Last Updated on Jul 2, 2026 @ 17:00:50 PM.
Recently, I had the opportunity to try out the brand-new debut indie title Lassen’s Loop from the veteran video game developer Jake Simpson and TNB Games, which has been created as a tribute to composer Justin Lassen, who was a friend to Jake Simpson, that allows players to create music using various instruments, 8-second clip cards composed by real musicians, and so many more tools in order to make their own music!
During my time with Lassen’s Loop, I have spent my time working with the numerous different clip cards that are available to me at the time to create different tunes, both in the free play mode that is available and even in the challenge mode that encourages me to try and create music with certain criteria.
Lassen’s Loop is a Peaceful Game That Lets Creativity Flow Freely
As I said above, the main goal within Lassen’s Loop is pretty simple: the player is provided with various clip cards from numerous different genres of music, whether it be country, rock, pop, K-pop, or many more. Along with these clip cards, players are even able to select the instrument they are using, the tone of said instrument, the pace they play at, and even combine them to create sweet music.
This aim is made simple by the incredibly easy-to-use gameplay mechanics within Lassen’s Loop that aid you in creating music from scratch as you combine various sounds to compose your own piece of art that you own once you finish it.
What made Lassen’s Loop enjoyable for me was how I didn’t need to know a lot when it came to making music, as the game has a very in-depth tutorial that helps to explain how the game works, what you can do as a composer in order to create unique music, and even how you can save your music to your PC once you are done.
For people like me who are not very skilled in creating music or have never even attempted to do so, Lassen’s Loop is a wonderful introductory tool in a sense, as well as a game, as it allows the player to be creative in their own way. One example of this was that I wanted to create a fantasy theme, as I am a rather big fan of the Fantasy genre, but there weren’t a large number of clip cards that fit into the category in my mind.
However, this wasn’t a problem, as even though the clip cards tend to have set instruments to showcase an example of the music you are choosing, you are able to change the instrument that is being used, so even though I was using music that was showcased through an electric guitar, I altered it to use a violin instead, or instead of a drum, I changed it to a piano and so on.
A big problem I found during my time with the game, however, is that when I saved the song I had created to my PC or sometimes played it back within the game, there were unfortunate sound glitches like scratching and screeching, which ruined the songs I had created.
For me, this was just the tip of the iceberg in how the game allowed me to be creative in a fun way, as it wasn’t overly complicated when using the clip cards, especially after going through the tutorial, but there were moments in which I had to struggle with the mouse in order to select what I wanted in order to delete it, as it wasn’t overly clear, but that aside, a majority of the game played well with enough instructions from the tutorial to help me jump into action to create amazing music.
Lassen’s Loop’s Music Tools May be Fun to Use, But They Will Hurt Your Bank or Take Numerous Composing Hours to Collect
Throughout Lassen’s Loop, the player is able to use all kinds of musical compositions in the form of clip cards to create their music however they see fit, but what struck me the most regarding these clip cards was how expensive they were to acquire, along with how many clip cards were available just at release, let alone with future updates coming.
Within Lassen’s Loop, the player upon starting has access to over 100 clip cards from plenty of genres, allowing for all sorts of unique mash-ups and creations to be set free upon the world, but for those who are looking to expand their horizons, there is the option to purchase microtransactions for even more clip cards from a story within Lassen’s Loop; however, these bundles have a rather high price tag depending on what you look at and how you purchase them.
The only saving grace regarding these microtransactions is that they are not simply paid for through your bank account either, as there is an opportunity to earn currency within the game by voting on players’ music and your music being voted on as well, but due to this being an early copy of the game, I wasn’t able to fully see how this system would work or what the payout could be.
However, for those who are just starting in Lassen’s Loop and are just looking to expand their clip card catalog a little bit, they are able to purchase a small bundle of random songs that comes out quite cheaply at 300 coins, which you can purchase for £2, which provides 450 coins, with some coins left over after your purchase. This may sound great at first, but the music the player gets from this bundle is entirely random, so out of 3,500 clip cards, you could acquire a bunch of clip cards you may never use or want.
This bundle may be good for those who are dipping in and out of Lassen’s Loop and who aren’t overly looking to spend a lot of money on the game, but for those who are looking to dive deep into the game and enjoy all that there is to offer, prepare yourself for a hefty bill or long-term hours.
There are a few different options for players who want to collect all they can within Lassen’s Loop in terms of its clip cards. You can either purchase the various packs, which range from 300 to 800 in-game coins, roughly charging between £2 for 450 coins or £3 for 800 coins, or you could go big and purchase one of the all-or-nothing packs. One of them allows you to purchase all of the clip cards available at that time for permanent use, which costs 100,000 coins or roughly £200 if you buy 10,000 coin bundles at £20 a pop, or you can purchase a bundle that allows you to gain access to all the clip cards within the game from now on and future updates, but they have limited uses, again costing 100,000 coins.
For me, this was a big eye-opener for Lassen’s Loop, as I thoroughly enjoyed playing with the various clip cards and wanted to look at how to gather more, so having to either resort to purchasing coins or voting on numerous other players’ work and hoping for a decent payout was something I just couldn’t get on board with. These aren’t the only microtransactions in the game either, as the player is also able to purchase themes for the game’s overlay and visualizers, which can be used to visualize their music when it is being played, with both of these being at a more reasonable price of 6,000 coins each, allowing the player to acquire all themes and visualizers for all time.
Lassen’s Loop
Summary
Over the course of my time playing Lassen’s Loop, I was able to enjoy a lot of the gameplay features that were involved, as it gave me a nice appreciation for how music is created and allowed me to see a new side to music in general.
In terms of the gameplay, it was very simple to grasp thanks to the tutorial, and it was very fun to create my own music, but when it came to actually playing the music back, I was sadly disappointed by how it played back with distortions and crackling.
Although the gameplay was fun and the challenges were interesting, I was very limited by what I had at the start, leading me to look towards gaining more cards, and I was slightly disappointed when I saw the microtransactions that were placed within the game.
The only saving grace regarding this was that coins can be earned within the game, so earning new clip cards won’t be a challenge, but during my time with the review version, it was quite annoying to see I wouldn’t be able to get coins unless I liked other people’s music.
HOURS PLAYED: 2
PLAYED ON: PC
- Gameplay was a lot of fun and helped introduce me to the world of creating music.
- Gameplay was simple and easy to pick up thanks to an in-depth tutorial.
- Plenty of clip cards to use.
- Music was very glitchy with new issues.
- Gaining clip cards is a challenge
- Microtransactions and bundles are highly priced requiring a big payout or lots of voting.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our recent interview with the developer behind The Last Portrait, or check out our article regarding the lack of multiplayer within Screenbound.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
