A bangin' soundtrack, a killer setting, and a delicious visual style... Sounds like we've got a new indie favorite on our hands! All it needs to do is not have terrible, terrible gameplay that makes you clasp your forehead in frustration every time you get hit.
Ah dang it.
So, the game's main draw, as it boasts on its store page, is that it's a hack 'n' slash where the enemies all attack in time with the background music. The whole game's about musicians, so it's a fitting mechanic. However, it is not a mechanic that actually plays well in really any capacity.
Since the enemies attack in time with the music, all of your actions have to be out of time with the music in order to avoid them. It's pretty much the exact reverse of the satisfaction you get from playing a rhythm game. It's also not particularly helpful for knowing how to dodge incoming attacks since a) you've never heard the songs before and don't know when the notes are coming b) just because you know an attack is happening on a given note doesn't mean you know which attack or which part of the battlefield it's coming from and c) projectile attacks may be launched in time with the music but that's no guarantee they'll reach you in time with the music.
All in all, very unfun to actually play. Also I swear in the later levels the enemies just attack whenever and ignore the music entirely. Tie all that up with a deeply confused and unfocused story (are we rebelling against the EDM Empire because they only let people listen to EDM, because EDM doesn't power the city as well as Rock, or just because they're a bunch of snobby jerks? The answer seems to depend on which cutscene you're in at the moment) and what by all rights should be an instant classic becomes an instant clunker.
Okay sorry one final note: the rap battle sections suck. The music isn't even that good in those parts. WHEN YOU RAP YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ACTUALLY RAP TO THE MUSIC GUYS NOT JUST SAY SHIT WHILE MUSIC IS GOING IN THE BACKGROUND
Ah dang it.
So, the game's main draw, as it boasts on its store page, is that it's a hack 'n' slash where the enemies all attack in time with the background music. The whole game's about musicians, so it's a fitting mechanic. However, it is not a mechanic that actually plays well in really any capacity.
Since the enemies attack in time with the music, all of your actions have to be out of time with the music in order to avoid them. It's pretty much the exact reverse of the satisfaction you get from playing a rhythm game. It's also not particularly helpful for knowing how to dodge incoming attacks since a) you've never heard the songs before and don't know when the notes are coming b) just because you know an attack is happening on a given note doesn't mean you know which attack or which part of the battlefield it's coming from and c) projectile attacks may be launched in time with the music but that's no guarantee they'll reach you in time with the music.
All in all, very unfun to actually play. Also I swear in the later levels the enemies just attack whenever and ignore the music entirely. Tie all that up with a deeply confused and unfocused story (are we rebelling against the EDM Empire because they only let people listen to EDM, because EDM doesn't power the city as well as Rock, or just because they're a bunch of snobby jerks? The answer seems to depend on which cutscene you're in at the moment) and what by all rights should be an instant classic becomes an instant clunker.
Okay sorry one final note: the rap battle sections suck. The music isn't even that good in those parts. WHEN YOU RAP YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ACTUALLY RAP TO THE MUSIC GUYS NOT JUST SAY SHIT WHILE MUSIC IS GOING IN THE BACKGROUND