Playing piano games on your phone or tablet is easy when you can see the tiles and get the timing down. But what if the tiles started getting blurry halfway through a song and then disappeared altogether?
It’s not a hypothetical question thanks to Robbie the Robot – the first mobile game from the London based mobile gaming startup HAVE. The premise is that robot pianist Robbie got overloaded with electricity, rendering his visual processors less than reliable. He wants to keep playing music, but he’ll need your help to do it, and it’s not as simple as you might think.
This new approach to piano games would be interesting on its own, but there’s a method behind its seeming madness. The mission of HAVE is to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the visually impaired, inviting everyone to experience what it’s like to do something as simple as tapping piano tiles without the benefit of sight. You’ll need a sharp memory and perfect timing to get the hang of it.
If you’re stuck, you can watch ads to keep going, with half of all revenue generated from them going to a charity called Sightsavers. As the name implies, Sightsavers works with the visually impaired in countries around the world, helping to treat and prevent blindness and provide a voice for their concerns. It’s a feel-good reason to watch an ad if there ever was one.
On top of its mission, Robbie the Robot also has a sense of humour about it, and Stevie Wonder fans will appreciate the nods to that legendary musician. Even though it’s focused around Robbie this game could easily be called Stevie wonders where the keys are’. And its overall vibe should be fun for mobile gamers of all ages.
The team at HAVE are giving away $300 worth of premium headphones and earbuds too – follow this link and join the giveaway (which closes on the 21st of March).
If this sounds like something you’d like to try out for yourself, check out either the App Store or Google Play to download the game for free today.