POP: Methodology Experiment One is a "methodology experiment," because Rob Lach created the music first -- and then designed a minigame for each song intended to fit the emotional feel and impulse of the tune. Not surprisingly, the music is quite good; the gameplay less so, though still interesting.
It's carried in nostalgic, lo-fi graphics reminiscent of the early arcade, and the gameplay varies greatly from minigame to minigame. If the controls and gameplay is a little rough, that's perhaps not surpising, since this is seven games in one. Each minigame lasts about three minutes -- not surprising; so do the songs. Three minutes is supposedly the "perfect" length for pop music, at least if you want radio play.
And in fact, the music does seem to match the game; in the racer, it sounds like music you'd play on a road trip; in the rail shooter, like a track from a war movie; and so on. In most cases, the minigames offer very familiar play patterns, the there is a rather abstract puzzle game that is original. Scores are reported, but you don't really feel like they matter; you play more for the sense of experiencing the music in a more interactive way than you usually do.
POP: Methodology Experiment One was a 2012 Indiecade nominee.
