Game:

Keylocker | Turn Based Cyberpunk Action (2024)

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Possibly one of the less rhythmy of games within Rhythm Fest. While it's all about music and has some rhytm elements here and there, I think it is much more accurate to say this is a musical game about timing. A lot of the times it's about memorizing how long an attack animation lasts before hitting the "Perfect" timing. I'm not sure what the timing is, but it's tight, comparable with 20ms in a typical rhythm game. I say comparable because there is no 'judgement line' for the visual aspect of timing to help out, so the actual timing window much be a bit longer, but it's still on the level of singular frames. Hard. But you can restart fights quickly, and all this means that for once there is a game where a combat feels like you're actually fighting for your life, and the stakes aren't narrative investment into the characters, but the time investment you put into the fight so far.

I maybe would've wished it was a bit more rhytmic. There are a fair few examples of when timing attacks to the rhythm makes them feel snappy and good. There are also examples where it messes with the combat flow, but I don't think it would've here. I was kind of hoping the game would turn more rhythmy when we dropped from the sky onto a jukebox, and music started playing. But oh well, what's there now is great too.

I actually really like the way they execute the cyberpunk theme. It has all the core principles of cyberpunk - cybernetics, societal classes, dystopian corporate control - but it gives them a fresh coat of paint in the way that makes them feel interesting again. Going in my main worry was that this is "another game where music is illegal," which has been the case in too many story-based rhythm action games, but the execution of that basic idea is actually completely fresh by simply saying that "music generates electricity," and thus controlling music is controlling the main resource that keeps all the cyborgs alive. Really good execution of a typically overused trope, so looking forward to exploring more when the game releases next month

Try it yourself: https://store.steampowered.com/app/13...
Other Next Fest Demos:    • Steam Rhythm Fest (Aug'24)