By: RJ (@rga_02)

• Deemo
  
• Developer - Rayark Games
  
• Publisher - PM Studios
  
• PlayStation Vita (also on iOS and Android)
  

Have you ever imagined falling down into the abyss only to find yourself in the arms of a humanoid that does nothing with their time other than play the piano? I haven’t – but I’m pretty sure someone out there has imagined that before. For those who wish to live that life, Deemo has you covered, and it also happens to be a rhythm game as well.

Deemo tells the tale of a girl who finds herself trapped in a cavern far away from the world above. She finds herself accompanied by a humanoid figure aptly named Deemo. With the power of music, a tree grows to help the young girl ascend back to the top of the cavern to get back home. It sounds cute, but the tree is integrated deeply into the mechanics of the game.

As the tree grows taller you unlock more songs (you can also unlock songs by exploring the cavern) and more difficulty settings. It is also the source of repetitiveness. There is no other method to help grow the tree. So you have to play the songs multiple times. Thankfully Deemo boasts a wonderful soundtrack. A majority of the songs are just so cozy and warm, that it will melt anything in sight. There are 100 or so songs to unlock with the option to buy more via DLC.

Gameplay is as straightforward as it can get. Everything is done via the touchscreen. You cannot use the buttons in this game – which means that for those rocking a PlayStation TV, you are out of luck. Notes fall down to the bottom of the screen and you simply just tap on them. If you tap on them at the right moment, you hit the game’s “charming notes.” Should you get a full combo of charming notes, the tree grows much faster.

Deemo is a charming rhythm game only bogged down by repetitiveness. However, it’s something I feel anyone who is fans of the genre to check out regardless of platform.