No Straight Roads

No Straight Roads is an action game in which you can find elements characteristic of rhythmic games - its authors claim that their game is a tribute to music and musicians. The production boasts a few original ideas in the gameplay mechanics and an attractive audiovisual setting. It was created by the Malaysian development studio Metronomik, established by the lead designer of Final Fantasy XV - Wan Hazmer - and Daim Dziauddin (he was responsible for graphic designs in Street Fighter V).

Plot

The main protagonists of No Straight Roads are Mayday and Zeke, members of the underground rock band Bunk Bed Junction, who challenge the titular ominous record label, as well as its minions - various musicians (pianists and DJs, among others) who have signed a contract with the company.

Mechanics

No Straight Roads is a third-person action game. The game is about traversing different locations (they are designed to suit the artist who is the main opponent of a given level) and fighting new enemies - the combat mechanics resemble productions such as Devil May Cry, Kingdom Hearts or Nier: Automata). Each location also has a unique battle with a powerful boss, which requires the right tactics to defeat.

Music plays a very important role in No Straight Roads - the sounds we hear change in real-time, falling into different genres when we strike or avoid enemy attacks. In many cases, a sense of rhythm will enable us to anticipate the enemy's behavior (for example, bombs are dropped or detonated in specific, music-driven moments). The characters we control can use their work to influence the environment - thanks to music, for example, we can turn some objects into improvised weapons.

Between the next stages, we can visit our base (located in the sewers), where we get the opportunity to develop the skills of the heroes and adjust their equipment. While staying at the band's headquarters, we can also see a counter showing the number of Bunk Bed Junction fans - the value changes depending on our actions.

Game modes

No Straight Roads only offers a single-player mode. The game's main point is the story campaign.

Technical aspects

No Straight Roads uses the popular Unreal Engine and has very attractive three-dimensional graphics. The levels and models are very colorful, full of details and nicely animated. Its artistic style brings to mind, among others, animated films and online comics. The rich soundtrack, involving many composers, is also worth attention - including authors of music from the Final Fantasy series, the Sonic series, as well as such titles as Cytus or Spark the Electric Jester.

Last updated on March 3, 2020