Music On: Retro Keyboard

Genre: Content Creation Application

Players: 1

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Review:

Music On: Retro Keyboard is a Content Creation Application that allows players to play and record music using a simulated keyboard using on their Nintendo 3DS using the touchscreen. This game was originally released on the Nintendo DSi via the DSiWare service in 2010, and it was later grandfathered into the Nintendo 3DS eShop when the Nintendo 3DS released. I should note that the features and interface between this title and Music On: Electronic Keyboard are nearly identical, each only having a different visual skin and different selections of keyboard sounds to play.

While this game does present a simulated keyboard like the Music On: Learning Piano and Music On: Playing Piano titles, I would actually say this game is closer to the Music On: Drums title in actually trying to present a tool for the creation of music. In that regard, this title works somewhat better and somewhat worse than Music On: Drums – on the one hand, you have a lot more options to play with in changing up the sound of the keyboard. On the other hand, unlike Drums, this title doesn’t appear to have any way to input the noted directly on a chart.

I should note that none of how this title works is explained to the player – there’s no tutorial, only a non-interactive instruction manual. And while it’s a bit more complicated than Music On: Drums, I think most players could probably figure this application out through trial and error.

Having said that, without the ability to input chords (as the Nintendo 3DS’s touchscreen can only detect one point of contact at a time), the ability of this software to create music is highly limited, so its use as a tool is questionable. At the very least, I suppose this makes for a decent enough toy, and at $2 it’s priced well enough for that purpose. It’s just a shame this software didn’t have a little bit more effort put into its features, as it could’ve been a decent little Music Creation Application.

tl;dr – Music On: Retro Keyboard is a Music Creation Application that allows players to create simple electronic keyboard music on their Nintendo 3DS. This software is unfortunately lacking some features it would need to be particularly useful for that purpose, but I suppose at $2 it still makes for a decent toy. Just don’t expect too much more than that.

Grade: C

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