DropMix is the weirdest game you need this Xmas

IF YOU’RE looking for a really unique Christmas present for music and gaming lovers, this digital card game which lets you DJ battle your friends is surprisingly fun.

THERE is something about being a DJ that has a lot of attraction.

From the thumping bass, electronic tones and strobe lights to the vocals, effects, smoke machines and the ability to wear sunglasses inside at night without looking like a pillock — it ticks a lot of boxes for people with a fondness for energetic music.

While many of us have dreamt of pairing a backwards cap with headphones to bust mad rhymes with an 80 per cent success rate, being a DJ is generally something best left to the professionals.

Fortunately, now you don’t need to be the next Calvin Harris to turn your living room into a surprisingly fun EDM party venue while gaming with your friends at the same time.

In an interesting hybrid of board game and smartphone/tablet app, Hasbro have released a game entitled DropMix, where up to four players engage in their own DJ battle using cards rather than turntables.

Developed with Harmonix, of Rock Band and Guitar Hero fame, each DropMix player takes a hand of cards representing different elements of a real-life song — such as bass, keyboards, vocals or guitar — and plays them on a board reminiscent of a DJ deck with illuminated slots.

The playboard is connected via Bluetooth to a smartphone or tablet with the free DropMix app installed.

Each of the cards has Near-Field Communication technology — similar to contactless credit cards or public transport cards — which is recognised by the board and turned into the appropriate sound, vocals, or effects in the app.

It probably shouldn’t work, but somehow it really does

The result is quite impressive, especially if you hook it up to a decent set of speakers.

If you just want to play in freestyle mode, you can mix and match cards to your heart’s content, creating a vast range of music and essentially getting to be a DJ without the whole having-to-know-anything-about-music thing.

DropMix is pitched as a fun game for 2-4 players and it certainly is, although it takes a while to get the hang of it despite a tutorial video and the app itself offering some guidance.

Suffice it to say you should probably familiarise yourself with the rules before breaking out the adult beverages and warming up the speakers.

If you’re just playing around on your own, you can also connect your smart device to a good set of headphones while playing, although be advised that the “silent DJ” thing might appear somewhat odd to other residents of your house.

The songs are current and work well with the game, providing some great opportunities to create your own sound and put an interesting twist on things.

However, it remains to be seen what the longevity of the game is like, especially a few years down the track when the songs might be edging closer to the “Throwback”-themed playlists of popular FM commercial radio stations.

DropMix is the future of board games and smartphone/tablet app hybrids

It is possible to buy more cards, but they’re not especially cheap, so it’s fortunate the cards included are quite sufficient to provide plenty of variety for now.

The effects and transitions really are quite impressive and it’s fascinating watching how a song develops over the course of a game, with increasingly interesting combinations.

For example — Sia’s vocals from Chandelier, backed by the trumpet from Cake’s Going The Distance, the bassline from Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass and rounded out with vaguely post-apocalyptic sound effects come together in surprisingly entertaining ways.

The major drawback of DropMix is that it’s a bit hard to pick up at first, and it’s not particularly cheap at about $150 for the deck and starter cards.

It really is a lot of fun and an enjoyable way to spend time with your mates

How much enjoyment you get out of it will depend on your friends and your own interest in music but the fact you don’t need any musical talent or knowledge to play, really adds to the game’s appeal and means the whole family can get involved.

DropMix is fun to play with children, letting them enjoy creating music and getting older people involved without it feeling like the adults are one step away from saying: “How do you do, fellow kids?”

Even on your own, the freestyle mode lets you create a wide range of tracks and save the ones you like for later.

It’s not a stocking-stuffer but if you know someone who likes gaming and music and are wondering what to get them for Christmas, then Hasbro’s got a game for you.

Originally published as DropMix is the weirdest game you need this Xmas