Musical shooter Soundfall looks like Nex Machina by way of Crypt of the Necrodancer
Murder on the dancefloor
For as long as I can remember, I've loved when action games sync music to player action. From Rez to Crypt of the Necrodancer, it's just all good. Recently announced twin-stick shooter Soundfall looks a bit like modern Robotron update Nex Machina, but take a peek at the debut trailer below and you'll find plenty of reason to keep both feet and trigger-fingers tapping to the beat. There's definitely a bit of Necrodancer DNA running through this one's rhythmically pulsing veins.
Developed by Drastic Games (a small team of ex-Epic folk), Soundfall is a twin-stick shooter and dungeon crawler. As with Crypt of the Necrodancer, you bounce your way through procedurally generated maps, zapping monsters and dodging bullets to the beat. Unlike the turn-based Necrodancer, which was all about its loot and item synergies, Soundfall - being a real-time shooter - looks to put a little more emphasis on hitting targets in time to the music. There's even some warping rails that remind me of Groove Coaster.
It's lovely to look at, too. While it lacks Necrodancer's grooving pixel monsters, wiggling their unholy hips to the beat, the bouncing world and visualiser-style effects around the edge of the level really help to cement the link between music and action. While I'm sure that I'm due for a great many ham-handed deaths as I lose my rhythm, I absolutely want to get my hands on this one. Better still, Drastic say there's online and local co-op for up to four players, with multiple playable characters. You can dance if you want to, but you don't have to leave your friends behind.
Soundfall will sadly be turning up fashionably late to this party, launching in 2019, but those lucky enough to be at PAX West, EGX or PAX Australia over the next few months will have a chance to play it early. You can see a little more of it on its official site here.