What would happen if you took an old school RPG and mixed it with a rhythm action game, like the Guitar Hero games of old? Well, as I see it, there are two options – you either end up with an unholy mess on your hands, or you end up with Infinite Guitars.
It arrives from developers Nikko Nikko and published by Humble Games, but Infinite Guitars does seem to be that rarest of beasts – a fusion of genres that appears to work. So, are you in the mood to destroy some mechs with the power of RAWK?! Then let’s get going, rockers!
With an RPG, even one infused with the power of music, the story has to be front and centre. Luckily, the story here is a good one – weird, but good. The world has been destroyed by a war, but not amongst ourselves – no, it appears that humanity was fighting a war of survival against a load of mechs. In the aftermath, the remnants of the human race are reduced to scrabbling about trying to stay alive and gather scrap, both to repair city walls and use as currency. Now, however, the war machines are awakening, and it seems only our prowess with a guitar can finish them for good.
We play as JJ, a teenager (maybe) who just wants to play guitar all day and doesn’t care about anything much. Our uncle, who we are exploring a world with one day, is suddenly captured, and so we’d best wake up and try to save the day. Along the way, as is usual, we will explore, gain friends and allies, and engage in thrilling battles against mechs, ranging from the tiny to the colossal. Can JJ and his friends – Sam, Kaylee and Ru – triumph, or will the machines finish them off?
The presentation of matters is next on the list of things to chat about, and here it is very much a game of three halves. There is the top screen, for want of another way to describe it, where JJ can pilot an airship and fly to different floating islands to move the story on. Next is the normal RPG type screen, where JJ runs about the place; exploring, gathering scrap and getting into scraps. Then finally there is the battle screen itself.
In all the screens, the style is very retro, and nowhere more so than in the general exploration moments. JJ is depicted as a tiny sprite, running about the place, and trying to avoid the various hazards that crop up. These can be launchers that shoot missiles, giant speakers that emit damaging sound waves, and wandering bots – all have to be watched out for. The battle screen looks a lot like Guitar Hero, except this time the notes that you have to play are coming horizontally across the screen. There are guitar battles to unlock doors, and to pull off some of the more powerful attacks that your team learns. These battles work very well, and there is a real sense of achievement for managing to finish a song with 100% sync.
And speaking of songs, the music on display here is very good indeed. There is obviously a leaning towards the rock end of the spectrum, which isn’t surprising in a game about guitars, but there are a few exceptions, and the quality of the music is top notch throughout. All in all, the presentation works very well indeed, and certainly made me want to keep exploring.
So, how about gameplay then, what is that like? Well, varied is the word that scurries towards my typing fingers. There are the halves of the game I mentioned above, exploration and combat, and I’ll have a look at exploration first.
As JJ runs about, you will have various things to check out – scrap lying around on the floor waiting to be picked up, guitars stuck in the floor that either act as checkpoints or as control stations to open doors, or even turn off the offensive weaponry, if you are very lucky. There are also containers to open, and robots to fight – although if you can sneak up on those and hit them first, you will take an advantage into the upcoming fight, so it is well worthwhile being a bit stealthy. There’s no such thing as fair play if your enemy is a mech, after all!
As you explore, the map is filled in, and with a swift press of the LT button, you can bring it up and see where you are meant to be going. The map doesn’t pause the action however, so don’t do it when under attack. On the exploration screen, JJ can also run with B, heal with Y, dodge with A and attack with X, which can be used to clear some obstacles out of the way. Running is advisable when you are under bombardment, but it does cut down the amount of time you have to react, so be cautious.
Combat is glorious in Infinite Guitars. When a battle begins, it is proper old-fashioned turn-based tomfoolery, with the battles split into two phases. The enemy can select which team member they want to attack (usually the weakest), and then there is a mini game presented, where the robots’ attacks are depicted on screen, and you have to try and dodge them. Dodging with perfect timing will give you some charge back, which is used for healing; getting these dodges right can be the difference between success and failure, especially if your team is weak. If a team member is KO’d, that’s it – they are out until the next fight.
When it is your turn, you have a variety of different moves to choose from – ranging from smacking the foe around the head with your guitar, which will damage it but give you charge, to using some powerful attacks that require you to gamble some of your life on the outcome of a guitar section. Luckily, these guitar battles are shorter than the ones to open the gates, for instance, and they do allow for some powerful attacks. The type of mech you are fighting needs to be taken into account too, as melee mechs are damaged more by ranged attacks, and vice versa. You’ll fast discover that matching the attack to the foe is a very good idea. Then of course, there are the bosses, where the climax of the fight is a huge guitar battle featuring all the team members, and this is where it gets very hard.
Infinite Guitars is a blast to play, fusing rhythm action moments and RPG elements into something enjoyable. It is not perfect – there are issues with running around, as the perspectives are a little off, and there are a couple of little glitches, but overall this is well worth a play.
