It is with childish enthusiasm that I get to announce that BeatNiks is now available on iTunes and Google Play. “What is BeatNiks?” you might ask, envisioning berets and Greenwich village and lots of snapping. BeatNiks is actually a game, a musical monster pet game, right on your phone or tablet. It’s the coolest thing to hit phones since they added cameras (seriously, do you remember when phones didn’t have cameras?) Also, BeatNiks is free to download, so if you read no further because you’re too busy downloading it, that’s acceptable. My feelings won’t be hurt.

Download on the App Store | Download on Google Play

But for those of you curious souls who want to know more, here it is: BeatNiks is a mobile game in which you create, care for, and evolve your own unique monster. That means feeding it, bathing it, playing with it, putting clothes on it that range from adorable to absurd, decorating its home, even washing the walls if it draws on them because you left it alone too long. Don’t panic if that sounds like way too much responsibility because you can’t even keep an indoor plant alive: the affable Prof. Science will help you along and make sure you don’t leave your BeatNik in the microwave too long. (Note: Everything said in this paragraph is actually in the game.)

“Why a pet game?” some of you are still asking. “Aren’t you a music-game studio?” Why yes, we are. And music beats at the heart of BeatNiks too. You’ll begin your life as a monster-parent by composing your own little jingle, from which your BeatNik’s DNA is determined. From there, music will infuse nearly everything you do. Play your own music in game and watch the world come alive. Keep your fingers tapping with a mini-game. Dress your BeatNik in genre-themed accessories that you’ll unlock by listening to music. Or just listen to the 5 songs we give you over and over and dress them to look like delicious food, it’s really up to you.

That’s right, you close reader, I did mention that BeatNiks comes with five songs in case you aren’t someone who keeps a bunch of music on their phone. Those five songs are by five awesome bands:

• “Brookline Lunch” by RSVIP
• “Get Our Kicks” by Jeff Allen
• “Necromental” by Arctic Horror
• “Receivers” by Famous Kids
• “Summer” by Opal Puckett

Or perhaps you use a music streaming service instead? You can still get credit for music you listen to through supported music listening services, even when you’re not playing the game! You can get all the details for that nifty set-up right here*. You won’t be able to use streaming music in mini-games, but you’ll still be able to help your BeatNik level up faster and unlock those genre accessories!

BeatNiks is so much more than a music game, though. It’s a game about love, and companionship, and loyalty, beautiful art, and a really quirky sense of humor. It’s about your music, your BeatNik, your personal experience, but also being part of something bigger. BeatNiks are a new form of life, and one we must cherish and study closely to be able in time to fully understand. They’ve made the attempt to learn our language (and they use that language to talk… a lot) so it’s our duty to love and care for this precious species and ensure their survival. Because they don’t even know how to eat without you around. That’s how much they need you.

Ok, just download it, and tweet a screenshot @BeatNiksGame if the toilet is not the first piece of furniture you buy.

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