Old School Musical

Last updated
Old School Musical
Old School Musical logo.png
Developer(s) La Moutarde
Publisher(s) Playdius
Director(s) François Bertrand
Artist(s) Anthony Expert
Composer(s)
  • Yponeko
  • Dubmood
  • Zabutom
  • Hello World
  • Le Plancton
Engine Unity
Platform(s)
ReleaseSeptember 13, 2018
Genre(s) Rhythm, adventure
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Old School Musical is a rhythm adventure game developed by La Moutarde and published by Playdius. It has pixel art visuals and a chiptune soundtrack, taking inspiration from classic 8-bit and 16-bit games. The story follows brothers Tib and Rob as they try to save the universe from glitches. Players must press buttons in time with the music according to the on-screen sequence to progress through each level. The game was released for Nintendo Switch and Windows on September 13, 2018. [1] Old School Musical: Pocket Edition, a version including only the Chicken Republic gamemode, was released for iOS and Android in 2019.

Contents

Gameplay

Old School Musical is a rhythm game in which the player must progress the main characters, Tib and Rob, through each level by correctly timing inputs. [2] Each note flows towards the center of the screen from one of four directions. The corresponding button must be pressed as the note eclipses the circle in the center of the screen. Missing or getting poor timing on a note drains from the player's HP bar. Correctly timing notes will increase the fury bar. When the fury bar is full, each consecutive successful note will refill the player's HP. [3]

Plot

Brothers Tib and Rob have spent their entire lives on an island with their strict and cruel mother. One day, while heading home, they notice their world beginning to be destroyed by glitches, and their mother is nowhere to be found. She has left behind a strange remote, and a letter saying to "meet [her] at the communication tower". After defending themselves from the attacking glitches, the brothers use the remote, which opens a portal to a space station. They use the space station to travel to several other worlds, searching for the communication tower. They don't find it, however, and each of these worlds begin glitching shortly after the brothers arrive, forcing them to leave.

Eventually, Tib and Rob visit a post-apocalyptic world known as Arckhania, where they find the tower and meet their mother on the top floor. Mother reveals that this is the world her and the brothers are originally from. She also tells the brothers that the letter that guided them here contained a virus, placed there as part of her evil plan. By carrying the letter, Tib and Rob have been spreading the glitches, causing the worlds they visited to be corrupted and destroyed. The Arckhanian "heart of the Internet" is infected, and begins spreading glitches throughout all universes. Mother tries to blow up the brothers, but they escape the tower using a spaceship.

Tib and Rob receive a telepathic message from a sage named Cloche-Pied. They travel to Cloche-Pied's world, where he shows them a temple with a mural depicting the two brothers as legendary heroes, destined to save the universe from a being called "the shadow". After retrieving a magic key from an imprisoned elf in the Chicken Republic, Tib and Rob open the temple's portal to the Shadow World. They are faced with their mother, who says that her real name is Xelivad, and that she is the shadow that destroyed Arckhania long ago. Xelivad explains that she adopted Tib and Rob after destroying the colony of survivors where their true parents lived. In a face-off with the shadow, the brothers zap Xelivad with their teleporter remote, which ultimately defeats her.

With the shadow gone and the glitches stopped, Tib and Rob decide to stay in the village in Cloche-Pied's world and enjoy their new, peaceful life.

Development

Development began in 2011 under the title 8Bit The Musical. Director François Bertrand was a fan of both rhythm games and retro games, and chose to make a game of his own that would reflect that. Bertrand said "The idea was to make a rhythm game that is both fun to play and nice to watch", and he compared the original gameplay concept to the Project Diva series. [4] After years of work, development was paused due to the challenges of developing with Microsoft XNA. All code and assets were scrapped, and the game was rebuilt in Unity. During the last year of development, the gameplay was changed from the aforementioned Project Diva-like display, to a format where all of the buttons come to the center of the screen. When the game was almost finished, the developers found that they had dozens of songs they weren't able to fit into the main story. To make up for this, 2-3 months were dedicated to development of the post-game "Chicken Republic" mode. [4]

Release

Old School Musical was released for Nintendo Switch and Windows on September 13, 2018. [1]

Toricity, a free DLC containing 5 new levels with music composed by TORIENA  [ ja ], was released on November 7, 2019.

Old School Musical: Pocket Edition was officially launched for iOS and Android on December 10, 2019. [5]

MV Expo, a free DLC containing 5 new levels with music composed by Xavier Dang  [ fr ], was released on June 25, 2020.

