Fluid
Fluid (known in Japan as Depth) is a music video game developed by Opus and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It was initially released in Japan in December 1996 and in Europe in August 1998. The game's concept is an interactive sound lab which allows the player to create dance and electronic music.
Fluid
- Date
- 1996
- Publisher
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Genre
- music video game
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q5462699
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Fluid • Developer — Opus • Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment • Director — Jun Tsuda • Producer — Takayuki Suzuki • Programmer — Takaya Nakamura • Platforms — PlayStation • Genre — Music • Modes — Single-player
Gameplay
Gameplay
The player character, a dolphin, passes through several stages to unlock more sounds, including "Abyss Lair" and "Jungle Reef". Levels can be replayed and selected from the Silent Space, which contains twelve geometric shapes representing the levels "passed". The player starts in the first stage, "Peace," and continues through to "Abyss", and ten other levels. Each level contains its own sound set, which can be imported into other levels upon completion. The sounds can be utilized to create dance and electronic music in the "Groove Editor".
Groove Editor
Groove Editor
The "Groove Editor" allows for in-depth manipulation of collected samples. Several tracks can be mixed at once, with speed, pitch, frequency, and modulation controlled by a series of coloured crystals. Mixes can be saved to a memory card and then played during levels. Controlling the dolphin allowed the player to add improvisations during playback sessions, with frequency mapped to the up/down controls and modulation to the left/ right controls.
Reception
Oli Yarwood of Eurogamer appreciated the game for its surreal nature and soundtrack, comparing it positively to Harmonix's Frequency and Amplitude (also published by Sony).
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Fluid (video game), revision 1335129184 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Yarwood, Jack. Flashback: Remember Fluid? The Psychedelic Game About A Beat-Making Dolphin. Time Extension. 2022-09-14.
- 2.Nandemo, Yūko. 電撃PSソフトレビュー The Deeper. Dengeki PlayStation. MediaWorks. 36. December 27, 1996.
- 3.Noda, Sawadhi. New Game Cross Review. Weekly Famitsu. ASCII Corporation. 417. December 13, 1996.
- 4.Welsh, Oli. PS1 at 20: Fluid's symphony of drugs, dolphins and drum'n'bass. Eurogamer.net. 2015-10-02.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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