God of Rock
EA SCOUT the last line of defense for buying on Steam's Early Access
by Camrin Santchi
previewed on PC
Battle of the Hands
While most games have a formula and rhythm to them that gamers learn given time and experience, from the beat of combat that lets players find openings in enemy attacks to learning patrol routes in a more stealth centred game. Some games however specifically revolve around rhythm and require timed button presses in order to achieve victory, either with Quick Time Events that are queued to events in the game or to actual music in the form of games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band. God of Rock is an upcoming Spring release that attempts to merge rhythm game mechanics with a 2D fighting game, a la the Street Fighter, Tekken, or King of Fighters series.
The plot for God of Rock is simple but effective, with the titular character reviving the souls of what are described as a dozen of the universe's greatest musicians in a contest of musical supremacy for his entertainment. This contest is a series of 1v1 matches where the characters, stage, and music will actually alter the flow of battle and make for a different experience almost every time a match starts.
God of Rock's gameplay is primarily that of a rhythm game, pressing buttons as they scroll down the screen, which are synched to both sides of the fight. The goal is to match the beat as flawlessly as possible, as the side of the screen that is less well-timed will take damage. When both sides match in their timing, it will lead to both attacks being blocked and no damage being dealt. As notes are hit and the battle progresses a Special gauge will build, up to three levels all of which use directional inputs to trigger character specific attacks that will make things difficult for your opponent. This could include giving them extra notes to react to, or hiding parts of the screen temporarily. Interestingly, there is no timer for these matches, and the notes will continue growing faster until one side is down for the count and has lost all health. This is a far cry from your normal fighting game, which will often make use of a countdown system that limits the amount of time in a match. An effect of this could be to make for ridiculously long versus matches between two skilled players, which could be seen as a benefit or a detriment depending on how gamers view such a scenario.
Mix and Bash
Another way to expand on the replayability of God of Rock is the ability to make custom stages, allowing gamers to choose one of the eight stages and forty original tracks to further create new combinations and find their favourites. Each of the dozen characters for the game borrows from certain fighting game traditions such as a grappler, charge, or trap character, meaning gamers will be able to find one with a useful skill set that matches their playstyle. Players will even be able to play as that character in a branching story mode where they battle for the number one spot. Multiplayer is planned to be both local and online, with the option of casual or ranked - for those that want to take their skills to other gamers across the world!
Why Do I Hear Boss Music?
God of Rock plans to be released on April 18th, and looks to be a fun combination of fighting and rhythm game mechanics that will likely catch the eye of both audiences and bring them together in a way that few have attempted before. The stylized action and increasingly difficult gameplay as matches go on will draw your eye, and the sheer amount of combinations could have gamers all seeking to find the true champion of rock for quite some time.
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Recommend
There are no guarantees - but we'd bet our own money on this one. If you're going to take a chance with yours, odds are good this one will deliver.