I'm starting a new little column where I talk about some things I like. These posts aren't exactly reviews (even if some of them may be tagged as such); instead they're an excuse for me to talk about stuff I like. I'm going to release them on Thursdays, so Thursdays are going to be Things I Like Thursdays or TILTs. I think it's a fun idea. Anyway, enough rambling. Let's get to talking about a cozy rhythm game!

In the ever-growing market of cozy content, two things reign supreme: lo-fi beats and comfy spaces (after all, what respectable lo-fi mascot doesn’t have their own, perfectly aesthetic bedroom?). It’s a winning combo. Just look at Lofi Girl and its plethora of ultra-specific lookalikes, from Disney to Warcraft and everywhere in-between. Bringing their own, interactive spin to the lo-fi game is, well, a game. Bearmask Studios’ Lo-Fi Room is a hidden object rhythm game about making lo-fi beats that delivers all of the chill cozyness a player could ever want.

Complete with illustrated scenes of a bedroom, fuzzy cats, and enough physical music gear to feel in touch with your analog side, the game delivers well with its aesthetics. There are fun easter eggs snuck into the drawings and even little bits of interactivity, like making the cats purr. The game’s own limitations keep the beats pretty simple (never more than a simple loop), but they’re nice enough to keep your head bobbing. It’s got a chill vibe, which is what you want in a game like this.

A lot of lo-fi music is about harkening back to simpler, more familiar times. You’ve got anime voice lines, cues from video games, and samples from beloved movies. It’s nostalgic. While Lo-Fi Room can’t really get into any sampling without potential copyright issues, it still pulls off its nostalgia through game mechanics. Lo-Fi Room combines the point-and-click mechanics of a hidden object game with the rhythmic challenges of something like Guitar Hero.

Players scour an illustrated scene, hunting for hidden musical instruments. When they find the instrument, they then play that instrument's part of the beat in a little rhythm game, trying to play on-time. The mechanics are simple and familiar yet engaging all the same. They keep the player locked into the atmosphere of the beatmaker’s room, searching for instruments, as they also master different sections of the beat in order to build the track. It’s a relaxing gameplay loop.

Hide-and-seek meets Guitar Hero

Lo-Fi Room is currently still in development. The version on itch.io only has a handful of levels, but developer Bearmask is at work creating a full version of the game which will include 30 beats to play along to. The itch.io version also features a random beat generator and a beat creator where players can make and share their own beats, expanding the game’s current content (there’s a fairly active community that still puts together new beats, too!).

While it’s not bursting with content, whenever you’re in the mood for some cozy rhythms, Lo-Fi Room hits play on a good time. Lo-Fi Room is available on itch.io. Check out the widget if you wanna jam to your own chill beats!

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