[REVIEW] Rush Bros.

Marcus Estrada 
(PC [REVIEWED])

Rhythm games have seen awesome resurgences over time. Initially, rhythm and music games were all about hitting some sort of button in time with the music. Even more modern successes, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band, capitalized on the simple formula. In the last decade, though, we’ve seen developers trying to create new ways to interact with music. Titles such as Audiosurf, Beat Hazard, and the Bit.Trip series have shown that rhythm can be infused into a multitude of genres.

Rush Bros. is one such attempt to create a musical platformer. In the game, players assume the role of one of two DJ brothers. They’ve involved themselves in a contest to see which sibling can complete levels first, which means your main goal is to finish each area as quickly as possible. Thankfully, unlike some other timed games, you can never run out of time. It is on you to whittle away times to climb the leaderboards.

Aside from the introduction, there’s no focus on story. It just seems to exist to explain why your characters are DJs and why the game revolves around music. Songs are integral to each level, but not in any way that rhythm/music fans may be accustomed to. Each level always retains its shape and is therefore not randomized. The only facets that change are moving elements which tend to be platforms, sound waves, or a variety of objects that will kill you instantly.

These aren’t enemies, as they can’t follow you around the level. Instead they’re relegated to pendulums, spikes protruding from walls, lasers, and a few other things. You might think it would be easy to avoid static parts of the environment, but you’d be wrong. It will become a very common event to misjudge a jump, or time movements wrong. Objects move to the beat of the music pretty accurately, but this causes trouble when a song ends — as the objects cease movement temporarily.

A rhythm game lives or dies by its music and, thankfully, Rush Bros. has a nice soundtrack. The included songs come provided by electronica group Infected Mushroom. Their tracks sound great, but are basically all of one genre. Those who have grown accustomed to games with more eclectic soundtracks may at first be disappointed. At least, until they realize that you can also fill the game with your own MP3 or OGG files.

Users can simply point the game to their music directory of choice and have the songs fed into the game. It syncs well with most songs, fast or slow, and still manages to keep obstacles fair. For example, blasting a song with 300+ BPM will not cause the obstacles to move at a blistering pace, even though the song is incredibly lively. There is no limit to the amount of tracks that can be added to the game.

The only problem with this is that there is little explanation as to how to do it. The whole song interface is fairly weird and leaves users having to figure it out themselves. For example, the same song may play time and time again until you realize you can switch it to something else from the level select menu. When using your own music, larger libraries are a pain to manage due to lack of control. You can’t sort through multiple folders. Instead, you can simply click through each and every track one at a time until you hopefully stumble upon the one you want to try. Also, every time you start the game up it will revert back to the official soundtrack rather than the ones you have selected from your own library.

The game feels a lot like the “harder” platformers that indie developers seem to be so fond of. Players can jump, cling to, and slide down walls, as well as collect two temporary power ups. These include the ability to double jump and run faster. About half the levels aren’t too hard, but others turn out to be fairly puzzling. Many levels involve finding keys to open doors, and sometimes these are hidden well off in the distance. Overall, the game should give you three to five hours of play through every level.

Also included in Rush Bros. are local and online multiplayer modes. Local is handled via split screen and has you racing through a level against the other player. It’s basically the same as the main game, except that you’ll be more driven to finish levels expediently. Unfortunately, the online multiplayer mode seems deserted so soon after launch. I tried to both host and join into games at multiple times during the day and routinely came up empty. The only way you’re likely to play a match online is to make sure a buddy has a copy, too. Once you’re in a game, however, it becomes just as fun as local co-op mode. Unfortunately, players can’t share custom music in this mode and will each hear their own respective track during play. This could lead to advantages/disadvantages for one player as each stage’s obstacles are synced with their specific music.

Rush Bros. is an interesting concept that is executed well, but without the level of polish that some may expect. After all, rhythm and music games have grown tremendously since their inception. If you don’t mind the simplistic art and spotty online multiplayer, then give it a go. There’s not much here beyond the 40 levels, but they are fun while they last. Just don’t depend on finding much else to do unless you adore working toward high scores on the leaderboards.

