Nick Capozzoli: "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" goes the oft-quoted saying. It's a snide little shiv of an expression: reductive and crude, but I imagine it's good for a messy ambush on a music journalist's ego. Our flailing attempts to render sounds with words can certainly leave something to be desired; take a trip through an audiophiles' forum, and you'll reliably find linguistic gesticulations like "extra bass, insight, and depth of music" being used to justify $600 digital cables. But there's an appreciable skill in capturing the essence of one art in the form of another. That's what makes endeavors like Fract OSC, which seeks to illustrate music within the strictures of a video game, worth the effort of an honest appraisal.
"This world and the time you’ve spent there are a memory that sticks with you. Sure, maybe you wandered a little, not knowing where to go. But there was always something new, something entrancing around the corner. You’ve seen music turned into an experience before, but nothing like this. This was a world born of a genre of music. Its beat rhythmically thumps in the heart of this place. You’ll know this won’t be a trip for everyone. Sometime people want more structure in their experiences. But for those who can enjoy discovery and intuition, you’ll always recommend that they find a way to find the world of FRACT OSC." - David Rhinehart of Geekenstein
(CriticalIndieGamer)Musical exploration is a genre that promises vibrancy and stimulation but in the hands of Fract OSC we are treated to little more than a washed out Tron-like world and a dull midi drone.
It’s hard not to love FRACT OSC. It’s puzzles are cleverly intertwined with music without requiring any real sense of beat. And on top of being a generally fun and unique time, it also serves as a good introduction into basic music production with its in-game synthesizer. And while the game could benefit from a push in the right direction every once in a while, it stands as one of the best uses of music in games.
