The Binding Of Scott Pilgrim: Band Saga
Music makes the world go down
The Kickstarter pitch video for Band Saga is a frenzied, hysterical carnival of colour and confusion. A band set out in their rickety van to bring music to The Kids, but are waylaid by intergalactic warriors. As such things must, the ambush results in a 'space roguelike adventure', in which 'every level, enemy and item is generated by music'. Completing a level unlocks a new band member, whose FM instrument will change the design of levels. And the player can toy with all of the world-generating music - 'it will become second nature to manipulate the sounds and understand how they are intertwined with gameplay'. Feast on the colour and the lightshow below.
Musicians fighting aliens in spaces created by sound and altered by instrumentation. I can get behind that. My favourite part is the fact that every new city opens up a new adventure, which suggests that the band just carry on touring once they've vanquished the current threat. I was in a band myself many years ago (goth, woefully inept, once referred to as 'the cute girl playing keys') and it took much less than an intergalactic assault to knock us off our stride. A few pints of Unicorn Premium Ale and we were scuppered, more likely to be found snoring a symphony into last night's leftover pizza than belting out some rowdy tunes.
The good people of Band Saga are made of sterner stuff and you'll be able to invite a brave chum along to join the musical militia should you so desire. Here's a feature list.
Blast Through Enemies with tight and responsive controls while uncovering the mystery of the intergalactic war!
Unlock New Music & Sounds with each new area explored!
Modify Melodies & Sounds as a strategy to morph the environment in your favor!
Summon A Buddy for some 2 player Co-Op action!
Invite Friends & Collaborate Asynchronously to create new melodies and custom levels!
Share Your Sounds & Sequences with the world by exporting to midi and wav format!
Share Melodies Via QR Codes on mobile devices!
The soundtrack is already available to buy, along with a 22 page comic. That's $5 over on Bandcamp. When the game is released, anyone purchasing it will automatically receive the soundtrack, as editing and mucking around with it are integral parts of the experience.
The $29,000 target is for living expenses and contractor/collaborator wages during the final stages of development, and a playable version should be with backers before the end of the year. 28 days to go and a $5 pledge is enough to secure a copy of the game when it's ready.