Michelin Game - Melodive

It is only March 2013, but I think I am already playing the game of the year. A game that is so clever and simple.

The game is called Melodive, and it is another one of those one man developer games that comes out of nowhere and is making a splash right now.

Toucharcade has given it 4.5 out of 5 stars. I would go further and award it perfect marks for a game that is so refreshingly original, and impeccably executed that it deserves to be in any videogame hall of fame right now. It is that good.

The developer is Johan Gjestland and Melodive is described as a musical flight simulator. Except, it is so different from any music game or flight simulator that has come before.

It is arcade in nature, and what you have to do is basically to keep diving through a colorful abyss of cliffs and collecting melodium, which are small crystal like fragments that will generate musical notes and beats that sound very similar to those iOS music generating apps on the app store now.

Beautiful

Graphically, it looks like nothing that has never been seen in any videogame. It is randomly generated every time and the graphics are beautiful and colorful, and moves at an impressive 60fps on any iOS device.

Once you collect sufficient melodium, you can tap the screen to boost which you can adjust in the Settings screen. You control your unseen craft using tilt controls just like you would on a flight simulator, by tiling left or right to roll and up and down to pitch up/down.

Ever Changing Landscapes

The landscapes are ever changing, and the game ends when you run out of tunes to boost or when you repeatedly hit the ground or cliffs and a total score is tabulated based on the amount of melodium you have collected, the speed you were traveling and the depth you have reached.

The controls do take awhile to get used to, but like any great videogame, once you master it, your scores will start to rise exponentially and right now, I have managed to reach no. 10 on Gamecenter after about a week of playing this game.

Music Sequencer

If you managed to reach 10,000m in depth, you will be given access to a music sequencer to make your own music, though it is not as flexible nor as dynamic as some of the other music apps out there. Still, it is a cool bonus feature.

And that is about it, the game is that simple. But simplicity is what makes this game compelling. Harking back to an era where videogames were all arcade in nature and getting high scores was the only objective in playing, Melodive relives those past glories amidst a clever mix of mesmerizing graphics and a cool soundtrack.

I just cannot stress how addictive this game is, and how often I keep coming back again and again to improve my high scores and how much better you get the longer you play Melodive.

Melodive is not only one of the most original games on iOS now, it is probably one of the most original games ever, on any platform. And, one of the very best, despite its simplicity.

Melodive (US$0.99) - Click here to download.