Let's Tap Hands-on Preview - Wii

By Travis Moses
May 12, 2009 10:29 AM PST
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A game that's played without touching the controller.

What if I told you there's a game that can be played without even touching, blowing, or speaking into the controller? Yuji Naka is best known for his work on the original Sonic the Hedgehog and was the former head of the Sonic Team. Naka has since spread his wings under Sega's umbrella to found the development studio called Prope. Naka and Prope's first project is a completely unique Wii game that's played without even touching the controller. How does this unheard of play style work?

Believe it! Let's Tap looks rad, is equally fun to play, and you never touch the controller.

Charlie Taplin

Let's Tap is a Wii exclusive played by setting the Wii Remote face down on a surface as you rhythmically tap that surface and indirectly trip the Wii Remote's motion sensor. This is called Tap Control. In Let's Tap, you tap with precise and rhythmic pressure to race obstacle-course runners, tap along to music, pull blocks from a Jenga tower, fly a side-scrolling aerial shooter, and utilize a digital canvas to create awe-inspiring fireworks, ink paintings, and ripples in a pond. I know it might sound lame, and that's what I thought too when I first heard about the game, but after playing through the game's five different modes I can honestly say Let's Tap is fascinating and fun to play alone or with a friend.

Even a Three-Year Old Can Play

The first mode is called Tap Runner and can be played with one to four players. Tap Runner is a psychedelic tron-like race with obstacles. You control a jelly runner by gently tapping as fast as you can on the surface to run and tapping once firmly to jump over hurdles. Rhythm Tap mode is a Guitar Hero-style music game where you tap with varied light, medium, and firm pressure to complete songs. Rhythm Tap can also be played with up to four players competing for the high score.