Buttonpress Indicator
From gameontology
These commonly appear in beat-based games like PaRappa the Rapper [NaNaOn-Sha, 1996], where players must match button presses (or floor-mat presses) to music. Buttonpress indicators tell players which buttons to press at a given point in the music's rhythm.
Examples
Strong example
PaRappa the Rapper [NaNaOn-Sha, 1996] provides a timeline along the top of the screen, overlaying the game's main view. The timeline contains icons representing PlayStation controller buttons. An icon of PaRappa's head traces through the timeline, providing players a visual representation of where they are in the music and what buttons they should prepare to press.
Part-Of
References
NaNaOn-Sha, developer. (1996). PaRappa the Rapper. SCEI, playstation edition.