Noise Canceler

Noise Canceler is a rhythm game and slice-of-life youth drama about Milo, who is chosen to test APods, a new pair of wireless earbuds. Their AI, Shiri, recognizes the wearer’s emotions and generates songs in real time to match them. Captivated by the earbuds, Milo decides to confess to Sierra.

Story and episodes

The game has four chapters, each with 3–4 episodes, and each chapter tells an omnibus-style story centered on a different character. Every episode features one rhythm-game track. The soundtrack for each chapter uses genres that match its main character’s preferences:

• Chapter 1: EDM Rock.
• Chapter 2: Rock EDM.
• Chapter 3: Hip-hop.
• Chapter 4: J-POP.
• Chapter 5: Epic Orchestral.

Rhythm gameplay

You tap along to the music playing in both ears. For left and right directional input, the game recommends placing your index fingers on the F and J keys, respectively, to help align the sense of direction between your hands and ears.

APods and sound

The story centers on wireless earbuds and their Noise Canceling feature. The game presents soundscapes intended to resemble wearing wireless earbuds, including the use of Noise Canceling. The APods’ closed beta firmware may behave unstably: Noise Canceling and Ambient Sound modes can switch intermittently depending on the wearer’s emotions, and stronger emotions may cause more frequent problems. The audio range may narrow or widen with the wearer’s emotional range; reduced focus increases the power used for emotion recognition; and detecting emotional deficiency may temporarily destabilize the connection.