DESCRIPTION

Gitaroo-Man documents the exploits of an awkward young child named U-1, and his dog, Puma. U-1 learns that he is destined to inherit the title of Gitaroo-Man; a superhuman being, who, armed with the powerful gitaroo weapon, is tasked with protecting the universe from evil. The Gravilians, an enigmatic race who desire the power of the last remaining gitaroo, set out to capture the weapon needed to achieve their goal of universal domination — the weapon which U-1 now wields. This bizarre plot sets the stage for a unique, twitch-based rhythm game.

The game's ten stages consist of three distinct phases, with two varying styles of play. The first requires the player to manipulate a cone-shaped cursor, anchored at the center of the screen. The objective here is to line the cursor up with a moving target, and then pressing the circle button at the proper intervals to create guitar riffs. The second gameplay mechanic sees icons corresponding to the controller's face buttons moving towards the center of the screen along the horizontal and vertical axes. Here, players must press the correct button as it arrives in the middle.

During the charge phase (the first of the three phases) players can increase their health through the successful execution of the on-screen prompts. The second phase is where both your character as well as the enemy can lose health as each unleashes a barrage of offensive maneuvers. The final phase begins once the enemy's health bar drops below a certain level, with a well-executed guitar solo finishing it off. The soundtrack is an eclectic mix of J-Pop, instrumental, rock and jazz courtesy of Japanese group, Coil. A four-player mode provides multiple players with the opportunity to compete against one another. Each person assumes the identity of one of the game's many personas who then square off in battles reminiscent of the single-player adventure. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide