⭐ Beautiful hand-drawn graphics in a pastel kawaii dreamy art style. Mixed with lofi chillhop electronic beats. Melatonin puts accessibility first, but misses the mark when it comes to creating a truly memorable experience.
Learn more about how I rate games here
Art and Music Style
One of the standout features of Melatonin is its cute, dreamy art style and beautiful soundtrack that is both calming and energizing. The colors are muted and pastel, and each level has a unique theme that makes it stand out from other rhythm games. The music is a mixture of chillhop and lofi electronic beats, creating a relaxing atmosphere. However, the game does bring to mind those mid-to-late 2000s browser flash games, giving a feeling of some lack of substance in its content. I can see a world where Melatonin is a great mobile game, rather than a PC and console game.
Despite its unique visual style, I found Melatonin to be lacking in replay value and overall substance. It doesn’t have a large cast of characters or a clear storyline, instead relying on the player to piece together the story themselves.
 |
|---|
Hand-drawn graphics give Melatonin a heartwarming feel |
Gameplay
While the game’s levels are visually appealing, they can feel repetitive. Sometimes the length of a level can make the music seem repetitive and boring when it would otherwise be beautiful. The amount of challenge across levels is also inconsistent. For me, games like Everhood and Rhythm Doctor offer a more engaging and unique single player story experience, with appropriately scaling challenge, and blending an old-school RPG feel with rhythm gameplay.
One aspect where Melatonin stands out is its accessibility. Its simple visuals and interface make it easy to pick up and play. It provides practice levels, an intuitave tuturial, and uses only 3 input buttons. However, this simplicity may also be a drawback for players looking for more depth or challenge in their rhythm games. Games like Crypt of the Necrodancer and Cadence of Hyrule offer more immersive and challenging gameplay experiences.
 |
|---|
With only 3 inputs, gameplay can be mastered in no time |
Replay Value
Melatonin does have some replay value, as there are hard-mode levels and a level editor available. However, the level editor is somewhat limited in its features. It’s not possible to edit the most exciting levels in the game: the hard-mode levels and the compilation levels. In addition, edited levels can only include elements that were present in the unedited version.
It’s also not possible to share levels with the community or with friends unless they are using the same save file. This makes it difficult to showcase your creations or play somebody else’s edited level. Games like Audiosurf and Beat Saber have stronger communities and more opportunities to flex your creative muscles. Audiosurf with procedural level generation based on the player’s personal music library, and Beat Saber with its official and unofficial level editors.
 |
|---|
Melatonin’s level editor leaves a lot to be desired |
Conclusion
Overall, Melatonin is a game that might be treasured by players who appreciate its unique art style and want to share their edited levels with friends. However, for me, it falls short in terms of replay value and overall substance. There are other games in the genre that offer a more engaging and memorable experience, such as Audiosurf, Everhood, Rhythm Doctor, Beat Saber, and Cadence of Hyrule.
Rating ⭐
Learn more about how I rate games
Melatonin Game Website: https://www.halfasleep.games/melatonin/