Santa Rockstar for Christmas, Sweet Music to my iPad! Review

by Andrea Emmes

Ho! Ho! Ho! All you Rocker Gamer Geeks out there! First, let me say a very Merry Christmas Eve to all of you! I hope that you are spending some uber quality time with the ones you love! Wish I was. You know how it goes…money is tight because I spent so much dough on games and got pinched by all these micro transactions that are riddled within social media games. But I love it, Merry Christmas to ME! Although, I would love nothing more than to spend the holidays with my family, whom I love and cherish so very much…I gotta say though, not having to bop around from house to house, cook and clean all day/night long has really given me some quality gamer ME time!

So, what am I playing? Well, to keep things in the spirit of the Xmas holiday, I’m rocking out to Santa Rockstar by Clarin Global S.A. It’s slowly becoming a sad day when I might never need a console again, because so many amazing games that I love to play are finding their way to the iPad!! MMO’s, done! Adventure games, on it! Rhythm games…you know it! Santa Rockstar is a pretty rad holiday treat that I suggest you shell out the measly little…wait a minute, it’s FREE through Christmas 2012–so Merry Freakin’ Christmas. So, bust out your iOS device and download it and star jamming to some Christmas songs.

Who knew that Santa was such a bad-ass!  He’s styling the cutoff sleeves, which I’m sure pissed Mrs. Claus off like no tomorrow, but if you’re sick of watching Santa shred some gnarly notes, you can always save some coin and play as different avatars like Rudolph or Santa Jaws.  Here’s the skinny on the gameplay–First, choose your settings: EASY, MEDIUM, or HARD. Then check out the SAGA map, which basically shows your progression through the game as you move forward. Santa is heading on a World Tour and is playing at several venues. The first gig starts at none other than the North Pole! You have to play through 3 songs per venue before you can head to the next location. 5 total–6 if you include the pay to play Burning Alien planet. You do get extra dough if you signin or share on Facebook, so keep that in mind if you are saving up for a new guitar.

So, of course, I started playing on the EASY setting to get my barrings and realized that I actually suck at “Jingle Bells”, LOL. It’s much more challenging and fun on the harder settings and you really start to feel the actual groove of the melody as you play. But “Jingle Bells” has humbled me. The guitar riffs are a beast though, I’m not gonna lie! Hard, dude…but totally makes me want to try and try again. What’s sad is that while trying to master “Joy to the World”, instead of finding joy, I’m trying not to curse like a sailor as the game totally pawns me. It’s cool though, cuz I’m grinding for sweet amp boosts which help me keep any combos even if I miss (which has been often). I do have to say though, the boosts are like a second thought to me. I’m finding that I’m really only interested in mastering the song and not caring about the boosts. They are kind of forgettable, until I’m like, “Oh yeah, I have coinage and could buy some boosts.” There isn’t anything you really need to do for the boosts except just buy them. It seems like they just automatically work.

I’m also a little distracted by the sick animations of Santa and his Reindeer band, especially the drummer! Hilarious.The art style is really amazing, love the 3D environments that scroll around as you travel on your stage/sleigh. But back to the music. The music is the absolute best part of this game. The arrangements are amazing and really put a cool rocker spin on beautiful, yet boring traditional favorites.  So, major kudos to the sound team on this game!! You are the true rock star of this game!

I’m not crazy about how my fingers are starting to cramp as I play and my posture is terrible. Super Quasimodo-like. It’s kinda like playing the piano in a way and I’m finding that I’m pressing way too hard on the screen so I can hit my mark and play all my notes. I do miss the feeling of playing with a “real” guitar on the console version of this style of game which is easier on my hands and back. As cool as Santa Rockstar is as a mobile rhythm game, I don’t think  I could play it for long periods of time because of that. But it’s cool. I love the music and the challenge of it, so I’ll be checking it out more than just tonight. I do wonder what it will be like after the holiday though. Are the developers going to continue to update on this and add more venues, boosts and characters or is it just a themed game that is only relevant for a couple of months out of the year? Who knows…I guess only time will tell.

All in all, it’s a solid game that I would recommend, especially RIGHT NOW SINCE IT’S FREE!!! I love rhythm games because it teaches children ( and everyone else) to keep time, musical scales and gives them a sense of “playing an instrument”. Nothing like the real thing, but this is a good alternative.

So, while you’re watching the “A Christmas Story” marathon, grab Santa Rockstar and jam out during any commercials!

Be safe, cherish those that are in your life and God Bless! Merry Christmas to all, and to all ROCK OUT!