Summary
- Backbeat is now accessible for buy on Xbox
- Experience a contemporary mashup of the puzzle and technique genres
- Relive a homage to basic 1990s ensemble dramedies
This is my second title launching on Xbox and it’s actually cool to see how a lot our firm has grown since Hexagroove: Tactical DJ in 2020. The first time round was an important expertise however there was a lot extra I needed make extra accessible and welcoming. In Backbeat we designed the interface from the bottom up for 4K and scalable throughout all members of the Xbox gadget household. The video games we design at Ichigoichie are constructed on mashing up genres and deriving our gameplay mechanics from musical principle. This was at occasions just a little overwhelming in Hexagroove, so I labored exhausting to portion out new mechanics in Backbeat by a much wider portion of the sport. So a lot in actual fact you’ll nonetheless be studying new methods greater than three quarters by the primary marketing campaign!
Backbeat is at first look a turn-based sokoban puzzle recreation. You have a band of as much as 4 characters and should get all of them to the purpose inside a restricted variety of turns. Each character strikes in a different way presenting distinctive challenges. After some ranges we introduce time mechanics to the combination, and also you’ll have to synchronize every character’s timeline with the others, working collectively to unblock obstacles on the trail to the purpose. Finally, we add 4 shared assets you will need to handle whereas navigating house and time. Which turns you select to alter course or work together with the surroundings trigger these assets to extend or lower. Maximize the assets and also you get a excessive rating. Run out of assets, and also you’re in a failure state. Fortunately, rewinding the turns of every character individually is attainable to permit incremental enhancements to your puzzle options.
One factor I needed so as to add to Backbeat was a narrative to inspire your selections and set the stakes. The setting is 1995 in suburban Washington, D.C. and has a number of callouts to the final days of the analog period earlier than the arrival of the web. The narrative is a homage to ensemble 90s dramedies like “With Honors”, “The Commitments”, and “School of Rock”. Heroine Watts is doing her finest to carry collectively a band of newbie funk musicians and contending with all of the struggles of collaborative creation: inflated egos, clashing persona sorts, and exterior duties to work and household. A various forged of characters exists in every of the 2 major bands, and I hope yow will discover one which speaks to you.
If you’re a fan of puzzle video games, turn-based technique, or story-rich retro experiences, then I believe there’s one thing so that you can admire, and lots of extra novel options to find. Start with the free demo of Backbeat and I hope you have got some funky enjoyable!
Backbeat
Ichigoichie
$29.99
A mashup of puzzle and technique video games. Manipulate 4 threads of time to information your band by sokoban-style puzzles. Manage squad assets over a set of restricted turns. Experience a homage to 1990s ensemble dramedies. Customize the dynamic soundtrack with audio results.
=== STORY ===
Stephanie “Watts” Watson, an aspiring bassist, bounced from audition to audition by no means discovering music that actually resonated along with her, that is, till she found the magic of funk. Caught up within the groove, she recruits a bunch of hometown amateurs to take on artwork faculty darlings La Tormenta on the Battle of the Bands.
=== MECHANICS ===
Each character in your band strikes by the map in numerous methods, encountering distinctive options and obstacles. Advancing a personality consumes a flip and a part of the timeline, organising interactions with different characters and enemies at totally different closing dates. Rewinding a flip undoes your transfer, permitting you to search out improved options and new methods to deal with issues.
Manipulate every character individually, rewinding or fast-forwarding alongside the timeline within the course of to succeed in her present cut-off date. Changes in time are mirrored within the progress and actions each previous and current of every character, creating some potentialities and eradicating others.
Each character has his personal resource-limited tremendous transfer which might be triggered underneath sure situations. Tip toe by tight areas together with your bassist, slide by guards together with your keytar participant, break by partitions together with your drummer, or blow enemies out of the best way together with your mighty tremendous sax. Strategic use of your tremendous strikes improve the variety of options to every puzzle and are the important thing in gaining a most rating.
Four resource-based musical metrics govern how and when you’ll be able to transfer and work together with objects within the ranges. These can fully block progress if used inefficiently, and create wonderful musical chains and excessive scores when regulated artfully.
=== MUSIC ===
Join Watts as she grows on a musical journey rooted in funk and fusion. Soulful grooves and scorching licks are composed by Pete Fraser, session saxophonist to the The Pogues, Friendly Fires, and Field Music! Twenty musical motifs are recorded by a dwell ensemble of seven funk masters, offering the muse for the dynamic music within the recreation. Unique songs are generated relying on what instructions and paths you soak up every puzzle. Customize your efficiency with alternate taking part in types, devices swaps, and realtime audio impact pedals.
=== CONCEPT ===
Backbeat is a homage to the 16 and 32-bit story-driven video games of the 1990s, recreating the challenges and victories of the final days of analog life and the beginning of the web. The suburban Washington D.C. space is mirrored in diner parking heaps, procuring malls, and dimly lit arcades.
A colourful forged of supporting characters each good friend and foe be part of Watts as she struggles with management, success, and holding collectively a band.
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