Rhythm Game

Experimental, Game Music

Rhythm Game Just Shapes & Beats Now Out for Nintendo Switch

June 1, 2018 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Rhythm Game Just Shapes & Beats Now Out for Nintendo Switch Share this

Publisher and developer Berzerk Studios have finally released their rhythm game Just Shapes & Beats for the Nintendo Switch and Steam, featuring a ton of chiptune and EDM artists including those from the VGM community. The game is exactly what is on the label; a fast-paced SHUMP featuring shapes (both you and your enemies) all moving to ridiculously speedy beats as you struggle to stay alive. (fyi, you won’t for very long in most cases)

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“Just Shapes & Beats” is a trippy couch-coop musical bullet-hell based on two simple things, there’s going to be Shapes, and some kick-ass beats, and you are going to die a lot. Wait, that’s three things, just go back and edit the first part to “three simple things” in your head.

The game won accolades at PAX East and South 2015 as well as Game Developer’s Conference 2015 for its simple entertainment as a rhythm game. It also features the musical talents of familiar faces in the chiptune and EDM scene, including Danimal Cannon and Zef, Big Giant Circles, Kubbi and more. There’s also teasing of additional tracks being added by more artists in the near future.

The game is currently on Steam for $17.99 and the Nintendo Store for $19.99. Check it out and be sure to tell us what you think!
Featured, Software

PAX East 2017 Preview: Klang

March 24, 2017 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on PAX East 2017 Preview: Klang Share this PAX East 2017 Preview: Klang

Our last game preview from PAX East 2017 is a rhythm platformer from developer Tinimations. Like the previous game that I previewed, Klang is a game that came out last year but was available on the show floor for us to try out. The game does some interesting things that I had not seen in a rhythm or platforming game before, so this game was an interesting discovery at the event. (more…)
Game Music

Challenging Rhythm Platformer, Klang, out now with Music by bLiNd

September 26, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Challenging Rhythm Platformer, Klang, out now with Music by bLiNd Share this

Did you love Crypt of the Necrodancer’s fusion of gameplay and music but wish the action was real time? If that sounds like it would make for a daunting experience, you’re not wrong! Klang, from one-man studio Tinimations, is available now on Steam for $14.99.

As Tinimations Tom-Ivar Arntzen explains it, “what makes Klang different from other rhythm games makes it challenging. Klang blends the variety of tasks players perform in action games with the timing challenges in rhythm games. The result is an immersive experience where players must pay attention to what they’re doing and the music they’re doing it to.”

<a href="http://music.blindhandicap.com/album/klang-soundtrack-sampler">Klang Soundtrack Sampler by bLiNd</a>

That music comes in the form of a 34-track score from game music remix veteran, bLiNd and is available to buy alongside the game for $7.99. There’s also a free 4-track sampler album on Bandcamp so you can get a taste of the larger soundtrack. While it probably makes for a harrowing experience in the game, all the music I’ve heard so far has been pleasantly danceable and not overwhelmingly hardcore as you might expect.

Take a listen to the free sampler album above and check out some gameplay footage inside. If Klang proves to be enticing you can grab the game and its soundtrack at a discount right now on Steam. Normally priced $14.99, Klang is 20% off through September 29th, as is the soundtrack.

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Chip Music, Indie Music

The Metronomicon adds Mega Ran, Plastic Guitars and Custom Dance Pads

July 13, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | 1 Comment Share this

Rhythm RPG, The Metronomicon has quite the news to celebrate today but if you — like me until 15 minutes ago — had never heard of it, here’s a quick primer. The Metronomicon combines rhythm games and RPGs in the same way Puzzle Quest infused Match 3 gameplay with combat and quests. Similar in style to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, you’re hitting colored notes as they fall down the screen. Instead of racking up points though, you’re building up abilities and buffs across 8 different characters to whittle away the Hit Points of fantastically nonsensical enemies. Winning battles and completing quests rewards you with gear and experience points to customize your team.

All of this is set to an expanding soundtrack of licensed songs from DJ Cutman, Perturbator, J-Punch, YACHT, Shiny Toy Guns and as of today, Mega Ran, whose track “Miss Communication” will be joining the setlist. Developer Puuba also announced today that your existing Rock Band and Guitar Hero guitars will be compatible with the game as well as custom-built dance pads coming from Precision Dance Pads.

