is a music video game created by Masaya Matsuura as a spin-off of his 1999 music game, '' Vib-Ribbon'', which was released for

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. A direct sequel called '' Vib-Ripple'' was released in 2004. The releases are comparable to the releases of the earlier '' PaRappa'' series (also a Matsuura series) where the original was followed by a pseudo-sequel and then a direct sequel a few years later. Whereas in ''Vib-Ribbon'' the gameplay centered on the player's interaction with the melody of the song being played, in ''Mojib-Ribbon'' the gameplay centers on the player's interaction with the lyrics. As such, the music employed in the game is heavily lyrics-oriented rap music. The game's art-style is centered on traditional sumi-e and Japanese kana

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

. This has led to claims that the game is incomprehensible to non-Japanese audiences, however the simplicity of gameplay have allowed numerous

import gamers Import gamers are a subset of the video game player community that take part in the practice of playing video games from another region, usually from Japan where the majority of games for certain systems originate. Reasons for importing There ...

(typically also fans of Masaya Matsuura's works) to enjoy the game as well, and guides exist online regarding menu navigation instructions for non-Japanese speakers.

Gameplay

In ''Mojib-Ribbon'', the player plays the part of (a name similar to that of Vibri from ''Vib-Ribbon''), a character drawn in the sumi-e style who wishes to become a famous rapper (similar to ''PaRappa the Rapper'') and to find the truest rap of them all. In each level, Mojibri walks around a circle of clouds as rap lyrics written in kana pass underneath. The player must press up on the joystick to get Mojibri to dip his fude in the suzuri and then down to get Mojibri to write the kana as he sings it. The songs are heavily rhythm-based raps, and the player must time the application of the fude to the washi during lyrics and to the suzuri during breaks. Later in the game Mojibri is joined by a female friend named and a huge robot called . These characters have individual calligraphy styles.

Development

''Mojib-Ribbon'' was initially teased as ''Vib-Ribbon 2'' before being revealed at the 2002 Game Developers Conference. Masaya Matsuura and J-pop band Laugh and Peace returned from ''Vib-Ribbon'' to compose ''Mojib-Ribbons music, with the lyrics written by Japanese rap pioneer Seiko Ito. ''Mojib-Ribbon'' was originally planned to be released in Europe, with Matsuura also working to get it published in America.

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/mojib-ribbon 2003 video games Hip hop mass media Japan-exclusive video games Music video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games Video games developed in Japan Multiplayer and single-player video games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Rhythm games NanaOn-Sha games

Gameplay

Development

See also

References

External links