How Does Cello Fortress Work?

Mat Paget

Cello Fortress is a music-based, dual-stick shooter where four players go up against a live cellist. So how exactly does it work?

Creator of Cello Fortress Joost van Dongen explained it from the perspective of a cellist:

“The challenge is to not only control the game in the right way, but also play good music while doing so. Just quickly skipping between the various attacks would result in horrible music, so I really need to think ahead a bit and make the music flow fluently from attack to attack. Add to this that it is all improvised, which means that I need to come up with the melodies while playing, and it becomes clear what a challenge this game is for the cellist. The result works brilliantly: playing, hearing and seeing Cello Fortress in action is quite a show!“

Joost van Dongen is currently touring, while continuing development and improving the game further.

You can check it out for yourself by watching the trailer below. It’s really, really cool.

Talking Canada, Music, and Videogames with Eden Industries

Mat Paget

I got a chance to talk to Ryan Vandendyck and Scott McFadyen, the creators of Waveform, the day after the Canadian Videogame Awards, and they had a lot to say about the Awards, videogames, and Canada in general. The jump into the music of Waveform, Scott’s musical background, and the games they enjoyed playing growing up. Also, their new game Citizens of Earth is discussed.

All music used in the interview was created by Scott McFadyen, and can be found in Waveform.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

(Right Click, Save As)

[REVIEW] Proteus

Blaine Arcade

(PC [REVIEWED])

When reviewing Proteus, we have to make the point score mean something more than the quality of the game.  We have to put ourselves on the game’s level by setting aside our goals, and thinking outside the box, but without stressing anybody out.

Proteus is a new Indie darling from Ed Key and David Kanaga that tasks you with… nothing.  The player is simply dropped near an island.  The island is randomly generated each time and brought to life with extremely blocky, yet very natural pixelated models.  It will always surprise me how games (like Proteus and Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP) can manage to make their own art styles using so few pixels.  The island is a beautiful and tranquil place with its own weather patterns (the rain clouds in particular look softer than most dormitory beds).

Think of your player’s feet as a pair of inexperienced hands touching a grand piano for the first time.  The island is an instrument that allows you to generate your own music with your position.  Standing near certain animals will cause them to scurry away with plinking and plunking footsteps and hops; descending into the forest will usually fill the simple wind-like tune of the mountains with birdsong and falling leaves.

After an in-game day (about ten-fifteen minutes it seems), a circle of lights will form and invite you in.  The closer you stand to the circle, the faster time passes.  You can see an entire day complete with sunrise, sunset, light rain, and a starry night in a matter of seconds.  Once you’re finally in the circle’s center, everything will go white and transport you to… nowhere new.  Something is different, though.  The season has changed.

All in all you get to explore the island four times with different music, plants, and animals.  The cycles of the world play out before you.  Then, when the time is right, which only the game knows, it will take you bodily into the sky and return you to the main menu.  Whatever wisdom you may have gained there, you cannot use.

This is why a traditional score won’t be very effective on Proteus.  Whereas the other exploration games of recent memory (Journey and The Unfinished Swan) had known goals from the beginning, Proteus is little more than a magical hike.  The game requires you to change your expectations and when you do, you won’t be disappointed.  It’s the kind of thing that melts the day’s stress away and lets you go to sleep. It’s the kind of thing that should have a federal grant so poor urban school children experience the wholesome culture of it at least once in their lives.

Criticism will bounce off Proteus like acorns off a snoozing turtle’s shell.  So the only thing that I can say about it is that the ten dollar price tag may be a bit much.  While I enjoyed it wholeheartedly, the sheer minimalism of it makes me think you may want to wait until it drops down to five.  Please keep in mind that while I did not give this game a perfect score, that is merely because it is so non-traditional that it doesn’t quite fit into the hole it’s supposed to.  The missing points are merely a representation of the strangeness you might feel when realizing that this game is just… not quite what you know.

