It's described as a "musical platformer" and that really is the best description of it. Taking control of a spiky ball that can jump and stick to certain surfaces, it's up to players to navigate the minimalist, retro-style levels screen by screen in an attempt to reach the exit.

Along the way, players collect coins, and each coin holds an element of music. The more coins you collect, the more the background musical track grows, punctuated by the other musical sounds that elements of the environment make. Players can also supplement the sounds made by the background and the environment by tapping on certain elements using the touchscreen, and these will record the player's input, repeating it indefinitely -- or at least until they move on to the next screen. Music generated by the coins remains persistent throughout the level, while environmental sounds change on a screen by screen basis. This means that traversing the entire level sounds like a gradually-evolving mix.

Queasy Games is hoping to cater to both the hardcore and casual crowd. They showed evidence of both -- one level featured perilous platforming that an experienced Mega Man player would baulk at, while another featured no hazards at all and simply allowed the player to enjoy the evolving music.

It's the Creation mode that makes Sound Shapes truly special though. By making use of a selection of simple tools, the player can not only create a level, but at the same time create a piece of music. This can then be shared online with the community, and the developer is considering the addition of YouTube and MP3 export functions.

It all starts with the coins; each is assigned to a specific instrument sound, then placed on a grid overlaid on the screen. This functions like a step sequencer in a music program, triggering short samples as a "beat line" (invisible during normal gameplay) passes over it. As the player collects the coins in the game, the sample will be "turned on" and start playing in its appropriate time slot. It's an interesting approach to music composition, as the visual design of the note layout has as much effect on the music as an understanding of basic musical theory.