisks you can interact with, and each one of them plays a certain sample. You can modify the sound by toying with the speed or the volume, and it’s also possible to reverse the sample with the press of a button, which gives you plenty of possible permutations.

You can either use one or two obelisks at a time or turn them all on, depending on how complex you want the melody to be. There are no high scores and no missions to worry about, so you are free to take as much time as you want and basically let your imagination run wild. Still, there are only so many combinations you can reach, at least in this incomplete alpha version of the game.

As for the graphics and the general level design, the map on which all of this takes place is quite serene and relaxing, but it’s also kind of small. It technically doesn’t matter, but it would be nice to do some exploring on the tunes you create. On the other hand, it’s important that you are never too far away from the obelisks, just in case you decide to change something.

In the end, morphê is quite basic at the moment and it lacks content, but it can certainly get a lot better in the future. The underlying concept is definitely worth your time, especially if you are a music fan.