Rhythm games usually live in your ears, but SURI: The Seventh Note wants to live in your palms too. Pre-orders have been open since Monday, 28 September 2026, and the game is scheduled to launch on 30 October for PlayStation 5 (PS5) and PC via Steam. At US$19.99 for the Standard Edition, it’s a cheap way for Singapore players to find out whether a controller can make music feel physical.
It’s the debut game from Tathvamasi Studios, an independent developer based in Bengaluru, India. The studio built it with support from the PlayStation India Hero Project, Sony’s programme for backing Indian game developers, and the PS5 version gets the fullest treatment. The studio’s own Rhythm Haptics Engine turns every track into vibrations on the DualSense controller, so you hear the beat, see it on screen and feel it in your hands as you play.
Two Editions, One Sneaky Bargain
- Standard Edition (US$19.99 RRP): the base game.
- Digital Deluxe Edition (US$24.99 RRP): the base game, the Exclusive Chandini Skin, access to upcoming DLC (downloadable content), and three days of early access from 27 October 2026.
PS5 pre-orders on either edition come with a 20% discount, but Steam buyers pay the listed price. Do the maths and the Deluxe Edition comes to roughly US$19.99 on a PS5 pre-order, which matches the Standard Edition’s full price. Tathvamasi says the Chandini Skin won’t be sold separately, so anyone who wants it has to commit now rather than regret it later.
A Controller That Plays Along
Haptics are the fine vibrations a controller uses to mimic touch, and Tathvamasi designed its engine around the DualSense’s haptic feedback. The studio says the effect runs “from the flow of a soft melody to the impact of a corrupted downbeat”. In a platformer where timing decides whether you land a jump, feeling the cue in your hands could be the difference between guessing when to leap and knowing when to leap.
PC players get haptics as well, though Tathvamasi says it has enhanced the PS5 release for the DualSense. Glen Martin, the studio’s CEO and the game’s director, said in late 2025 that the founders grew up playing on PlayStation consoles and wanted their first game on the machines that shaped their childhoods. That’s a sentimental reason, and a practical one when the controller carries half the experience.
The accessibility angle deserves the loudest drum roll. Jitin David, the game’s music and audio director, explained in a November 2025 interview that the vibrations are driven by the music’s groove and controlled by the audio signal itself. That means players who can’t use the sound, including those who are fully or partially deaf, can still anticipate the rhythm through the controller. A rhythm game you can follow without hearing the rhythm is the most interesting thing about SURI.
The Musicians Behind the Beat
Before he shaped how SURI sounds and feels, David played with Mushroom Lake, an instrumental post-rock band from Bengaluru and Thrissur. That background suits a game where the soundtrack effectively sets the controls, and composer Finny Kurian worked on the score alongside him.
Their percussion list reads like a world tour, with the elathaalam (small hand cymbals from Kerala) and the idakka (an hourglass-shaped drum) sitting next to roto toms, floor toms, taikos, shakers, and finger bells. Each of those hits with a different weight, so the rumble in your palms should shift with them. That’s a far richer palette than the usual synth kick drum!
Ajira’s Race Against the Rhythm
You play as Ajira, a brave girl racing against time to save her mother from a mysterious illness. Her only hope is a magical fruit hidden deep inside an island torn apart by a corrupting rhythm. To reach it, you master the beat, channel its power, and fight back through a world that shifts and reacts to every note.
The art draws on Indian traditions, from Rajput forts to the ritual performance art of Theyyam, and that choice deserves a spotlight. After decades of fantasy castles borrowed from Europe, an island shaped by Indian architecture feels refreshing, and it gives players a setting they rarely get to explore in a platformer.
“After nearly three years SURI has gone from an idea in our heads to a fully-realised game for the PS5 and PC,” Martin says. “It’s our first game and we wouldn’t be here without the gracious support of PlayStation India Hero Project. We had a blast making it, now it’s your turn to feel the rhythm.”
That closing line doubles as the game’s entire sales pitch, and the quickest way to test it before 30 October costs nothing at all.
Try the Demo Before You Pay
A free demo of SURI is on the PlayStation Store, and it’s the best argument for spending ten minutes with the demo before spending any money. You’ll find out quickly whether rhythm-based platforming clicks for you, and whether the vibrations sharpen your timing or distract from it.
Footage of the demo from May shows the haptics can be tuned in the options menu, so experiment with that setting before judging. No critic reviews are out yet, which leaves the demo as the most useful evidence until launch week.
For most players, the Standard Edition on PS5 is the smart buy, since the 20% pre-order discount applies to the full haptic version. The Deluxe Edition only earns its extra cost if you want to start on 27 October or love collecting skins, because paying for DLC that nobody has detailed yet is a gamble, even a small one.
Steam players still get haptics, but anyone who owns both a PS5 and a gaming PC should pick the PlayStation version, since that’s the one the engine was built around. The trailer below shows the platforming in motion.
🗓️ Release Date: Friday, 30 October 2026 (scheduled)
⏩ Early Access: From Tuesday, 27 October 2026 (Digital Deluxe Edition only)
🎮 Platforms: PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam
💰 Standard Edition: US$19.99 RRP
💎 Digital Deluxe Edition: US$24.99 RRP, with the Exclusive Chandini Skin, upcoming DLC access, and three-day early access
🏷️ Pre-Order Discount: 20% off both editions, PS5 only, from 28 September 2026
🕹️ Try It First: Free demo on the PlayStation Store
A debut from a Bengaluru studio, a score built on idakka and taiko drums, and a controller that lets players who can’t hear the music still follow it: SURI is worth a look even if rhythm games aren’t usually your thing. Download the demo and catch the gameplay trailer. If the beat lands in your palms the way Tathvamasi promises, pre-order on PS5 to lock in that 20% discount, or wishlist SURI: The Seventh Note on Steam before it arrives on 30 October!
Visuals courtesy of Tathvamasi Studios.
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