2007 iPod video game
Phase is a music-themed iPod game created by Harmonix exclusively for the iPod click wheel interface. It is similar to other Harmonix games "Amplitude" and "FreQuency".
Gameplay.
"Phase" is played in a forced single-point perspective view of a three line track. Down each line come colored circles, and the player must click the corresponding button on the click wheel when the circle reaches the bottom of the screen. The circles are arranged on the track in relation to the beat of the music track being played.
Additionally, there are occasional series of smaller, more closely spaced dots that will sweep across the track. These require the player to swipe their finger across the click wheel at the correct pace, instead of clicking the wheel buttons.
The game comes with Easy, Medium, and Hard settings available for immediate play. After completing a marathon with the Hard difficulty setting, Expert mode is made available. In the same way, completing a marathon on Expert unlocks Insane mode. The difficulty settings control the speed of the track and the number of the dots, as well as their value.
Soundtrack.
"Phase" ships with seven songs, some by bands of Harmonix employees, but can be made to work with any song on the iPod as long as it is longer than 30 seconds but less than 30 minutes long. Custom songs must be added to a "Phase" playlist in iTunes, where they are processed for proper interpretation and become available in the game. The "Phase" music playlist is limited to 1,000 songs.
The songs included in the game are:
"Nightlife Commando" by Bang Camaro,
"Pop Music Is Not a Crime" by Freezepop,
"Midnight Gamma" by Inter:sect,
"Spira Mirabilis" by Kodomo,
"The Theme of the Awesome" by Speck,
"Dragonfly Remix" by Universal Hall Pass,
and "Dots and Dashes" by Dealership. "Dots and Dashes' was originally supposed to appear in Dealership's upcoming album "The Future is Far Away" in 2008; but the band went into an unannounced hiatus and the album remains unreleased.
Compatibility.
"Phase" is compatible with the 3rd, 4th and 5th generation iPod Nano, the 5th generation iPod, and the 6th generation iPod Classic. It does not work with the iPhone or iPod Touch.