Review #004: MUSYNX (Nintendo Switch)

Updated: Oct 8, 2019

Reviewer: Allan J.

Developer: I-Inferno

Publisher: PM Studios / acttil

Release Date: 06.21.2018

Overview

MUSYNX is a Chinese-language music/rhythm game that started as a mobile app and has now made its way to the Nintendo Switch. The mechanics are fairly straight-forward for a rhythm game, so if you have dabbled in gameplay the likes of Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution before, MUSYNX should be an easy enough concept to pick up fairly quickly for most casual gamers. The difficulty may be a bit high for complete beginners though.

The music, while I do not understand a word being sung, is beautifully composed and really draws you in. There are over 90 different tracks, so I have not yet experienced them all, but the genres range from pop, rock, trance, R&B, and even some classical tracks like Canon in D by Pachelbel!

Controls

There are six vertical columns on which different notes scroll toward the bottom of the screen. When these notes align with the strike bar, you press the corresponding buttons to play the notes. While easy enough to understand and begin to apply, even the simpler songs still provide quite a challenge.

I stuck to the 4 button play and had enough trouble trying to keep up with that, but the game does allow you to choose up to 6 buttons with corresponding active columns. The button mapping is fully customizable through the options menu, but I found that the default 4 button configuration was an optimal setting for myself personally. The game also allows touch screen controls, which gives it more of a mobile feel if you prefer.

Story Mode

There does not appear to be a story mode in MUSYNX – unless I missed something? – as the gameplay is basically just scrolling through the song menu and selecting which song you would like to play. The songs each have a level rating starting from level 1, which is the easiest, and moving up as the difficulty increases. You do not have to unlock higher level songs by beating lower level songs first, but I would recommend mastering the easier ones first before jumping into a level 6 song. There does not seem to be a way to get a “game over” in MUSYNX (and if this were Guitar Hero, I probably would not have been able to experience many complete songs the way I played some of these tracks!), but the music does stay more in-sync the more accurate you play.

Wrapping Up

MUSYNX was a game for which I had no initial expectations, other than maybe as a fun little mobile adaptation I could play to pass time. After playing it though, I was blown away. I love this game! It is even more fun to play than my previous favorite rhythm/music game, Guitar Hero World Tour. The music is amazing! I’ve even discovered some new genres I didn’t yet know I loved! In two days’ time, I think I have become slightly addicted to this game. The only drawback I found with the game is that the difficulty is a bit too high for a beginner on many of the songs. The good news is that there are plenty of different songs to choose from, and there are more to come. Per PM Studios, “All upcoming songs will be available as DLC for free Forever (in all platforms).”

If you are a fan of this type of game, I would 100% recommend adding this game to your Switch library!