Arcadópolis
Happy Sisyphus
Happy Sisyphus: free online rhythm and piano game
Happy Sisyphus is a free rhythm and piano game that runs in your browser, with nothing to download. Notes slide down a track and you play each one right as it reaches the line; meanwhile, a pixel-art Sisyphus pushes his rock uphill, and every mistake makes it slip.
There are two modes. In Classic, every lane is a real note, played with the key shown below it, a MIDI keyboard or a tap. In Realistic, the track becomes a piano roll over real keys, for the right hand, the left or both. Only at 100% accuracy does the rock stay on the summit.
It’s one of the 51 games in the Arcadópolis Games folder.
Free, no ads, nothing to install.
Install Happy Sisyphus on its own on your home screen
What it has
- 12 public-domain classical melodies, from Mozart and Beethoven to Grieg and Bach, plus 8 scales and 7 modes.
- Melodies in four difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert), tempo at 60, 80 or 100%, and slow, normal or fast falling notes.
- Realistic mode for 49, 61, 76 or 88-key keyboards; if you play one hand, Arcadópolis plays the other.
- In Classic, Practice stops each note on the line until you play it.
- Timing calibration, metronome, a record for each melody and downloads as MIDI or audio, with both hands.
How to play
- Open the Games folder and tap Happy Sisyphus.
- Pick a melody under Classics, Scales, Modes or Yours, and the mode: Classic or Realistic.
- Press “Start” and play each note right as it reaches the line.
- If every note counts and there are no extra ones, Sisyphus leaves the rock on the summit; if not, it rolls back down.
What counts for the summit
Perfect (within ±40 milliseconds of the note) is worth 100 points and Good (within ±90), 60; both count. Close (within ±140) gives 15 points but doesn’t count, just like a miss or an extra note, so at 99% the rock rolls back. With 10, 20 and 30 notes in a row without a miss, points are worth double, triple and quadruple. Timing uses the clock of the audio you hear, not the screen’s frames, and at the end the game tells you how late or early you played on average.
Why Sisyphus, and why happy?
In the Greek myth, Sisyphus was condemned to push a rock to the top of a hill only to watch it roll back down, again and again. The writer Albert Camus ended his essay about him with a famous line, “One must imagine Sisyphus happy”, and the game reminds you of it when you reach the top. Under the Yours tab you can also play your melody of the day from Eight Notes.
Common questions
Do I need a MIDI keyboard?
No. In Classic you play with the computer keys shown under each lane or by tapping the screen, and in Realistic two rows of your keyboard (Z to M and Q to U) are two piano octaves; the arrow keys change octave. With a MIDI keyboard, every melody fits on 49 keys.
Why are my notes late?
It’s usually wireless headphones or a slow touch screen. In “Timing offset › Calibrate” you tap along with 12 clicks and the game saves your offset; you can also fine-tune it by hand, from −150 to +300 milliseconds.
Does it help to learn piano?
It helps you practice. Realistic mode shows the notes on real keys, with each hand separately, and the classical melodies come with a simple left-hand part. You can drop the tempo to 60% and, in Classic, use Practice before going for the summit.
Also in Arcadópolis
Piano FootballYou’re the goalkeeper: save every shot by playing its note on time on a 32-key piano, with a MIDI keyboard, your computer or the screen.
Melody EchoA musical memory game with 19 public-domain melodies; also as an online duel.
Eight NotesThe daily music challenge: everyone gets the same eight notes to compose a 16-step melody and share it.
Arcadópolis has 66 more apps on the same desktop: games, music, a 3D museum and a 3D library.