Hands on with SongArc, the upcoming music jam game for Windows Phone that will be the ultimate time killer

Windows Phone Central first brought you the news about SongArc, a music game that’s reminiscent of Guitar Hero and Audio Surf that will utilize your stored music for exciting gameplay. The game is the brainchild of Turtle Games, who make the popular game Rum Run and András Velvárt, who is the mind behind SurfCube 3D Browser and is an extension of the AppCampus project.

Tonight, we can give you an exclusive first look at the game in action.

We’ll be forthright: this game has all the makings for a hit arcade game on your phone. For one, it’s very well polished in the graphics department, with an eye catching and intuitive UI. Next up, you can bring your own music to the game—who doesn’t want that? Finally, if your song isn't programmed for play, you can just make a “sheet” for it and you’re good to go.

Music, fun and creativity? All checked off.

As you can see in our video above, the game is simple to understand: you play your favorite song and tap the arc when the “notes” (colored shapes) cross the barrier. By holding down for extended notes or tapping for short staccato ones, users have a rainbow of colors to access for visual cues. You can even quickly tilt the device for bass/drum effects, which adds yet another method for interaction.

Toss on a pair of headphones and firing up your favorite tunes with this game? Awesome. Yes, SongArc could be the next big thing for Windows Phone and is perfect for when you’re on the train, airplane or just want to make your music much more interesting.

Do you want in on the beta? Head to the developer’s Facebook page here and follow their directions!

Stay tuned to Windows Phone Central as this game nears release—we think you’re going to love it.

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.