Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
I saw literally dozens of games at PAX East this year. But the one I have thought most about is No Straight Roads from Final Fantasy XV‘s lead game designer Wan Hazmer and Street Fighter V’s concept artist Daim Dziauddin’s new studio Metronomik.
This game is a little hard to describe, but it is a crazy, colorful, fast-paced, frenetic action-adventure game with audio as the key focus. The two characters, Mayday and Zuke, battle through environments using music to transform items into weapons and anticipate enemies by listening to the beats of the in-game audio.
The story of No Straight Roads is out there as well – in all the best ways. Mayday and Zuke want to fight the tyranny of an EDM label that has taken control of Vinyl City and banned all other types of music. They battle to bring free music of all types to the people.
I had a chance to sit with the development team and try two different stages of the game, each featuring vastly different bosses and level designs. I have to say I was incredibly impressed with the game, and I have not even seen any of the the title’s progression, customization, or true depth.
The characters are wacky and original, the music is infectious and really adds to the depth of the gameplay, and the visuals are simply striking. Metronomik has established a strong visual look and feel with this title that really stands out when you see it in action.
The gameplay itself is quite fun, as each character’s use of music has a different effect. They also have normal physical attacks, and can fire ranged blasts when music notes are collected. The key, though, is listening to the audio. It often cues when attacks are about to strike.
Most important, a unique style and vibe just oozes out of No Straight Roads. I played both demo levels and wanted more right away. I found in speaking to Wan Hazmer from Metronomik that they are incredibly excited to show more and bring this game to as many people as possible.
Hazmer told me that these demos show just a taste of the full game. There will be customization options, plenty more bosses, and a co-op mode so two people can take the fight to the EDM enemies. No Straight Roads is due out later this year for PC and Playstation 4 and I can’t wait to dive back into this great-looking game.
