Item: Melody Jams
Rating: 91
Author: Dinsun

Dinsun Review

Calling this a 'game' is a stretch even for the App Store. It's a digital toy box. I tested this with the mindset of a parent, and while the character designs are adorable and the music is surprisingly well-produced, there's just no meat on the bones. You drag a monster onto the screen, they start playing a loop, and you add more until it sounds like a song. That’s it.

For a 40-year-old gamer, there is zero engagement here. For a child, it’s a fun distraction, but the lack of goals or any form of progression means it has very low replay value. It’s well-made for what it is—a safe, ad-free environment for toddlers—but don't expect it to teach anyone how to actually play music. It’s expensive for the amount of content provided, and I struggle to see why anyone would keep this on their device for more than a day.

Overall Stats

Pros & Cons

Adorable animation and character design
High-quality, non-annoying audio samples
Safe, ad-free environment for children

Extremely limited longevity
No actual gameplay or objectives
High price point for the content offered

Technical Report

Performance: Flawless performance; very stable.

Accessibility:

No reading required
Simple drag-and-drop interface

Audience Fit

Buy if: You have a toddler who loves music and monsters.

Skip if: You are looking for a game with objectives or challenge.

Similar Games:

Toca Band
Sago Mini Music Box
Loopimal

Reviewer Context

Reviewer: Dinsun, 40-year-old conservative critic
Hardware: iPad Air
Playtime: 2 hours
Status: Explored all stages and characters

The Game

Available on: iPhone, iPad, iPod

1094833642

$2.99 4+★4.6 67 reviews

Author : Melody Jams Inc.

Pubish Date : Wed Apr 06 2016

Last Update Date : Tue Dec 06 2016

Support Languages : English

Genres :

Version 2.0.6Tue Dec 06 2016

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.
Thank you so much for making Melody Jams an international smash hit! No more in app purchases! Still ad free! And we've got even more news...
*** MARS DISCO ***
The Melody Jams band has launched deep into space! With four new instruments and an awesome new song, this jam is out of this world!
*** HOLIDAY JAMS ***
We're feeling festive with our second app, Holiday Jams! Holiday Jams features your favorite Melody Jams monsters in a candy cane wonderland. It's sure to warm your spirits up!
Melody Jams is the awesome new way to become a rock star! Mix and match your favorite characters in fun combinations to create your own songs, then jump in and play along! Join your Melody Jam band on the road to meet new friends, play new instruments, and experience the fun of making music with others. What are you waiting for, get out there and jam!
Stay posted as we extend the Melody Jams tour by creating new jams,discovering new instruments, and making new friends!
---
FEATURES
- Exciting animations
- You choose the sounds you want!
- Mix different melodies around to create your own music.
- Play along with fun and exciting instruments.
- Each monster has multiple sounds and animations. Drag around to discover them all!
- Start in “The Garage”, then explore "The Big Show" and "Mars Disco".
- No in app purchases and completely ad free!
We have even more Jams on the horizon. Download and start rocking! You and your kids will love it!
Learn more about the band at https://melodyjams.com.
---
ABOUT
Melody Jams is a project that combines a number of our passions: Music, animation, and interactivity. As a small group of designers, animators, musicians, and developers who spent their childhood creating music with friends, we wanted to re-create that experience for people of all ages. Meeting new people with different aesthetic styles and personalities made for great new experiences, memories, and ever growing friendships.
Melody Jams was conceived, designed, and animated by James Bartley. Arbitrary coded and produced the app. Music was done by Nathan Mckee and Hani Zahra.
Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Melody Jams is the awesome new way to become a rock star! Mix and match your favorite characters in fun combinations to create your own songs, then jump in and play along! Join your Melody Jam band on the road to meet new friends, play new instruments, and experience the fun of making music with others. What are you waiting for, get out there and jam!
Stay posted as we extend the Melody Jams tour by creating new jams,discovering new instruments, and making new friends!
---
FEATURES
- Exciting animations
- You choose the sounds you want!
- Mix different melodies around to create your own music.
- Play along with fun and exciting instruments.
- Each monster has multiple sounds and animations. Drag around to discover them all!
- Start in “The Garage”, then explore "The Big Show" and "Mars Disco".
- No in app purchases and completely ad free!
We have even more Jams on the horizon. Download and start rocking! You and your kids will love it!
Learn more about the band at https://melodyjams.com.
---
ABOUT
Melody Jams is a project that combines a number of our passions: Music, animation, and interactivity. As a small group of designers, animators, musicians, and developers who spent their childhood creating music with friends, we wanted to re-create that experience for people of all ages. Meeting new people with different aesthetic styles and personalities made for great new experiences, memories, and ever growing friendships.
Melody Jams was conceived, designed, and animated by James Bartley. Arbitrary coded and produced the app. Music was done by Nathan Mckee and Hani Zahra.

