The world outside is messy, loud, and oppressive. Everything morphs into edges that you can easily get snagged on, but inside Lo-Fi Room, you can find momentary respite from the chaos of it all. Here, you can close your eyes, sink yourself into your soft beats, and smile. Here, you are safe.

In a nutshell, this, to me, is the whole appeal of Lo-Fi Room. Scheduled for release in late 2021, this relaxing game from Bearmask tasks you with finding hidden musical instruments littered across different scenes per level, then tests your musical prowess with timed beats. Each musical instrument you find unlocks a music track, in which you have to hit the right button to complete the beat.

Each level indicates how many instruments you need to find (and, in essence, how many tracks you need to successfully sync your own personal rhythm to). When you find all the musical instruments and complete the tracks, you can bask in the glory of your achievement and listen to the full music, with the scene coming alive to your newly formed beat ala-GIF style.

While rhythm games have been around for a really long time, Lo-Fi Room isnt just another Dance Dance Revolution, Rock Band, or Guitar Hero. On the contrary, it doesnt make you feel like you need to get all hopped up on adrenaline just so you can get your groove on. In Lo-Fi Room, its all about chilling out and staying mellow, because isnt that what lo-fi is all about?

As for the controls, theyre pretty basic - all you really have to do is time your taps just right to hit the notes when prompted. There are four keys, and while some tracks are easy one-two beats, some can get pretty complicated, and youll need to bust out your hand-eye coordination skills to really get things going. Some have short durations that are easy to hit, but for some, youll need to hit every single note for a longer period of time - one wrong key and youll have to start all over again.

Still, if you feel like you dont have the chops to hit the notes, dont fret - the game can be pretty forgiving if you tap the keys at almost the right time. Even if you hit the keys relatively near where youre supposed to, the game counts that as a successful tap, so youre really not going to rage-quit from frustration. After all, lo-fi should calm you down to the deepest recesses of your soul - not send you off into a fiery rampage.

If you dont feel like timing your keys to someone elses rhythm, you can make your own music in the games Make Beats mode. Here, you can take your pick from all the different musical instruments available and create your own lo-fi beats. Each instrument will also have four keys, so play along as you please. Im not really too musically inclined, but at the end of the day, I personally found this feature even more relaxing than the Story Mode, if thats even possible.

Currently, there will be 15-20 levels with increasing difficulty as planned when the final version of the game comes out. Its obviously not meant to be played in a single go - I personally think you can enjoy the game best when you sit down and play through just a level or two with every session. Its the perfect way to de-stress when youre feeling overwhelmed with the world around you, especially with the aesthetically pleasing art thats as low-key and calming as the beats that surround it.

Overall, Lo-Fi Room lets you find your chill by perfectly encapsulating what lo-fi is. If you want to give it a try and see if its your cup of tea, you can check out the first three levels for free over at the official website. Then, cuddle up in a cozy blanket with a furry fuzzball by your side and youre good to go.

Heres hoping the game hits its target release date - because if theres even any teeny tiny way the world can unwind right now, well definitely take it.

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Lo-Fi Room preview - Chill to the beat of this relaxing rhythm game - Pocket Gamer