A physical edition of the game was given a limited release by Super Rare Games on July 30, 2020. The physical release included all DLC, as well as a game manual, stickers, and trading cards based on the game. [6]

Reception

Old School Musical received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. [7] Nintendo World Report gave the game a 7/10 rating and complimented the well-built gameplay, but criticized the music and story as being forgettable. [9] Shacknews similarly called the story mode "painful" to get through, but praised the soundtrack and post-story challenge mode. [10] A review published by Polygon found Old School Musical to be a "basic but fun" experience beyond its disordered retro game references. [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Metroid Prime</i> 2002 video game

Metroid Prime is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. Metroid Prime is the fifth main Metroid game and the first to use 3D computer graphics and a first-person perspective. It was released in North America in November 2002, and in Japan and Europe the following year. Along with the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion, Prime marked the return of the Metroid series after an eight-year hiatus following Super Metroid (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shadow the Hedgehog</span> Video game character

Shadow the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Takashi Iizuka, Shiro Maekawa, and Kazuyuki Hoshino. He is a major character in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Shadow is an anthropomorphic black hedgehog created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Doctor Eggman. Shadow shares design traits and attributes with Sonic the Hedgehog. He is an antihero who has good intentions but will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals, putting him at odds with Sonic.

<i>Sonic Adventure 2</i> 2001 video game

Sonic Adventure 2 is a 2001 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It features two good-vs-evil stories: Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna attempt to save the world, while Shadow the Hedgehog, Doctor Eggman, and Rouge the Bat attempt to conquer it. The stories are divided into three gameplay styles: fast-paced platforming for Sonic and Shadow, third-person shooting for Tails and Eggman, and action-adventure exploration for Knuckles and Rouge. Like previous Sonic the Hedgehog games, the player completes levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. Outside the main gameplay, they can interact with Chao, a virtual pet, and compete in multiplayer battles.

<i>Marios Cement Factory</i> 1983 handheld electronic game

Mario's Cement Factory is an LCD handheld electronic game developed by Nintendo and published in 1983 under their Game & Watch series. It follows earlier Mario games, like the arcade and Game & Watch versions of Donkey Kong. Players control Mario as he navigates elevators and funnels cement through a factory, while trying to prevent the cement from crushing his fellow workers. Two modes were released: a tabletop model; and a handheld version akin to most other Game & Watch titles. Development was headed by Nintendo R&D1, led by engineer Gunpei Yokoi.

<i>Cave Story</i> 2004 video game

Cave Story is a 2004 Metroidvania platform-adventure video game for Microsoft Windows. It was developed over five years by Japanese independent developer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya in his free time. Cave Story features 2D platform mechanics and is reminiscent of the games Amaya played in his youth, such as Metroid and Castlevania. After its initial self-published release, the game slowly gained popularity on the internet. It received widespread critical acclaim for many polished aspects of its design, such as its compelling characters, setting, story, and gameplay. Cave Story is considered by many as the quintessential indie game because of its one-person development team and influence on the video gaming world.

<i>The Wonderful 101</i> 2013 video game

The Wonderful 101 is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by PlatinumGames and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game was directed by Hideki Kamiya and produced by Atsushi Inaba. It was released in August 2013 in all major regions except North America, where it was released the following month. The Wonderful 101 received generally positive reviews, but failed to meet sales expectations.

<i>Shovel Knight</i> 2014 video game

Shovel Knight is a platform video game developed and published by Yacht Club Games. Development was crowdfunded and the game was released for Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Windows in June 2014. It was ported to OS X and Linux in September 2014, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox One in April 2015, Amazon Fire TV in September 2015, and Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Shovel Knight is inspired by gameplay and graphics of platformer games developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

<i>Crypt of the NecroDancer</i> 2015 video game

Crypt of the NecroDancer is a roguelike rhythm game by Brace Yourself Games. The game takes fundamental elements of a roguelike dungeon exploration game and adds a beat-matching rhythm game set to an original soundtrack written by Danny Baranowsky. The player's actions are most effective when moving the character set to the beat of the current song and are impaired when they miss a beat, so it is necessary to learn the rhythmic patterns that the various creatures follow. The mixed-genre game includes the ability to import custom music, and the option to use a dance pad instead of traditional controllers or the keyboard. The game was released for Linux, OS X, and Windows in April 2015, being co-published by Klei Entertainment, for the PlayStation 4 and Vita in February 2016, for the Xbox One in February 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in February 2018. Crypt of the NecroDancer Pocket Edition, developed for iOS, was released in June 2016.

<i>Sonic Forces</i> 2017 video game

Sonic Forces is a 2017 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The plot focuses on Sonic the Hedgehog joining a resistance movement formed by his friends, alongside its rookie and his misplaced past self. Together, they must stop Doctor Eggman, who has conquered most of the world alongside Infinite, his newest lackey who has been empowered by the Phantom Ruby. It features three gameplay modes: "Classic", side-scrolling gameplay similar to the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, "Modern", 3D gameplay similar to Sonic Unleashed (2008) and Sonic Colors (2010), and a mode featuring the "Avatar", the player's custom character.