Ratings & Reviews

4.6 out of 5 with 67 Counts

★★★★★

Age Rating 4+

Melody Jams is an interactive music experience that allows users to lead their own band of monsters and whimsical creatures. By placing characters on the screen, players activate different instruments—from guitars to synthesizers—all tuned to play together in harmony. Explore different 'scenes' like the garage, outer space, or a spooky forest, and discover the unique sounds each character brings to the jam.

Features

Open-ended creative play with no set goals.

Adorable, high-quality character animations.

Multiple musical genres to explore.

Child-friendly interface with no third-party ads.

Teaches basic concepts of musical layering.

Tips

Building Your Band

Drag a character into the center of the screen to start their loop. Add more characters to layer the sound. To solo an instrument, tap on that character specifically.

Promotion Videos

Melody Jams (Melody Jams Inc.) - Best App For Kids - YouTube

News on this game

Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021) ⭐ 4.5 | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A rogue artificial intelligence kidnaps the son of famed basketball player LeBron James, who then has to work with the Looney Tunes to win a basketball game.

IMDb - Sat Oct 29 2016

Tune.FM wants to take on Spotify by using crypto to pay artists up to 100x more per stream

Tune.FM is a decentralized music streaming service where users pay for each song they stream using Tune.FM's crypto token JAM.

TechCrunch - Tue Oct 29 2024

LeBron James Joining Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem For Space Jam Launch

Starting July 16, LeBron James and the Tune Squad join mobile role-playing game Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem in celebration of Space Jam.

Screen Rant - Sun Aug 29 2021

CASETiFY Invites Fans to Join the Tune Squad with New "Space Jam: A New Legacy" Collection

HONG KONG and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating the return of everyone's favorite cartoon characters, CASETiFY is...

美通社 - Wed Sep 29 2021

This 'Infinity War' tune was the throwback jam of 2018

Hey y'all, prepare yourself for "Rubberband Man," the "Avengers: Infinity War" song we didn't know we needed.

Mashable - Tue Jan 29 2019

Baidu launches medical chatbot to help Chinese doctors diagnose patients

Baidu Doctor allows users to contact local doctors, book appointments, and ask questions, with the chatbot intended to speed up this process.

The Verge - Tue Nov 29 2016

Osmo announces its latest iPad mixed reality game for kids, combining coding principles with music

Integrating real-world objects into a fun iPad game is Osmo's brand; we reviewed the company's drawing game, Osmo Monster, last year.

9to5Mac - Thu Jun 29 2017

Space Jam x Candy Crush Crossover Coming This July

King and Warner Bros. are teaming up to take LeBron James and the Tune Squad's talents to Candy Crush Saga.

Collider - Thu Jul 29 2021

Space Jam (1996) ⭐ 6.5 | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Swackhammer, owner of the amusement park planet Moron Mountain is desperate get new attractions and he decides that the Looney Tune characters would be...

IMDb - Sun Mar 01 2015

Blockchain music startup Tune.fm raises $50M from Global Emerging Markets

Decentralized music streaming platform Tune.fm has a new investor. According to a Sept. 12 announcement, the protocol has received $50...

Cointelegraph - Tue Oct 29 2024

Gameplays

Scene Exploration

Switch between scenes to change the overall musical genre. The Garage scene is more rock-oriented, while the Space scene features ambient electronic sounds.