I've been working on a rhythm game idea for a long time. The core concept is treating a game controller like a musical instrument and playing songs using real imported MIDI data.  
  
For years I tried prototyping my own real-time MIDI playback system in Unity. I got parts of it working, but it was always fragile -- timing issues, edge cases with tempo changes, weird note behavior, etc.  
  
Eventually I swallowed my pride and tried using an existing asset (Maestro MIDI Player Toolkit Pro) instead of building everything myself.  
  
That was the turning point.  
  
Once MIDI playback was stable, I could finally focus on the actual game design instead of constantly fighting the tech. A year later the project is now in Early Access and has started building a small community.  
  
If there’s a lesson here for other developers (especially solo devs like me):  
  
You don’t have to reinvent every system yourself.  
  
Sometimes the fastest way to make progress is to stand on tools other people have already built and focus your effort on the parts that make your project unique.  
  
P.S. Those versed in older (2000s era) games might be able to pick up on the inspiration for this one :p

P.P.S. Happy to answer any questions about the game or the systems at play technical or otherwise!

I made a controller-as-instrument rhythm game in Unity. I couldn't have done it without the help of third-party assets