[REVIEW] Hotline Miami

Joe Roobol
(PC [REVIEWED])

Hotline Miami is a top down indie action blood-fest developed by Dennaton Games and published by Devolver Digital and, to sum it all up succinctly, is one of the weirdest games I’ve ever played. The entire experience from start to finish is a haze of gore that I just kind of stumbled through, not understanding a thing even after it was over. The story is impenetrable and impossible to grasp, all you will ever know or understand is that you must go to locations left on your answering machine and brutally murder everyone inside for score and profit. The game is better off for it. Playing Hotline Miami for any length of time feels like watching a “gore porn” horror movie, so be warned going on ahead.

The game is sold as an action game but it handles a lot like a puzzle game. In order to complete and perfect the various levels, you must memorize the layout and locations of the enemies that fill the area and figure out the best way to deal with them. The game mixes things up by randomizing what weapons that are available to you, so it becomes very important to think quickly on your feet and adapt to the circumstances. Finding a good path to carve through the level, combined with finding good weapons, is a ton of fun and really satisfying; when everything goes just right, I personally feel a big sense of accomplishment, mostly because of how brutally tough the game can be.

Brutality and recklessness is heavily rewarded.

There’s a focus on learning from your mistakes and taking those lessons moving forward to formulate a better plan of attack. Much like Super Meat Boy, death is a small punishment and the game resets you at a checkpoint very quickly, keeping your momentum going strong. This is very handy considering you’re very weak. One hit from anything will take you out, so it’s very easy to fall prey to being overly careful; however, the game very actively rewards reckless behaviour. I’m pretty sure this is an informed decision because recklessness is king. It makes a fast-paced game even faster, and much more fun than slowly crawling through levels.

The controls of Hotline Miami are fast and tight. The character handles precisely and there are no complex systems involved to muddy anything up. This simplicity is very much to the game’s benefit; it keeps everything fast-paced and snappy. Each weapon handles very slightly differently, with varying levels of reach, speed, and power. Every weapon is satisfying to use and I never felt displeased when stuck in a sticky situation with any one weapon. Everything from the small but brutal power drill, all the way up to the immense stopping power of the magnum or shotgun, and everything in between, are all great to use in their own way. Each melee weapon has a unique animation for finishing an enemy, from the efficient, to the grotesquely gory and inhumane.

My favourite part of this game is the music. It’s extremely difficult to overstate how fantastic the soundtrack is. Each track has a different feel but they each carry the running theme of fast-paced beats and great 80s-style synth. The music fits the look and feel of the game perfectly, and I couldn’t picture anything else playing for this game. I emphatically encourage everyone to give some of the songs a listen. Many of the tracks in this game are in my list of favourite songs of the year, and I’ll definitely continue listening to the music of the game long after I’ve stopped playing.

This is something you’re going to ask yourself a lot.

Hotline Miami has some interesting visuals. They definitely work extremely well for the game. There are some warping and sliding effects on the levels as you move through them; the structure the level consists of slowly lists from side to side as you move. This, along with the bright and colourful expanse of nothing that the level is set on really reflects the dream-like (or, more accurately, nightmare-like) nature of the game and events that occur between levels. The world of Hotline Miami is pretty well detailed, and it’s neat to spend a few moments taking a look at all the clutter that populates the places you go and the eventual changes in the places you regularly visit.

There’s an immense amount of replay value in Hotline Miami. It’s a ton of fun to go back to old levels to look for secrets and try to beat your old score. Playing a level over again to try and beat it as quickly and efficiently as possible is a fun personal challenge and the mystifying scoring system kept me on my feet as I tried new approaches to tackle levels. Even though there isn’t a ton of game present, it’s a lot of fun to replay, giving the game a nice lifespan.

I can’t say enough good things about Hotline Miami. It’s one of my favourites of the year so far, and, despite it’s soul-crushing brutality, mixed with it’s unforgiving difficulty, it’s a ton of fun to play and replay. I definitely highly recommend it to anyone who can handle the gore, and especially so to those who love fast-paced action.

