In Amplitude, the player controls a ship (referred to as a "Beat Blaster") moving down a path of varying shapes and lengths, containing up to six tracks. Each
color-coded track corresponds to a different aspect of the song, such as percussion, synth, bass, or vocals, and contains a sequence of notes. As the player hits buttons corresponding to the note placement on the track, the notes activate a small portion of it. If the player successfully activates enough notes in sequence, the track is "captured" and the section will play automatically for a number of bars, freeing the player to capture another section.
Capturing sections also releases "sonic energy" that keeps the Beat Blaster in motion. The primary object of the game is to capture a sufficient amount of sections to reach the end of the song. If the player continually misses notes, the energy meter empties until the game is over.
There are several different powerups available to the player to make gameplay easier. Powerups are gained by activating a series of specially shaped and colored notes; they allow immediate capturing of tracks, doubling of points scored, slowing down the speed of play, and jumping into freestyle mode (which allows the player to riff to the music, gaining points without the difficulty of playing predefined tracks).
The player achieves a high score in the game by quickly moving from track to track without a break as each is completed, increasing a point multiplier. Tracks with more notes are worth more points, so choosing those over simple tracks is advantageous as well.
The game is structured as a series of levels, each containing a number of regular songs, a "boss" song, and a bonus song available when the player reaches a sufficient aggregate score for the level.
GAMEPLAY HINTS
Bonus song
Complete all songs, including the ones on "Insane" to unlock the hidden bonus song "Spaztik" by Cosmonaut Zero. Note: this song's tracks last twice as long as every other song.
FreQ with unlocked parts and skip the training
Choose the FreQ you unlocked the parts you wanted, create the new character, name it, and save. Your old character should not be deleted.
Halo
Unlock all bonus songs by getting the desired amount of points needed for each. After you unlock them all, complete them. You will now have Cousmonaut Zero's song In The Blast Lands. After you finish Cosmonaut Zero's song, you will unlock a halo for your FreQ.
Fast freestyle
If and when the freestyle line is straight and not meshy, hold Square and Right Analog-stick Right. If the freestyle line is blotchy and sprinkly, this will not work.
GLITCH
Fly into space
When your energy meter is red and has exclamation point and you are playing the bar that is keeping you alive, use a freestyle item before you finish that piece. You will fly out into space.