Let's Tap Review [Wii]

01 Jul 2009 at 13:00:00 by James Chalmers
Systems used to review this title: (WII)

Let's Tap takes the premise of simple gameplay and then turns it on its head. Never would we have thought a title played with two fingers and a cardboard box could be so addictive but Prope has achieved the impossible in its first major release on Nintendo Wii. Shipping the game with only five game modes seems a little stingy, but put this game on during a party and let the good times roll.

If the title of the game hadn't given it away already, you play Let's Tap by putting your Wii Remote face down on a cardboard box and then tap away. I didn't realise the Wii Remote was so sensitive but, from playing the various game modes, it seems even the lightest of touches registers in the game.

The five modes included in the game vary and offer something for everyone. Tap Runner is my personal favourite which gives you sixteen levels to get through. Players have to tap their fingers in unison to run faster iand tap harder to jump over blocks. As you progress you are given more obstacles to overcome including balloon pumping which requires you to tap very quickly before being launched to a new part of the level. However with Tap Runner you run out of levels very quickly which is disappointing as they are all very fun and simple to play.

It was inevitable that a tapping game would feature some rhythm-action and accordingly, Let's Tap features a musical tap along game. Unfortunately in Rhythm Tap you won't recognise many of the tunes due to the J-Pop heavy playlist and it all feels a little too easy and underwhelming. It's definitely one of the weaker game modes, offering only four different variations of beat and even though it's worth a look, there's more fun to be had elsewhere in Let's Tap.

Silent Blocks, for example, is a very addictive puzzle game which mixes Bejewelled with Jenga and, yes, it is just as good as it sounds. The object is to line up different blocks without the tower toppling over. Players control how hard the block is pulled out by tapping on the box and works surprisingly well - the four player support can make for some competitive fun as you all are given a tower to work with.

Indeed, Let's Tap is at its best in the party setting. Add another person into the tap runner and you get an almighty sense of urgency to tap away at the right pace and win, whereas after a couple of levels playing against the computer you get the feeling you could be playing something a lot more challenging.

Accessibility is one of the biggest selling points for the title. Anyone in the family can pick up the box, and tap away while running the obstacle course against another person. Having multiple players does change how the game plays a little as modes adapt depending on how many people are involved.

This is most apparent in Bubble Voyager. Rather than controlling your character through a maze shooting your way through blockades and taking out enemies as you do in single player, you are put into battle mode with each other. A lot of the time I was reminded of arcade classic Asteroids as you try to avoid asteroids while aiming at your counterpart and attempt to blow them up. However with everything going on in the screen you're often resigned to tapping sporadically and hoping you hit the correct target.

And this can be a problem in the game. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, the box would register my tap as a huge hit sending my character flying into the air, often making me lose the lead much to the delight and amusement of the other player. Little things like this can get extremely frustrating very quickly and with a game that relies so heavily on simplistic gameplay, the main game mechanic doesn't feel quite as robust as it ought to.

Unfortunately, that is not the only issue with Let's Tap. After the initial tutorial to set up your tapping strength, you don't get taught how to play the other games. Instead, you're thrown straight into the game and after a couple of turns you begin to pick up the basics but it takes a while to master the different modes.

Sega and Prope have introduced a concept which is fresh and, while you could argue the game is based entirely around a gimmick, the core gameplay works. Admittedly,  the game is short on content but the fact that you can play this with other people makes it the ideal party game and we'd be surprised if Sega didn't pursue the series.

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