[REVIEW] Dance Central 3

Mat Paget
(Xbox 360 [REVIEWED])

It’s the third Dance Central game!

Dance Central is probably the only Kinect franchise that is actually any good. It works almost all the time, and is fun to boot — not to mention an intense workout at higher difficulties. So here comes Dance Central 3 to complete the trilogy, and finish the epic story that has kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Alright, it’s pretty much been Rock Band for dancing, and even with the added story, it’s still a Dance Central game.

Don’t get me wrong, though: the story is really entertaining. You become a DCI Agent (Dance Central Intelligence) by proving yourself to the music of Dev and LMFAO, and then are tasked with going back in time to stop dance crimes. While you’re back in time, you must decipher the dance crazes of different eras to prevent Dr. Tan, an evil genius figure (or hater), from turning everyone into dancing zombies that can’t express themselves through dance freely.

This new story mode adds a lot of charm and humour to the series, and it comes so close to making it a really amazing game. Unfortunately, there are a few hiccoughs along the way. First off, in each era, there are four different songs to complete. Within each of those songs are parts of the era’s “dance craze,” and if you don’t perform each part correctly at least once, you’ll have to start the song all over again. This isn’t even the part that is really all that annoying; that comes with actually deciphering the craze. 

Now, deciphering the craze shouldn’t be all that hard, either. After finishing off an era’s songs, you just perform each part of the dance craze and move on. Unfortunately, this is where the game just fell apart for me. It wasn’t picking up the moves that I was doing, and it took me more than an hour to successfully decipher a four-move sequence; what’s even worse is that the majority of that time was devoted to only one of those moves — and when the dance craze was finally deciphered, I was enraged to find that it was for The Cupid Shuffle.

Despite that one part, I’ve had nothing but fun, just as I’ve had with the past entries. The dancing is just as fun as ever, and the scoring feels a lot more accurate; there were times in the past games where I felt I was cheated out of points. That could have something to do with the track list being the best the series has seen, thanks to the multiple eras of selection and variety. I tend to perform better when it’s a song I enjoy, or am familiar with, and the majority of the tracks are really fantastic songs to dance to — it doesn’t even really matter who you are, there will be a handful of songs you recognize.

Aside from performing the songs, there is Party Mode where random songs and minigames are thrown at you and, depending on how well you’re dancing, the difficulty may be switched up. This works totally fine, but is overshadowed by the actual act of dancing to tracks you, and your friends, enjoy. There’s also a new Beginner mode that is fantastic for new dancers. And of course, Battle and Crew Throwdown return, which allows you to play against friends on your own, or as teams.

How much do you enjoy Dance Central? How about dancing? Do you secretly want to play a dancing game, but have been too embarrassed or nervous to do so? Well, if you answered yes to any of the previous questions, then you should probably play this game — and try not to worry about what others think. It takes the best songs from each era, puts them to an awesome dancing experience, and continues to show that these games are way cooler than some would want you to believe. Despite its very few, but noticeable, shortcomings, Dance Central 3 is the best dancing game on the market, and a great starting point for newcomers and new dancers in general.

[REVIEW] Sound Shapes

Mat Paget
(PlayStation 3 [REVIEWED], Vita [REVIEWED])

Music and platforming have gone hand-in-hand since 1985, when Mario ran through the Mushroom Kingdom to his now instantly-recognizable theme song. Since then, the likes of Donkey Kong, Sonic, Rayman, and Kirby have all been in platforming adventures accompanied by music that has gone down as some of the best in videogames. Most platforming savants–or you know, just people–would argue that music is an integral part to any great platformer. Of course, gameplay is still important, but music adds that charm, that magic, that every title needs. But here’s a platformer where you actually make that magic. And hey, it’s a game for the Vita!

