Tempo is a one-button rhythm game. Notes fall down a single lane toward the hit line, in time with a beat. Tap anywhere as each note crosses the line, and hold the long notes until their tail runs out. Every note plays the next step of a little melody, so a clean run sounds like a song. Misses, early let-gos and off-beat taps drain your groove meter; hits fill it back up. Each song is faster than the last, and when the groove runs dry the music stops. There's a new set of songs every day, with friends' ghosts bopping along beside the stage.
How to play Tempo
- Wait for the count-in, then watch the notes fall down the lane.
- Tap anywhere as a note reaches the line. Dead on the beat scores a PERFECT.
- Long notes have a tail: press as the head reaches the line and keep holding until the tail is gone.
- Missing notes, letting go too early or tapping when there's no note drains the groove meter. If it empties, the run ends.
Tips to get a high score
- Listen as much as you look. The kick drum lands on every beat, and most notes sit right on it.
- Don't mash: taps between notes cost groove.
- PERFECT hits refill more groove than ordinary hits, so steady timing pays off when the meter is low.
- Gold notes drop a coin when you hit them.
- Every six bars (24 beats) a new, faster song starts. The last songs are deliberately faster than anyone can keep up with, so the aim is to get further than last time.
How the songs speed up
Each song is six bars, or 24 beats, with a one-bar breather before the next. The first song runs at about 112 beats per minute and lasts around 13 seconds. After that it's roughly 129, 150, 180, 200, 225 and 257 BPM for songs two to seven, then 300 and beyond.
The charts fill in as well. Song one opens with two bars of plain on-beat notes. Songs two and three add quick sixteenth notes between beats, and from song eight on even more of the gaps between beats get a note.
Your timing window narrows over the first seven songs, from about 0.12 seconds either side of the beat to about 0.08. Notes also appear a little later each song, so you get less warning as the tempo rises.
Score versus groove
Your score is the number of notes you hit. A long note is worth two: one for pressing on time and one for holding to the end. A PERFECT scores the same as an ordinary hit.
Where PERFECT matters is the groove meter. A missed note drains about 17 percent of the meter early on, a bit more in each later song. A tap with no note nearby costs 8 percent and letting go of a long note early costs 10. A normal hit gives back 2.5 percent and a perfect gives 4.
So a single miss takes about seven ordinary hits, or four or five perfects, to earn back. The meter starts full, which gives you room for a few slips in the slow songs. Use those songs to bank a full meter with clean, centred hits before the tempo climbs.
Your combo and the gold notes don't add points either. Gold notes drop a coin, and the combo is there to show how long your streak is.
Holding the long notes
Long notes last one or two beats and always start on a beat. Press as the head reaches the line and keep holding. You can let go up to about a twelfth of a second before the tail ends without losing anything.
A quick tap on a long note scores the hit and then counts as an early let-go, so you gain one point but lose 10 percent groove. If you see a tail, commit to the hold.
The chart always leaves at least half a beat after a long note before the next one, so release as the tail clears and you'll be ready for the next press.
Daily levels and ghost races
Today's Tempo level is the same for everyone, and you race the ghosts of other players' runs. How daily levels and challenges work.
FAQ
Do I need sound on?
It helps a lot. The beat and the melody are generated in time with the notes, but you can play by sight alone.
Are the songs the same for everyone?
Yes. Each day's songs are written from that day's seed, so everyone plays the same charts and the ghosts you race hit the same notes.
Is it free?
Yes. Every Tapamine game is free to play in your browser with no download and no account.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. Tapamine is built for phones first: portrait, one thumb, and it works offline after your first visit. It also works with a mouse or the spacebar on a computer.
How do challenges work?
After a run, tap “Challenge a friend” to send a link. Your friend plays the exact same level and races your ghost — a replay of your run — to see who wins.
Add Tempo to your site
Tempo is free to embed on your blog, class page or website. Paste this code:
<iframe src="https://tapamine.com/embed/tempo/" title="Tempo: free one-tap game" width="360" height="640" style="border:0;border-radius:16px;max-width:100%" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; web-share" loading="lazy"></iframe>