Funky 1990s Sokoban/Strategy Mashup Backbeat is Now on Xbox

Summary

BackbeatXbox Live now has the option to purchase it
You will find a unique mashup between the strategy and puzzle genres
A tribute to 1990s ensemble dramedies

This is my second title launching on Xbox and it’s really cool to see how much our company has grown since Hexagroove – Tactical DJ2020. It was an amazing experience the first time, but I still wanted to make this more inviting and more easily accessible. You can find out more at In BackbeatThe interface was designed from scratch for Xbox 4, and is easily scalable to other Xbox models. Ichigoichie’s games feature a mix of genres, and we draw our gameplay mechanics from music theory. It was sometimes a bit overwhelming. HexagrooveSo I put in a lot of effort to create new mechanics. BackbeatYou will be able to play a larger portion of the game. So much in fact you’ll still be learning new tricks more than three quarters through the main campaign!

BackbeatAt first glance, this is a turn-based puzzle game called sokoban. Your goal is to get a group of 4 characters to reach the destination in as few turns as possible. Every character is unique and moves in a different way, which presents challenges. After some levels we introduce time mechanics to the mix, and you’ll need to synchronize each character’s timeline with the others, working together to unblock obstacles on the path to the goal. You will also need to manage four resources that you share while traversing space and time. These resources can be affected by how you interact or change your direction. A high score means you can maximize your resources. Run out of resources, and you’re in a failure state. You can rewind each turn individually to improve your puzzle solutions.

Here’s one thing I want to say BackbeatIt was an inspiring story that would motivate you and help set the stage for your actions. Setting: 1995, Washington, D.C. The story has many nods to analog times before the dawn of the internet. The narrative is a homage to ensemble 90s dramedies like “With Honors”, “The Commitments”, and “School of Rock”. Heroine Watts tries to maintain a small band of amateur musicians in funk while dealing with the challenges of creating a collaborative environment: conflicting personalities and inflated egos. Each of these main bands has a diverse set of characters, so I hope you find the one that appeals to you.

If you’re a fan of puzzle games, turn-based strategy, or story-rich retro experiences, then I think there’s something for you to appreciate, and many more novel features to discover. Try the demo version for free. BackbeatLet me know if you want to have some wild fun.

Backbeat

Ichigoichie

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

$29.99

$26.99

It’s a combination of strategy and puzzle. You must manage four threads to lead your team through sokoban puzzles. You have a few turns to manage your squad’s resources. This is a tribute to 90s ensemble dramedies. You can customize the dynamic soundtrack by adding audio effects.

===STORY ===
Stephanie Watson (Watts), an aspiring bassist bounced from auditions to auditions never finding music that resonated with them. That is until she discovered funk. After getting hooked, Watson recruits an amateur group from her hometown to battle La Tormenta and other art school students at the Battle of the Bands.

=== MECHANICS ===
Your band’s characters move around the map in their own ways and encounter unique obstacles. Advancement of a character takes a turn, and a part of the timeline. This allows you to interact with enemies and other characters at various points in the time. Your move is undone by rewinding it. You will be able to come up with better solutions and more effective ways of solving problems.

To manipulate each character individually, you can rewind and fast-forward the timeline to arrive at the current time. Time changes are visible in each character’s past and current actions, creating new possibilities or removing old ones.

Every character can trigger his super moves, which are limited in resources. Your super-sax can be used to rip through obstacles with your bandleader, your keyboard player or drummer, and even break through walls. Your super moves are key to achieving maximum scores and increase the number of possible solutions.

There are four resource-based musical metrics that govern when and how you can interact with the objects within levels. If used incorrectly they can block your progress and cause major musical chain effects. However, when controlled well these metrics create incredible musical chains and high-scoring music scores.

===MUSIC ===
Watts will be sharing her musical journey, rooted in funk fusion. Pete Fraser is a session saxophonist for the The Pogues and Friendly Fires. He also composes soulful grooves. A live group of seven jazz masters recorded twenty musical motifs, which form the basis for the music that is featured in the game. Depending on which direction you go in each puzzle’s maze, different songs are created. You can customize your performance by changing the playing style, switching instruments, or using real-time audio effect pedals.

=== CONCEPT ===
Backbeat, a tribute to the story-driven 16 and 32 bit games of 1990s, recreates the struggles and triumphs of the final days of analog life as well the dawn of the internet. In suburban Washington D.C., dimly lit arcades and diner parking lots reflect the area’s suburbs.

Watts’ struggles for leadership, success and keeping a group together are shared by an eclectic cast of support characters, both friends and foe.