Sound Shapes is a game that blends platforming and music together into one nice, little package. If you’ve ever seen a Disney movie, or just the intro to Rayman Origins, you’ll know that there is a lot of charm in music being created through normal occurrences (like snoring). That is the entirety of this game. You control a shape, attempting to collect all of the notes, while other objects in the level make additional music — such as a group of rockets acting as a bassline. The first time I ever saw the aforementioned example, I let out a laugh; not because it was cheesy, but because I was overwhelmed with joy at what I was seeing. This game definitely has a charm that is hard to resist.

The gameplay itself is your average platformer, resembling the Tales from Space series. It’s hardly demanding, but there are parts that require a bit more finesse and skill to get through with all the notes. And the cool thing about the notes is that it not only encourages you to collect them all for the sake of completion, but to hear the entire piece of music. Missing even one note puts a damper on the sound, but thankfully, none of the notes are painstakingly hard to collect. Along with that, there are some light puzzles to solve, but none of them evolve past pushing a block from one spot to another. The game does a great job at being engaging, but at the same time allowing you to see the entirety of it without overexerting yourself.

The campaign consists of five albums that contain three to five levels each. Each album is composed, and designed, by different artists. These artists include: deadmau5, Beck, and Jim Guthrie of Superbrothers fame. After you’ve completed the campaign, Death Mode unlocks, which turns the levels into one screen romps where you’ll have to collect a set number of notes before time runs out. It’s much more difficult, and it doesn’t hold the same magic that the campaign does, but it still delivers a challenging, yet fun experience. But these aren’t the only things that the game offers, as there is also a lot of fun to be had with user-created levels, as well as composing your own.

The Community works sort of like a social network for the game, posting all of your activity on an easy-to-access wall. You’ll also be able to follow users, enabling you to keep up-to-date on levels they create. And the Community has immense creativity, as the selection of levels is already great. Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways to easily find levels; the only two categories are top and new levels. There is a search, but it’s only text, so it’s not exactly easy to find a good group to choose from; a more advanced search would have been appreciated. But all in all, the Community has created some excellent levels, and will thrive beautifully if it continues.

The actual creation of the levels is a whole other thing, putting you in complete control of the Editor, and letting your imagination run wild. Also, every completed level of the Campaign gives you more tools to play around with, as well as new pieces of scenery for decoration. The Vita’s front and back screens allow you to manipulate the stages exactly the way you want them, and the options are seemingly endless. And the best thing about the Editor is definitely the Beat School. Unlocked from completing the Campaign, the Beat School gives you a beat to listen to, and asks you to recreate it. This mode is an awesome addition to an already awesome game, and should not be tossed aside as a mere tutorial.

Now that I’ve talked about the game, I guess it’s time to talk about the differences between the two versions: PlayStation 3 and Vita. Well, I think you’re in for some good news, because if you buy the game on one platform, you get the other for free. And although it does seem to perform better on the Vita in spots, both versions are just as great as each other — aside from different menu layouts, the versions are near identical. Also, you’ll be able to play the exact same save file on both platforms, through the use of Cloud Sync. This kind of cross-compatibility is awesome, especially when you get both versions for the price of one; it’s easy to say that it would be nice to have this adorned by every game that hosts the feature.

In the end, Sound Shapes is a really impressive game that conjures the perfect blend of visuals, sound, and gameplay. Each piece works together in a way that is absolutely phenomenal, and it has a ton of content that you’ll definitely want to see twice. Not to be outdone, the Editor is remarkably intuitive, and adds something to be loved by anyone who is even sort of interested in creating music. Add on its undying charm, and you have something that will cause most people to fall in love. Play it on either console, and it’s fantastic. But if you own both, then you’ll definitely get the most out of this musically-infused platformer.

[REVIEW] Symphony

Mat Paget
(PC [REVIEWED])

Music. It’s everywhere. In your house, in your car, in your local grocery store, and even on your phone. Videogames have also been a popular medium for music to thrive in. Music has always just been there. But what happens when the music disappears? Enter Symphony, a vertical shooter that takes your music collection, and basically turns it into waves of enemies. But it’s not as simple as it first seems. What starts off as something that seems like another Audiosurf becomes so much more as you delve deeper into the meat of the game.