<i>Fire Emblem Warriors</i> 2017 video game

Fire Emblem Warriors is a hack and slash action role-playing game developed by Omega Force and Team Ninja, and published by Koei Tecmo in Japan and Nintendo internationally for the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan in September 2017, and worldwide the following month. The game is a collaboration between Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors franchise and Nintendo and Intelligent Systems's Fire Emblem series.

<i>Cadence of Hyrule</i> 2019 video game

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda is a rhythm game developed by Brace Yourself Games and published by Nintendo. The game is a crossover of Crypt of the NecroDancer with The Legend of Zelda, combining the rhythm-based movement and fighting mechanics with elements reminiscent of earlier games in the Zelda franchise. The game was released for the Nintendo Switch on June 13, 2019 to generally positive reviews from critics.

Madeline (<i>Celeste</i>) Character in the 2018 video game Celeste

Madeline is a fictional character who serves as the main protagonist of the video game Celeste by Maddy Thorson. Throughout the game, she climbs the titular Mount Celeste, simultaneously dealing with anxiety and other issues. The character is notable as one of the few transgender protagonist characters in the video game industry: her identity as a trans woman was confirmed by Thorson in 2020, after the release of Farewell, a downloadable content expansion pack for Celeste, which received significant media coverage.

Fuser is a rhythm game developed by Harmonix and published by NCSoft. It was released on November 10, 2020 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Fuser allows players to create DJ mixes from a number of licensed musical tracks, awarding the player for synchronized changes of tracks. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes as well as the means to share remixes with other users. Following the acquisition of Harmonix by Epic Games in 2021, Harmonix shuttered the multiplayer servers in December 2022 and removed the game and additional content from sale, while leaving the single player components playable.

<i>Namcot Collection</i> 2020 video game

Namcot Collection, also known as Namco Museum Archives, is a 2020 video game compilation published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Originally released in Japan for the Nintendo Switch, it was localized for international territories as two separate collections, Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, for the Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows. Namcot Collection includes a wide array of video games published by Namco for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System, with save states, achievements, and homebrew ports of Pac-Man Championship Edition and Gaplus.

<i>Kao the Kangaroo</i> (2022 video game) 2022 video game

Kao the Kangaroo is a platform game developed and published by Tate Multimedia. It was released in May 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. It is the fourth installment of the franchise, a reboot of the series, and the first title released after Kao the Kangaroo: Mystery of the Volcano in 2005.

<i>Pokémon Scarlet</i> and <i>Violet</i> 2022 video games

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are 2022 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. They are the first installments in the ninth generation of the Pokémon video game series. They were announced in February 2022 and released on 18 November 2022. The games later received a downloadable content (DLC) expansion pass storyline, The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero. The first part, The Teal Mask, released on 13 September 2023, and the second part, The Indigo Disk, was released on 14 December 2023. A post-game expansion, Mochi Mayhem, considered the epilogue to the DLC and the games themselves, released on 11 January 2024.

<i>Alwas Legacy</i> 2020 video game

Alwa's Legacy is a Metroidvania video game developed by Elden Pixels and first released in 2020. After saving the land of Alwa in Elden Pixels' previous game, Alwa's Awakening, series protagonist Zoe attempts to return home to her original world.

<i>Yars Rising</i> 2024 video game

Yars Rising is a 2024 action-adventure video game developed by WayForward and published by Atari, Inc. for home consoles and computers. It is part of the Yars series.

References

  1. 1 2 "Press kit - Old School Musical". Osmgame. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ Marrujo, Robert (September 4, 2018). "Hands-On Preview: Old School Musical". Nintendojo. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ Castle, Katharine (February 7, 2020). "Have You Played... Old School Musical?". Rock Paper Shotgun . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Bertrand, François (October 8, 2018). "Old School Musical Post Mortem / Developement". La Moutarde. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  5. ↑ "The wild world of Old School Musical opens its doors on Google Play and Apple App Store today". Dear Villagers. December 10, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Super Rare Games' Next Physical Release Is Old School Musical". NintendoSoup. July 25, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Old School Musical Reviews - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Old School Musical Reviews - OpenCritic". OpenCritic . 13 August 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Ronaghan, Neal (September 13, 2018). "Old School Musical (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Mejia, Ozzie (September 17, 2018). "Old School Musical review: Tuning the band". Shacknews . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  11. ↑ Marrujo, Robert (September 27, 2018). "Review: Old School Musical (Switch)". Nintendojo. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  12. ↑ Ramos, Jeff (September 13, 2018). "Old School Musical is a rhythm game that revels in its retro roots". Polygon . Retrieved November 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.