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Josh Ye

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
It warms my heart every time I discover a new Chinese indie game.
However, Musynx, a rhythm game developed by I-Inferno and available on virtually every platform, is much more than that. That’s not because I’m a veteran player of rhythm games. In fact, I struggled mightily playing this game on the Switch.
But I love Musynx because it somehow holds all these standalone indie games together. Its repertoire is a treasure trove of many delightful theme songs from Chinese games which you wouldn’t otherwise get to play.

It includes songs from milestone titles like Koi and Icey. While the former is China’s first PS4 game, the latter was considered one of the best Chinese indie games a few years back.
Chances are you probably won’t know those songs. But I do! And as a Chinese gamer, it means a lot to me to see I-Inferno bringing those different universes together in one game.

But the game is more than just a nostalgia play. It’s a straightforward, no-frills rhythm game that feels very complete in every way. There’s a 4-keys mode and a 6-keys mode, with two levels of difficulties to choose from -- Easy and Hard.
On the Switch, the game can be played with the touchscreen as well as with Joy-Cons. I imagine playing it on the touchscreen would be much easier. But when it comes to rhythm games, I like the tactile experience of hitting something.

During the stream, because of my stupidity, Xinmei and I started playing the game in hard mode and we were quickly overwhelmed by the flood of notes pouring into our face -- it felt impossible. But when we switched to Easy, the game became much more friendly.
But what matters for rhythm games at the end of the day is its music selection. Musynx has a rather eclectic selection of songs in a rather large quantity. Anything from classical, 8-bit gaming soundtracks, EDM and vocaloid songs sung by anime girls -- this game has you covered.
What’s more, there are some genuinely interesting picks in the selection. For instance, you even get to play a Chinese opera piece in this game. That being said, it’s important to note that music included in this game is clearly made for an Asian audience.

The only frustration I had with this game is with the navigation. With that many songs available, it’s hard to find the songs that you like. While the game lumped about a dozen of songs into a playlist, and you can switch between playlists, there are no labels for easy searching.
Another highlight of the game is the variety of its background visuals. Depending on the song, the background could be a rainbow bridge, a Tron-esque racing track or a sushi conveyor belt. The wide-ranging assortment of the background visuals helps to keep the game feel fresh and visually engaging.
Last but not least, although we only played the game on the Switch, it feels extremely at home on the system. The fact that I can be completely absorbed in a rhythm game (and get to tap physical buttons) for about 2 minutes at a time on the subway makes this game a very attractive title to have in my portable gaming collection.

If you want to find out more about Musynx, check out our entire stream here!


For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



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Video gaming

Musynx is an impressive rhythm game with Chinese game songs

I appreciate the simplicity of MUSYNX. You open the game, select a song and off you go. (Picture: I-Inferno)

Musynx is an impressive rhythm game with Chinese game songs

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Imagine Guitar Hero, but with theme songs of many Chinese games

Imagine Guitar Hero, but with theme songs of many Chinese games