All Sprunkybox needs to kick off your musical adventure are a few stages, 7 performance spaces and 20 odd monster characters. Each persona has its own unique soundscape, from drums and bass beats to weird vocals and effects that conjure up a Halloween nite. But the real fun of this game is in the secret combinations and the unpredictable transitions between the light and dark realms.
With Sprunkybox you choose which sounds are on the stage, instead of playing pre-set tunes. You've got 20 characters to chose from, and you put them into a selection tray. The performance area contains seven places to arrange your lineup.
Start with a character who sets the beat, then layer in bass, melodies and vocals to make a complete mix. And each monster has its own animation, to animate the stage with actors performing together.
No need to rush to fill all seven spots at once. Listen to each sound, try adjusting the sequence and delete any inappropriate music layers. The Mute, Solo and Remove tools give you control over individual character without needing to redo the whole mix.
Sprunkybox also makes music mixing a treasure hunt. Certain combinations of characters will unlock 19 secret tunes.
Not all combinations will result in a new secret. It will be useful to keep track of the combinations you have attempted so far to help you search more systematically.
The energy shifts as you add the mystery black member to the team. A succession of effects including lightning, thunder, red eyes and shadows convert the colourful stage into a terrifying scenario.
The characters in Dark Mode have new sounds, therefore they are different mixes than the original version. You can toggle between Light Mode and Dark Mode to see the difference between cheerful melodies and sad sounds.
Interestingly familiar characters can feel quite different in the second phase. So instead of trying to locate new characters, try utilising your old roster again once you change modes.
Mouse controls allow you to drag and drop characters, mute, listen to individual recordings or eliminate members. Spacebar resumes the mix. F toggles full screen mode. Esc exits the control panel.
If you are new to the game, start with a simple tune before moving on to more difficult combinations. Once you know the function of each character, it will be easy to identify small changes in sounds, and easy to follow the clues to unlock secret tunes.
Sprunkybox combines musical invention with exploration, and each team switch is an opportunity to discover new melodies.
