Musical platformer Wandersong makes its solo debut today
Hitting all the right notes
Bards are the best, and musical platform adventure Wandersong understands why - everyone else gets a big sword, or can throw fireballs, but the bard? They're going to sing their problems into submission, no matter how apocalyptic or dire they may be. And from the look of the launch trailer below, things are pretty dang dire for this little bard. The world is ending, and he's got to run, jump and sing it back to health, and possibly make some friends along the way. The game is out now and is the work of one Greg Lobanov, with audio by A Shell In The Pit.
Music can do a lot in Wandersong's world. It can change the direction of the wind (to help steer a ship), it can help you talk to ghosts (those are very harmonic OoooooOOooOos), and apparently if you're a good enough bard you can even bend gravity with the right note. While there's running, jumping and problem-solving to be done, Wandersong looks to put a lot of weight on its story and characters. Singing brings people together, even when everything feels like it's falling apart. There's lots of sad people to help back onto their feet, especially when the world's ending.
I've not had a chance to try Wandersong yet, though I hope to give it a spin sometime soon. It looks lovely and charming, and the initial round of reviews for the game on both PC and Switch are glowingly positive, with the only common complaint being that it's easy to get through. This isn't a rhythm game in the style of Parappa, DDR or similar, but a puzzle adventure where you switch pitches in your song to alter the world, communicate with people and generally make a ruckus. The notes you hit even determines the tone (literally) of conversation, which is a beautiful idea.
Wandersong is out now on Steam, Humble and Itch for £15/20/$20.