Highlighted during the Day of the Devs showcase 2021, A Musical Story is a rhythm game that chronicles the memories of Gabriel, a man reliving the memories of his past as a traveling musician in the 70s.
Developer Glee-Cheese Studio is looking to tell a complex story about love, friendship and addiction in A Musical Story. The narrative is set against the backdrop of the music industry in the 1970s, and players will interact with the world and characters through rhythm-based gameplay. Players will have "rekindle Gabriel's memories" through carefully timed rhythmic button presses in tune with whatever music accompanies the scene.
A Musical Story features a completely original soundtrack with 26 unique songs inspired by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. The game features no dialogue and communication between the characters is entirely musical in nature.
Glee-Cheese Studio consists of four developers who began working on A Musical Story in 2017. "We wanted to make something different, something that would stick in the minds of players, both for its gameplay and story. It took a huge amount of time to find the right formula, but this one was the most inspiring," said Charles Bardin, the game's designer and co-composer.
Bardin went on to describe A Musical Story's core rhythm mechanic, stating that the development team wanted to make something that stood out from traditional rhythm games. "In most musical games, there’s a visual timeline, showing exactly when to play the notes. We've focused instead on creating an experience that relies on the listening skills of the player, so they must feel the music, understand it, to progress and unveil the story," explains Bardin.
Developed by Glee-Cheese Studio and published by Digerati, A Music Story launches in October 2021 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC and iOS.
Source: Glee-Cheese Studio, YouTube