Vib-Ribbon: An Oral History
2 days ago
- Shawn Layden, Sony Europe VP, saw Vib-Ribbon in 1999 and admired its uniqueness despite marketing opposition.
- Marketing department hated the game due to its black-white wireframe graphics and CD-swapping feature.
- Layden bypassed marketing by personally showing the game to Sony Europe president Chris Deering, who approved its release.
- Vib-Ribbon was created by Masaya Matsuura, known for PaRappa the Rapper, and developed by NanaOn-Sha.
- The game allowed players to swap in any audio CD to procedurally generate levels, offering endless replayability.
- Despite simple visuals, it was technically and aurally complex with a catchy original soundtrack by Laugh & Peace.
- It became a cult classic, known for its style and the morphing rabbit protagonist, and Sony patented the CD-swapping feature.