First off, the game has a story that is surprisingly involving, and really makes you feel like you’re doing more than just moving a mouse around and clicking. You’ll be greeted by a pair of glowing eyes; you’ll find out soon enough that they belong to a demon. Demons are attacking your music, and capturing the souls of the composers. To stop them, you’ll need to collect five pages of The Symphony of Souls, which are split into three pieces each. Finding the pages is as easy as playing through songs; eventually, you’ll run into a demon that acts as a boss you’ll need to defeat. Once defeated, complete the rest of the song, and you’ll have acquired a piece of The Symphony of Souls.

However, before and after every boss battle, the demon with the glowing eyes will have something to say. The voice of this demon is absolutely phenomenal, and it’s nothing but entertaining to listen to him. It’s almost exclusively about the human race, music, and capturing composer’s souls, but as you progress through the story it gets more and more interesting. And the eyes themselves look great as well; an awesome cyberspace vibe exudes from them. It’s such an awesome touch, and it doesn’t even really need to be there, but the story adds a great weight to the gameplay.

The gameplay itself is pretty standard for vertical shooters, but is amplified thanks to some of the nuances that the music creates. Certain enemies will enter the playing area on drum beats, and there’s even a special weapon that works like a subwoofer — if a subwoofer was a gun, that is. In addition to those features, the game will change colour depending on the overall mood of the song; slower, more relaxed parts are played in blue, and as songs become more tense, the colours will range from purple to red. And upon completion of a song, the level presents an item you’ll be able to buy with Inspiration — the main form of currency gained from collecting yellow music notes. Each item can also be upgraded, which will cost you both Inspiration, and Kudos — a secondary form of currency collected by hitting the score targets of each song.

The weapons and pick-ups you’ll come across throughout the game are all really fun to use, and even have musically-themed names. For example, a pick-up that blows up everything on the screen is titled, “1812 Overture.” A suitable name, no doubt. Pick-ups need no equipping to be utilized, but weapons do. You’ll be able to customize your ship however you like; with four different slots for weapons, the opportunities seem endless. Progressing through the difficulties may also call for revamps of your ship, as enemies become more and more resilient to your firepower — there are even some really difficult boss battles to look forward to. Each weapon is wholly unique, and it really spices up the action when you switch up your arsenal.

But the only way to play this game is with a mouse. Thankfully, it’s not a downside, as the movements you’ll need to orchestrate couldn’t be done with a controller. It can become very hectic, and you’ll need to move anywhere on the screen in a moment’s notice; computer mice allow the required fidelity in its movement. But going further than that, you’ll be able to set each weapon to a desired mouse-button, or, if you like, auto-fire. And the best thing about the gameplay is that the song list will never suck. And if it does, then what are you even doing to yourself? The gameplay itself is good, but it’s made fantastic by your music.

In fact, the levels created around your music are done so well, it’s as if you’re actually in your music. And that’s just the start to how impeccably made this game is. The intelligence of Empty Clip Studios, the developer, really shines, and it seems like they’ve covered almost everything — in fact, the only thing missing is a Restart Song option during gameplay. The list of songs can become immense, especially if you import your entire library. Things like items, demon-infested songs, or just songs in general, could be frustrating to find if there weren’t implementations made to ensure you’re never looking for too long. Thankfully, several icons and filters are in place that really make this minimally-flawed game feel flawless.

This game is composed of many great things, much like a great symphony. The visuals are astounding to say the least, the gameplay is simple and fun, the user interface is intelligently-crafted, and hopefully, your music selection is something you enjoy. There’s also a potentially endless amount of content to see, as each song is its own unique level, and not a randomized mess. To top it all off, the story is surprisingly profound, as well as one of the best things about the game. It’s easy to say that any music lover will absolutely love Symphony. Heck, I love it so much that I bought it.