Rhythm-action games should be more like musicals than fitness videos - working our emotions, not just our reflexes
It's about time we got that Space Channel 5 x Les Miserables crossover nobody aꦉsked for, argues Jess Kinghorn of Official PlayStationꦐ Magazine

As a recovering drama nerd, I'm a sucker for character arcs of self-actualisation book-ended by song. I had great fun taking centre stage in Metr𒉰onomik's musically minded . One impressive boss arena featured a piano prodigy’s overprotective mother represented ๊as a raging, red phantom. I found myself surprisingly affected by her destruction of the stage punctuated by her contradictory cries of "YOU ARE RUINING HER CONCERT!"
No Straight Roads ma🏅tches action to the beat, though this relationship is purposely pretty loose and, aﷺs affecting as this confrontation was, it remains to be seen just how intertwined its set list will be with the emotional arcs of its characters.
This feature first appeared in Official PlayStation Magazine. Get the latest PlayStation news on 🅠your doorstep early and for a great price! .
...Oh god, did I seriously just compare Space Channel 5 to Broadway smash Les Misérables?
A unique challenge
It's worth noting the unique challe𓆏nge the medium itself presents composers as one cannot possibly predict when you’re going to hit the start button (give a watch if you're looking for a qualified dose of theory). Adding lyrics and telling a story requires choreography – not to mention room enough in the budget to get comfy. The less said about Space Channel 5's cheesy lyrics... well, the poorer w🌃e'll be for entirely discounting its contribution.
Space Channel 5's Simon Says back-and-forth still feels (mostly) great to play all this time later. Besides having an endless loop of "Right – chu! Left – chu! HEY HEY HEY" stuck in my head for weeks now, the game stands out as a possible proto-playable-musical 🐬(we can workshop the name later) while also laying out the challenges a proper swing at the idea any future project would have to overcome.
In Ulala's Swinging Report Show all problems are overcome through song, dance, and even the odd guitar solo – your actions are tied into the music and your success (or failure) affects the direction of her story – but problems arise the moment more traditional lyrics enter the fray. You can sense the challenge these call-and-response lines presented to the localisation team, e🌞specially a🎃s the uneven meter of these verses in English can throw your timing off for the following barrage of inputs. While PaRappa The Rapper attempts a compromise for its use of lyrics, it's no wonder Gitaroo Man dispenses completely with giving words a mechanical gameplay space. Bound was pitched to me as a playable ballet... so I was frustrated when it wasn't quite that at all and even used dialogue instead of the player’s dance alone to tell its story.
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Maybe Sekiro is onto something in borrowing rhythm mechanics for what is decidedly not a rhythm game; maybe I shouldn&rsquo🎐;t be holding out hope of playing Ulala’s Land anඣd should instead be looking out for a Dance Dance Shinobi Revolution.
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As PLAY Magazine’s games editor, Jess is known for championing the weird, the wonderful, and the downright janky. A fan of cult classic JRPGs and horror, her rants about Koudelka and Shadow Hearts have held many a captive audience. Outside of writing about all things PlayStation, she’s also a lifelong fan of Nintendo’s handheld consoles. Having whiled away most of her college y♓ears playing The World Ends With You on the original Nintendo DS, she’s looking forward to uncovering all of NEO’s secrets too. Beginning her career as Official PlayStation Magazine’s staff writer in 2017, she’s since written for PC Gamer, SFX, Games Master, and Games TM.