The controls are as simple as the graphics, but that is all you need. I have found that over the years, the sometimes-lengthy sets of commands and control actions can hamper games to some extent, but with Vib Ribbon you have four commands, and use combinations of these to progress through each level. All this apparent glitchy movement is deliberate and intended to flummox the player, and is not a result of your PlayStation regressing into a Magnavox. Well, it is until things start getting mad, with the course line shaking and distorting, obstacles spinning and camera views randomly changing. However, despite the simplicity of colour use and design, it is animated to a high standard the movements of our leporine heroine are unique and fun and the layout of the screen is easy on the eyes.

A dash of colour is added very sporadically, but it’s a presentation that would not challenge the hardware of most machines before the PS. Fans of the Sinclair Spectrum will rejoice with the principally monochrome look, simple white stick lines, shapes and words are only used. Since it’s obvious that the graphics look like something from the second generation era, it’s a perfect place to start. Problem is it’s not that simple at all! Created by Masaya Matsuura, former frontman of self-styled Japanese hyper-pop band PSY-S, we seriously are delving into the eccentricities of Japanese pop culture. The music dictates the variance and frequency of said obstacles, and completion of the track marks the end of the level. So where do I start? Vib Ribbon, a strange name for a strange game, categorised as a music game, your objective is to guide a friendly rabbit by the name of Vibri along a course of obstacles using four basic commands. So let’s whack on a Japanese pop song, and take a stick figure rabbit for a walk in the dark. With all the nuttiness it can muster, Vib Ribbon reminds us that gameplay is king. With the massive advancements in graphical realism, it’s fair to say many modern titles can be empty inside, the visuals glossing over the true lack of depth and playability. To say this is a weird game is a slight understatement, but what it does exemplify is undeniable proof that gameplay is the fundamental feature of all great video games. Within five minutes I was laughing hysterically, in the next ten minutes shouting at the screen, and fifteen minutes after that was putting my obliterated controller in the bin. So with my curiosity of oddball games getting the better of me, I took it home to see what to make of it. I can’t exactly remember how or why I ever played this game in the first place, but I believe that I chanced upon it at a market stall and vaguely remembered reading an article about it in the Official PlayStation magazine.

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