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PREVIEW
No Straight Roads
RELEASE
2019
DEVELoPER
Metronomik
PubLIShER
In-house
LINK
http://www.metronomik.net
need to know
I’venosoonershakenWanHazmer’shand
than we start exchanging our favourite
rhythm games. Yet as much as he loves
them, the Metronomik co-founder
reckons that we too often conflate games
about music with rhythm games – a genre
players who don’t think themselves
musical tend to shy away from.
No Straight Roads is an action
game first and foremost. You take
control of Mayday and Zuk who
together form a rock band – a clear
declaration of resistance in a world lead by
an EDM empire. To reinstate rock’s
influence, they have a number of battles
with characters representing different
musical genres, from EDM to pop and
even classical.
Each battle has a distinct look and feel.
In my standoff against DJ Subatomic
Supernova, the stage spins like a vinyl
record while I’m transforming planets into
ammo. Later on in the battle I’m trying to
avoid said planets while the DJ tries to
suck me into a black hole. No Straight
Roads plays like an action-adventure. I can
either hit things with my characters’
instruments or play music really fast to
transform items into weapons.
“These are two of the ways we express
the power of music,” Metronomik
co-founder and creative director Daim
Dziazuddin tells me. “Music in No Straight
Roads will affect the world in three ways
- morally, aurally and physically.” In
practice this means that as your influence
grows, you not only become stronger, but
the people become aware of the spell
EDM has put them under.
You can hear the interplay between
rock and the other musical genres
through No Straight Roads’ sound design.
Three different musical channels react
dynamically to how well you’re doing in
battle and to your overall progress.
Beat ’em up
The music isn’t the only dynamic aspect of
No Straight Roads. From the vibrantly
coloured stages full of dancing notes to
the eye-catching design of each enemy,
the game makes an impression long
before you focus on its tunes. “We think
about how to represent music through
character design,” Dziazuddin says. “We
decide what musical style would be fun to
battle and then we go from there.”
Meanwhile the EDM influence is
always there, because Metronomik
enjoy both EDM and rock and want to
represent the discussions between
fans of each genre.
Metronomik doesn’t see No Straight
Roads as a way to establish the superiority
of rock, however. “We really want to teach
players that they’re more musical than
they think they are. We’ve designed
battles that follow the beat, so if you can
see the pattern you’ll do better. Battles in
No Straight Roads also use our innate
awareness of when the chorus in a song
happens or when the speed changes,”
Hazmer explains. “Everyone can enjoy the
game regardless of musical ability, but I
think you’re going to be surprised at how
easily it comes to you.” He stresses that in
order to make a game that appeals to a
broad audience, everyone at Metronomik
gets a say in the design process.
This explains No Straight Roads’
chaotic charm. I quickly got caught up in
the ambitious concept – eager to see
more thanks to Metronomik’s genuine
enthusiasm for music, and the creativity
on display.
Malindy Hetfeld
M
usic is an essential part of any game, and
its role has grown from mere
background accompaniment thanks to
advances in adaptive music and the
popularity of rhythm games. With No Straight
Roads, Metronomik wants to deepen the
relationship between games and music further.
Metronomik lives up to its
name with this debut
No Straight
roadS
“WereallyWant to teach
players that they’re more
musical than they think”
played
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