Soundfall combines twin-stick shooting, dungeon crawling and loot-hoarding with something rather different for the genre: rhythm.
Yes, that’s right: Soundfall is all about getting into the groove. With each level having its own song – the original soundtrack features an eclectic mix of rock, pop, dance and more – you’ll have to slice, shoot and dodge in time to the beat. Fail to hit the beat, and you’re destined to fail completely. And so if you’re not very musically inclined, then Soundfall might prove to be a little tricky.
If you have got a bit of groove in your veins, though, then Soundfall should absolutely be on your radar. This colourful, fast-paced dungeon crawler is shaping up to be a lot of fun. The demo build we’ve had our hands on allowed us to play through the first few levels of the game, which had us shooting and slicing our way through enemies while tapping our feet to a rather enjoyable soundtrack.
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What’s particularly neat is that Soundfall is much deeper than it originally seems. There’s a loot system in place, which means item chests might be found if you explore levels thoroughly, and downing particularly tough enemies might net you useful rewards. Finding new weapons will allow you to hit harder, and new pieces of armour will offer you much-needed protection. Because – and we may have already mentioned this – Soundfall is tough. Keeping your finger on the beat, attacking in time with the music and avoiding enemy attacks feels like a lot until you get into the swing of things.
If you miss the beat too often you’ll have to wait for a cooldown timer to finish until you can attack again – and in that time you’re wide open for enemy attacks. So, unlike most other games in the looter-shooter genre, you can’t simply let loose with your bullets. You have to be careful and precise, making sure you’re in time with the music. And just when you think you’ve got the beat nailed down, it might change up for a chorus or crescendo.
With each level being fairly short – roughly the length of a song, in fact – even if you do fail you’ll be raring to jump straight back in, determined to do a little better next time around. Once you’ve got the beat of the song down, there’s no stopping you. And there are cues to help, such as a bar at the bottom of the screen and your controller pulsating to the beat. Well, providing it has rumble. That’s a really nice touch.
Something we’re particularly excited about, but haven’t been able to try yet, is the ability to play along to your own music. This is a feature that’s only going to be available on the PC version of the game, but according to the Steam page, you’ll be able to import songs from your own library to create brand new levels. Slaying enemies while listening to Muse? I’m ready for it.
Soundfall also supports local and online co-op play, allowing up to four players to join in on the action. We’ve not had chance to try it, but this is absolutely the sort of gameplay that will kick ass with multiple players. Providing everyone’s able to get into the rhythm, of course.
Although our time with the game has been short so far, the demo build we’ve had our hands on has cemented Soundfall as a game to watch out for. With clean, colourful visuals, fun gameplay and a soundtrack to get your head bopping, we can’t wait to play more.
Soundfall is scheduled to release this spring on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC. We’ll have more information about the game closer to launch.