Take a look at the latest devlog above to see the shiny new dance pads in action and hear Mega Ran vibin’ along to the game. The Metronomicon is launching later in 2016 with the help of Kasedo Games and will be making its next appearance at GamesCom in Germany next month. Expect an update with some more musical announcements around the show.
Miscellaneous, Software

Groove Planet Turns Your Music into a Clicker Game

March 13, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Groove Planet Turns Your Music into a Clicker Game Share this

I am not a fan of the increasingly crowded “clicker” genre but I am a sucker for games that tweak your music collection into gameplay. Those are the genres that Animoca’s Groove Planet straddles which is out now on Android after a successful launch on iOS this past December. It’s also free so there’s not a whole lot to dissuade you if you’re on the fence about another Clicker game or another your-music-is-the-game game.

Groove Planet is pleasant enough to look at with stylish and vibrantly colored structures that you place on the surface of a giant vinyl record planet. After a very brief tutorial you’ll start adding and upgrading those buildings which rapidly increase the number of notes (read: money) that are constantly being generated. Challenges motivate you to make specific upgrades and watching an ad or two rewards you with temporary boosts to Note production. It’s all very typical Clicker stuff with exponentially expensive upgrades requiring more taps to refill your coffers.

This is where the music game aspect comes in. Like other Clickers you can tap the screen as wildly as you like and watch a few Notes add to your pocket or you can tap along to the beat of the song and start building up a combo. Naturally, the combo multiplies the amount of notes to wild degrees as long as you can keep it going. The beat matching seems a little off at times but there’s no penalty to missing other than starting your combo over again. It’s nice to purposefully go off the beat and tap along to a drum roll and not feel punished for a little freestyling. A couple other nice touches include the skyline that changes color based on the chord of the chosen song and the Key of the song appearing on your main base tower (if the game can figure it out). They even pop up little tips on the “mood” of different chords.

As a music player Groove Planet is a little lacking. You can only browse a big dumb list of all the music on your device and there’s no way to limit the search to artist, track or album. Artwork is also mostly broken for me but the songs do start playing right away. Whatever beat analysis that’s going on happens very quickly which is appreciated. You can also use it as a music visualizer if you’d like. After 20 seconds of inactivity the menus fade out and your planet begins to spin, subtly reacting to the music as buildings animate and characters scurry around.

If you’re the kind who loves watching profits skyrocket into the octillions or if you just like to tap along to your favorite songs Groove Planet is worth a shot. It’s made for a decent little mindless diversion while listening to music and it’s free afterall. Grab it for yourself on the Google Play Store or the iTunes Store.
Game Music

Wailing Heights Trailer Shows You how to be a Deadbeat

January 28, 2016 | Shawn Sackenheim | 1 Comment Share this

It’s been a while since I first posted about Wailing Heights, a macabre musical adventure game from Outsider Games. Since their reveal announcement back in September the team has moved into the Top 30 on Steam Greenlight. To celebrate the game’s ongoing coverage and positive reaction they’ve released a new trailer featuring the 60’s stylings of The Deadbeats.

The Deadbeats are the world renowned band that Frances Finklestein to manage back when he had a body. In the land of Wailing Heights he finds himself doing the “body-hop” to jump from hipster vampire to Motown zombie, all in the search for a way to reunite with his body.
Game Music, Indie Music

Macabre Musical Adventure Game Wailing Heights Announced

September 24, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Macabre Musical Adventure Game Wailing Heights Announced Share this

I don’t normally go for point and click adventure games but Wailing Heights is combining a lot of stuff I like. Graphic novel styled artwork, a monster village filled with vegan werewolves and hipster vampires, and the promise of a musical adventure in both gameplay and story.

You wake up in Wailing Heights’ prison as Frances Finklestein, former manager of the greatest 60’s rock band, and have to find a way to escape this purgatory. You’re quickly introduced to the “body-hop”, a musical mechanic that lets you jump between characters and escape your cell, but you still have to find a way to free your own body. Given that this is an adventure game it’s not going to be as easy as simply finding a key.

Exploring the Heights, interacting with characters and “borrowing” their unique abilities, you’ll explore a story created by Kevin Beimers (Hector: Badge of Carnage, Schrodinger’s Cat) realized through that gorgeous comic art style. But the music, critical as it is to the experience, is still a bit of a mystery. You can get an idea of the vibe they’re going for in the announcement trailer above but exactly how it all figures into the gameplay is still a secret. It sounds great, though, and very much a unique soundtrack for an adventure game if it holds to this style.

Hopefully much more will be seen (and heard) from Wailing Heights at the upcoming EGX show in the UK where Outsider Games will be showing it off for the first time.