Sound Shapes could be used to teach kids the basics of electronic music (loops, layering, digital sounds), music composition, and game design. It's an accessible way to introduce music through the familiar and popular medium of video games.

20 amazing Sound Shapes community levels you must play. And I To Fire by jordanbuster. By far the weirdest Sound Shapes level we've played. Shadow of the Colossus by mothflight. Containment (a 3x3 maze) by VengefulTorture. The Fall and Rise by Man-is-Obsolete. A Winter Evening by Lissar. Donkey Kong by dsigns209. SHARE your musical creations with the PS4™, PS3™ and PS Vita Sound Shapes community. Awarded Best Handheld Game by the Game Critics Awards two.

Kids can learn about critiquing as they offer feedback on each others' creations.Students could be broken into small groups to collaborate on levels, or take turns with the game so that each person gets a turn to create their own level. Only one console is necessary, since dozens of levels can be saved on a single copy of the game. The tools needed to create tracks (audio samples, characters, and shapes) need to be unlocked by playing Story Mode before they're accessible. Teachers might want to play the game to unlock some of the content before introducing the game to the class. That way, students will spend more time in the song editor and less time playing the game to unlock content. However, playing the engaging game also gives kids a sense of how to design variations to existing levels.

Continue reading Show less. Sound Shapes is a visually stunning platform puzzle game for Playstation 4 set to a rich musical soundscape that evolves as players interact with the environment. Players navigate a blob character through various obstacles and challenges, completing 'albums' of levels that unlock new sounds and shapes that can be used to create their own levels.

In the level-creator part of the game, players create their own musical levels by dragging and dropping elements into an editing grid. Kids can then share their music video game creations in a safe online community. Sound Shapes is a video game that has great learning potential. While the arcade action part of the game provides a rich musical track that's influenced by a player's actions, the real learning happens in a mode where players experiment with creating their own musical games.Sound Shapes doesn't teach traditional music notation; rather, kids intuitively learn principles of rhythm, pitch, and timbre by experimenting and creating their own electronic music loops in the surprisingly robust level editor. Kids can select modality (major, minor, pentatonic, chromatic) and speed (by adjusting the BPM), and can observe how rhythmic subdivision works as they arrange symbols on a gridlike sheet for playback.

Beckoning to you

So, you've finished the lovely Sound Shapes, and now you're hankering for more levels to play.

Fear not: the Community tab is where you want to visit, for hundreds of user-created levels are waiting for your restless thumbs and woeful sense of rhythm.

Of course, where there's user-generated content, there's also a lot of rubbish, and sifting through it to find the good stuff can be tricky. This is where Pocket Gamer steps in to save the day. Again.

Detailed below are the 20 best Sound Shapes levels we could find. It's easy to play them: simply click on the name of a level, sign in to your PSN account via the Sound Shapes website, and hit the 'Queue' option next to the level to queue it in your game.

Then, go to the in-game Community tab, hit the button that looks like two heads, and hit 'Favourites' to find all your queued levels. Get to it!

And I To Fire by jordanbuster

By far the weirdest Sound Shapes level we've played. We won't spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, don't expect to grab all the coins and make a quick exit any time soon.

Shadow of the Colossus by mothflight

A gorgeous take on the iconic PlayStation game of the same name. Note that it's actually a bit of a spoiler in a very vague sort of way, so if you haven't played the actual game yet, it might be best to do so first.

Containment (a 3x3 maze) by VengefulTorture

There's some very clever use of game assets in this one, as you journey around a 3x3 grid looking for the exit. The outline of the grid is always in one corner of the screen, showing you exactly where you are at any point.

The Fall and Rise by Man-is-Obsolete

This level makes use of all the various game environments from the main game, playing out like a greatest hits compilation of the Sound Shapes albums.

A Winter Evening by Lissar

There are two ways to tackle this level: either keep jumping up and up through the flowers, or drop down and scramble through the dirt. Choice is yours.

Donkey Kong by dsigns209

A simple but effective take on the classic Nintendo game - only this time, you're dodging bolts of electricity instead of barrels.

(25 points): ARCADE MODE Clear all missions without picking up any weapon items. All Clear (10 points): RISING MODE Clear all missions. Hard corps uprising unlockable characters. I'll make them pay. The definition of a warrior! World Peace (25 points): ARCADE MODE Clear all missions with friends from around the world.

Relax for a Minute by MrJellyBean

Really tricky level that had us grinding our teeth midway through it. If you're looking for a challenge, you can find one right here.

Factory 13 by AngelicShadow11

By far the hardest level we could find. As you make your way through a grinding factory, you will swear many, many times. Ask sensitive family members to cover their ears.

Journey by indiejones84

Another stage based on a popular PlayStation title. This level captures the essence of ThatGameCompany's arty co-op experience with relative ease, primarily thanks to some lovely soothing music.

Organica Mechanica by Markew001

This one features a great mix of stomping machinery and nature trails, as organic and man-made elements are slammed together.

Madness and Cats by Lissar

Short but sweet, with a banging bassline that really captures the madness and felines mood.

Wicked Crickeds by the_korben_CAN

If you want weird, you need to try this level out. We're not entirely sure what's going on here, but what we do know is this: we like it a lot.

6am all day by famousmortimer

One of the messier levels we discovered, but it still has a nice beat to it and some clever ideas in the design.

Chicken Breakfast by JuxJuxJux

Single-screen level which has a sort of Super Meat Boy feel to it and plenty of red space around. We'd love to see more of these longer levels.

Got To Start Somewhere by MrJellyBean

What's nice about this level is that its simplicity demonstrates just how easily and quickly anybody can make a Sound Shapes level. Plus, it has a great beat!

Dark Days by kurichan78

Getting to the end of this long and arduous level isn't too tricky. It's getting all the notes along the way that will leave you cursing.

Fever Dream by Madriiax

Wacky, mad, crazy, feverish. Fever Dream mixes up all the different types of environments from the main game to create something you may well experience when heavily dosed up on pain pills.

Suicide flowers by cjarrett3

Difficult in places, and noteworthy for the way in which it shows you where the exit is partway through the level, yet doesn't allow you to reach it for a while afterwards.

Stomp by Delusi

This one has a sharp beat to it, tearing along at a million beats per second (probably) while requiring you make some seriously nimble jumps.

Silent Hill 2 by Maggot9

Try to beat this one. Go on, we dare you. Seemingly random lightning blots will slow your progress, and, well, you probably won't even make it out of the entrance alive.

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