Following a brief tease at E3 2014, Sony has officially announced that Vib-Ribbon will be coming to the PlayStation Network this week. The cult rhythm title will be available in North America, Canada, Latin America and Japan, with a release in Europe set for next week.
Originally released in 1999, Vib-Ribbon is a quirky rhythm based game that is perhaps best remembered more for its unique graphics than anything else. The title, which has previously only been available in Japan and Europe, allows users to create customized levels to play through by inserting their own music CDs.
SCEA president and CEO Shawn Layden spoke further on the reaction to the Vib-Ribbon tease at E3:
It was not my intention to rub salt in the Vib Ribbon wound, but to express my admiration for it as the genre-busting title it is and was. My mistake was that I had assumed that everyone who had been around in the original PlayStation era would have had their chance to play the game. I had forgotten that the American gamer was effectively denied the opportunity. To mention it at E3 was to delight some and to squirt lemon in the eyes of others. For this, I apologize. It was not my intent to dangle the delight of Vibri in front of those who longed for but could not have. It was to make a point about having the courage, and talent, to break the mold. To do what your heart demands. To me Vib Ribbon — well, to be honest, Nanaonsha for that matter — has always been committed to that ideal. An ideal I wish to celebrate.
As someone who read a ton of gaming magazines during the late 1990s and early 2000s, I have been interested in playing Vib-Ribbon ever since I first laid eyes on it. Of course, as a child, I was only interested in it due to how it looked, but now I just want to experience the sheer oddness of it.
Vib-Ribbon will be available on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita once it goes live on the PlayStation Network later today. While nothing has been confirmed yet, Layden also mentioned that they are trying get the title to the PlayStation 4 as well.
