Ongaku

Ongaku won the rhythm action adventure category of Armor Game's 2007 Rockout competition. It is easy to see why. The game's take on the rhythm style of gaming pioneered by the likes of Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution is certainly inventive. The main innovation is that the beats do not only arrive at different times but also at different heights. So you don't just have to match the time of the beats, you also need to adjust your position in order to catch them.

You select the different notes you want to match using the arrow keys (the correct arrow being indicated by a visual cue) and you adjust the position of Ongaku (the game's weird hero) using the W and S buttons.

The game's creators have also turned the rhythm formula into a story. So you are not simply matching the beat of the music for the point of it but as part of a quest to help Ongaku battle against the evil discord. In a nice touch, as you progress through a level, the background is filled in with ever more detail, eventually displaying a beautiful image. This gives you an incentive to carry on and try to complete a level.