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

I actually played this game all the way through (well, I played about half of it and my brother played the other half while I was watching) and while it's never good, it's also never boring. Every level is different, like often becoming a completely different type of game, so the desire to see all the nonsense the game contained drove us to play to the very end.

However, as mentioned previously, none of the levels are good. Even the conceptually interesting ones control horribly and have that older-video-game problem of sudden and infuriating difficulty spikes.

In summary: Malcolm would like to get off Mr. Bones' Wild Ride.

(NOTE: Haven't finished the game at time of writing)

I have a bit of a cycle with this game. I play it, love it, then for whatever reason stop playing for a while. During that time, I talk to my friends about it. They give some criticisms about the design, like that exploring isn't as interesting when you already know the map or that the Zonai devices aren't balanced very well. I nod along, legitimately agreeing with these criticisms and feeling they are well-deserved. I pick the game back up with these criticisms in mind, and within minutes I'm thinking "Holy shit those guys are crazy this is the greatest game ever made."

There ARE many valid complaints to be made of this game, just as there were for Breath of the Wild. There are even flaws still present from BotW that really should've been fixed. But none of that changes the fact that the creativity, wonder, and charm of this adventure soar high above any other game I've ever played.

I had two main thoughts after playing this game:

1. This game is really easy

2. I wish the "battle" aspect of the theming actually had any mechanical relevance.

The songs are catchy and I won't deny that there's something compelling about framing the songs as "battles," but at the meat of it it's just a very simple and, again, VERY easy rhythm game. Meh.