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Music is the celebration of life and all that comes with it, and video games have been focusing on that for years. However, the upcoming Sword of Symphony is an evolution of the music game genre, providing rhythm mechanics that will largely go unseen by the player. However, if the player can pay close attention to their ears, then they'll find themselves getting the hang of this new system in no time. Players will fight using the natural metronome that's in the game's world. In a recent interview with Stephen Ddungu, Game Rant discussed that metronome system in Sword of Symphony, and how it'll be used.
Composers are essentially musical detectives, and Ddungu discussed how they use music to fight enemies inside this RPG. The way the developer tells it, there is an invisible metronome that keeps track of the beats in-game. Each attack the player does will create a musical note, but it would begin to sound weird if the player was given free rein. This would likely lead to sour notes and poorly timed rhythm, and that's not what Ddungu envisioned. Through the system he created, the player can attack whenever they want, but the action won't follow until the game matches up with the beat.
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Sword of Symphony: We Got the Beat
In creating this system from the ground up, Ddungu had to do a lot of math regarding BPM and designing the protagonist's attacks. According to the solo developer, it involved a lot of problem-solving in which he knew that he wanted to keep players on beat, but didn't want to give them the creativity to make any noise they wanted to. It's through this sort of structured system that players will be able to create new and beautiful music just while playing the game.
The way it works is that the player can attack whenever they want, but the game will hold that attack until it matches up with the invisible metronome. This will allow the player to attack whenever they want while also keeping the game on its tracks, musically. While the game can be played like a button masher, Ddungu stresses that the key to actually succeeding in Sword of Symphony is listening in order to help with precise attacks that come at the same time as the invisible metronome.
Critical Sound Attacks
For the players who are more rhythmically inclined, there is a way to get extra damage out of each attack. If the player can manage to hit the attacks in time with the metronome, they can create a string of critical attacks that the developer says can make quick work of enemies. That being said, it's likely easier said than done, as keeping the rhythm while also being chased by an enemy or two will likely introduce a new challenge for players. Regardless, hitting the notes on the beat will also lend itself to sounding more like a music track as opposed to a string of occasional notes.
There are a lot of music-rhythm games out there, but none quite like Sword of Symphony. In the upcoming title, players will take on the role of a music detective, searching for clues regarding sound-based crimes inside this magical world. The story-based RPG mechanics are sure to add an extra level of intrigue and Ddungu has made it clear that he has big plans. However, whether plays can keep up with his rhythm has yet to be shown. Only time will tell if the developer can inspire a whole new generation of Composers himself.
Sword of Symphony is in development.
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