Ludography
80/100
Players1 rating
80/100
Critics2 reviews
More scores
Metacritic6 critic reviews
90/100
Metacritic usersuser score
66/100
GameFAQsJust Right
4.06/5
Player reviews
96% positive222 reviews
Runs on
Windows, Mac, Linux
Price
US$4.99

Where to get it

Tadpole Treble cover

2016 · Adventure · Arcade

Tadpole Treble

Nintendo console exclusive

Embark on a thrilling adventure through sheet music in Tadpole Treble! Escape predatory piranhas, flirtatious tadpoles and more as you make your way back home. Shoot for the top of the leaderboards, or create your own stages and music in Composition Mode!

Released
11 August 2016
Platforms
LinuxWii UWindowsmacOS
Genres
AdventureArcadeIndieRhythm
Developers
—
Publishers
—
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Side view
Themes
Action
Age ratings
ESRB E
Languages
English
Time to beat
2hmain story17hcompletionist

About

Tadpole Treble is a rhythm game developed by BitFinity. The game was funded through a Kickstarter campaign and was released on Steam for Linux, Microsoft Windows and OS X on September 2, 2016 and for the Wii U on August 11, 2016. A port of the game was released for the Nintendo Switch as Tadpole Treble Encore on January 21, 2021, which features slight changes and new content.

The player controls a newly hatched tadpole and must navigate throughout levels resembling sheet music staves. The art and music of the game was created by Matthew Taranto, the writer and artist of webcomic Brawl in the Family.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Each stage of Tadpole Treble takes place on a sheet music staff, where the player can alternate between the horizontal lines to avoid obstacles and score points. The player moves at a constant pace throughout the level and has the ability to interact with stage elements using a "kick" which can increase the total score when timed well. Players can also use a level editor to make their own levels which can be shared with other players using QR codes. This feature was removed from the Switch version of the game.

Reception

Tadpole Treble received mostly positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Metacritic, Tadpole Treble received a score of 82/100 for the Nintendo Switch release, 90/100 for the PC release, and 85/100 for the Wii U release. Critics praised the game's art style, simplicity and soundtrack.

Kevin McClusky of Destructoid rated the game 8/10, writing that, despite some bugs, "[Tadpole Treble] a simple game, but it does exactly what it sets out to do and it has a cute, clean aesthetic that serves it well." Writing for Nintendo Life following the release of Tadpole Treble Encore, Mitch Vogel criticized the relatively short length of the game and the removal of the level sharing feature, but praised the "cosy and friendly atmosphere" of the game.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Windows6 May 2016North America · Worldwide 3 September 2016
Wii U11 August 2016Worldwide · North America 11 August 2016
macOS3 September 2016Worldwide
Linux3 September 2016Worldwide

Editions and related releases

Ported as
Tadpole Treble Encore
Built on it
Tadpole Treble Encore

Games like this

Collections1 collection

Platform libraries

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.