As an avid rhythm action fan, I actively seek out different ways music can be placed into games. Melody Flight was released into early access last year but hasn’t seen any updates for over 18 months. It’s a shame as the premise is here for a nice mouse-based rhythm game – it is just lacking content to sustain itself.
Melody Flight sees you play as a ghost floating across gentle backgrounds that remind me of winter but also of the lovely Alto Collection games. Classical piano music from various symphonies plays as you glide and you’ll need to collect orbs that represent a piano note in the sky. You do this by moving your mouse up and down to change the height of the ghost. Collect the orbs, stay alive, miss too many in a row and it is game over. You can also crash into the floor and that’s game over too.
It’s a simple to grasp set-up that has a few variants to it that I liked. Orbs match pace and loudness so bigger ones are louder notes, smaller orbs are quiet. They also cascade up and down like octaves which is fun. Occasionally you get a power up that allows you to capture orbs around you rather than hitting them all and this pops up for the really chaotic moments, of which there are a few. Melody Flight badges itself as relaxing but focused is a better description. I was never relaxed playing the game but I did zone into the music and movement element of it.
Sadly, after seven songs, the game ends abruptly as it’s been stuck in early access stasis for ages. This translates to a 30-minute playtime (with a couple of repeats) and no real reason to go back except to aim for 100% orb capture. There is no difficulty options, scoreboards, nothing. It’s a shell of an idea that needs content, options and love to get it into recommendation territory. The best hidden part of the game is that you can alter mouse sensitivity on the fly during a level which is a neat touch.
Unless progress resumes on Melody Flight, I can’t recommend it in its current guise. Not because the idea and execution aren’t good – they are. It’s just over in half an hour with no reason to return. A shame, I hope it gets picked up again.
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