It turns out that when you reverse a side-scrolling space shooter, you get a Guitar Hero-like rhythm game instead. If you based your purchase of Retro/Grade on the screenshots alone then you might well be initially disappointed, then rather curious, and soon after, rapidly satisfied.

We celebrate rhythm’s ability to transcend cultural barriers and bring us together, but if Rhythm Destruction is any indication, phat beats are capable of ripping us apart, too. And not just flesh and bone—we’re talking alien space craft. 

The BIT.TRIP series has brought gamers a lot of retro-inspired joy over the past four years.  Although each title in the six-game BIT.TRIP collection (Beat, Core, Fate, Flux, Runner, and Void) features wildly varied gameplay mechanics—from Pong-like paddling to Gradius-esque shooting—they all share similar visual and musical aesthetics while abstractly telling the story of Commander Video.  Runner2, the first direct sequel to a BIT.TRIP game, leaves the blocky Atari visuals behind but brings the challenge, charm, and superb gameplay of the series into the next generation.

Music is all around us. It’s become an integral part of our everyday lives, and I always have some of it on in the background whenever I’m writing anything on Gamezebo. But now in Wave Trip, mobile gamers will start to look at music in a whole different light, as the game’s soundtrack becomes each player’s lifeline and they play the role of savior and composer in this inventive and melodious new adventure.

Some might say that human astronauts have the coolest possible jobs. Maybe they do, and maybe they don’t. All we know for sure is that space travel can be tedious. Think of enduring all that cold, black space that’s only dotted with a few points of distant light. The astronaut that zips through Lucky Frame’s Wave Trip has a better idea: she travels through beautiful alien worlds on waves of actual sound. It’s more exciting than eating a house made of freeze-dried ice cream.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy’s release on the 3DS earlier this year was the ultimate piece of fan service: players were treated to over 70 songs (56 playable) from the thirteen main (numbered) entries in the Final Fantasy series, 29 characters, and plenty of RPG-esque opportunities for advancement.  With a freemium version of the game now available on iOS, mobile adventurers can enjoy most of the basic trappings of Theatrhythm—minus its soul.

In its few short years on the gaming scene, just about every genre you could ever imagine has been tried on the iPhone.  The one notable exception however, at least in my mind, has been an iNiS-style rhythm game.  Best known for the touch-based DS hit Elite Beat Agents (or if you’re a real game nerd like me, it’s predecessor Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan), the folks at iNiS seemed like a perfect match for the growing smartphone market.  And with the release of Demons’ Score, they’ve proved that hunch right… more or less.

Swedish iOS developer Toca Boca has swiftly made a name for itself amongst parents thanks to its delightful range of games and interactive toys for young children. The latest app to join their expanding collection is the music maker Toca Band, and having enjoyed several of their previous offerings with my family, I wanted to know if this orchestra would also hit the right notes.

My Singing Monsters developed by Big Blue Bubble Games allows you to build several amazing islands on which the monsters you purchase, breed, and raise each sing a particular part to what will become a fully orchestrated song. Build amazing structures on your island, upgrade your castle to provide room for your monsters, and do whatever it takes to place them next to what makes them happy. Gamezebo's quick start strategy guide will provide you with detailed images, tips, and hints on how to play your best game.

When you get right down to it, few social/building games really offer any kind of real motivation to play. You get paltry reasons like, “Build your own zoo full of cuddly animals so kids can gawk at them,” or, “Make some money, or else you’re a godless Communist.” My Singing Monsters might be the first social/building game that directs you to complete something final and substantial--namely, a monster chorus that swells into an otherworldly orchestra as you add one booming tenant after the next.