The demo scene has really just one title on PS3 and it really left people a bit confused and wanting for more. The team that gave us “Linger in Shadows” now give us “.detuned” – a funked up demoscene project.
The Premise
Well I’m not sure there is one! Basically you control a poor guy in a chair and to the music of your choice, manipulate him into all kinds of objects and get him to dance. That’s it – its just a demoscene afterall.
The Gameplay
What little gameplay there is, is basic and uninvolving. You can zoom the camera about and choose four different objects to inflate the man’s up into and once you’ve inflated them all and made him dance around his chair you’ve seen it all. It’s a step back from at least the look and find effort with Shadows…
The Graphics
The graphics are fluid but less impressive than Shadows (I keep comparing the two but as the only demoscene games on the PSN, it is inevitable). As there’s not a lot to do, I found myself looking at the surroundings which are nice but I wished there was more to it and maybe some animation to it.
The Sound
Well, the one track included is a good funky floor stomper so I can’t complain there to be honest, but the game wants you to use your own mp3 collection to see what happens but I’ve not seen any changes.
The Replay Factor
Literally, grab the trophies and come back to it for a post drink cheap laugh in a few weeks and it may seem fresh but you couldn’t get away with more than that.
The Positives
~Good single track of music
~Elephant heads!
The Negatives
~Not enough variation of the theme
~Lacking visually and in terms of gameplay
~For an extra pound of money you can have some absolutely fantastic PSN titles instead.
The Verdict
Shallow, limited and containing no element of fun after five minutes, “.detuned” is a missed opportunity. A big combo system to get new moves, unlock new characters and even change environments could have seen this become a niche game that I’d have come back to. As it is, it feels completely unfinished and not worthy of your money when for less than a pound more, you can have a blast on Noby Noby Boy or Trash Panic or pay £1.50 and have Numblast. Now those are real games that take a concept and run with it…