Review Score:

Remember when you first turned on your very first game and it was something that made you fall in love? You played through the first level and you were hooked. The intensity, the music, the atmosphere, the amazing fun you had. Lets stop for a second and say that game was Super Mario World for the SNES. It was nonstop fun, so much to do, so much to unlock and find. The boss battles, levels, the hidden items and your secret promise to get the highscore in every level. Well, now you know how I felt the first time I played Fret Nice. An amazing game from the developers of another original game, Puzzlegeddon. Pieces Interactive really have an amazing knack for innovation, and this game shows it off in spades. From the art style to the music in the game all the ways into the players hands, the control scheme. Every part of this game brings you into this fun platforming adventure your about to embark on.

The game starts off with a story about the Vibrant Chordblasters the games musicians and the actual artists of the title song. It sets up a very atmospheric tone for the game. As most platformers the first level is set up as a tutorial level teaching you the various mechanics and power-ups of the game. The game itself can be played of course with a typical Six-axis/ Dualshock 3 however the magic comes with the ability to be able to have the option for the first time out of the Rock Band / Guitar Hero genre to actually use your guitar peripheral for a different type of game. This is a great alternate but not what one would see as a definite means of playing this game. It can become a chore when the game asks you to use it for some shiny trophies. However, it does add challenge of mastering the Righty and Lefty control schemes for the guitar.

The games customizable characters is very fun and can go very deep depending on how much time your willing to spend with this game. The more you play, the more you unlock. Every 3-4 levels you will come into contact with a store you can spend your money on you collected by getting medals and beating levels. Not only can you buy new threads and features to customize your character but you can also upgrade the guitar and unlock keys to the bonus levels you have already played to unlock them and collect all the medals in the game. The level design is amazingly superb and thoughtful. There are vertical and horizontal levels that keep making you want to explore and once you have finished a level your always left with a feeling that you have yet another stone unturned somewhere in the level. One level had you riding on train tracks reminiscent of Donkey Kong as this giant boulder is chasing you inside a cave. It was amazing, it really brought me back to my SNES days and what really got me into gaming. Little moments like this is what makes my life as a gamer worth living for.

The only downside is the game can get repetitive, and there’s sort of a hard learning curve with the controls and battling enemies. Once you can get past that though the game is nothing but a giant plus to gaming. There’s so much to unlock and have fun with. It’s hard to not take up your time. With medals concerning all different aspects of a particular level such as time trials, 100% all enemies, collectibles and hidden albino enemies the game is always full of things to do and perfect your score on the leaderboards. If that’s not enough to keep you occupied or you just want to have a friend the game supports 2 player offline. Certain levels have a LittleBigPlanet like co-op section where you can go with a friend and discover new areas and sometimes collectibles. So check out the demo of Fret Nice. If your not satisfied, then no harm done. At least you will have experienced a very unique game.