No Straight Roads

No Straight Roads
Cover Art
Developer(s)	Metronomik
Publisher(s)	Sold Out
Director(s)	Wan Hazmer Daim Dziauddin
Producer(s)	Idir Alexander Ould Braham
Designer(s)	Lydia Ho Dexter Tam
Programmer(s)	Muhd Hanif
Artist(s)	Ellie Yong
Writer(s)	Aidi G.V.
Composer(s)	Falk Au Yeong Andy Tunstall James Landino Funk Fiction Masahiro Aoki
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
Release	WW: August 25, 2020 JP: August 27, 2020
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

No Straight Roads is an action-adventure video game developed by Malaysian independent studio Metronomik and published by Sold Out Ltd. The focuses on an indie rock duo who battle an EDM empire to free Vinyl City from their control with the power of rock. The game combat involves listening to the music, knowing when enemies attack and when to strike. It was released worldwide on August 25, 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via the Epic Games Store after three years of development and several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gameplay

In No Straight Roads, the player takes control of either Mayday or Zuke and can switch between them anytime in single player. The game is designed around a rhythm-based combat system in which the player can move freely without having to follow the beat, but still has to pay attention to audio cues in order to plan their moves. The music notes they collect can be used as projectiles, and some objects can be transformed into weapons during boss battles.

Mayday and Zuke attack differently due to their specializations. Mayday's guitar swings and attack transformations deal more damage, while Zuke builds up combos with his drumsticks and provides support using his transformations. A skill tree depends on the number of fans the band has at a time. As Bunk Bed Junction's popularity rises, the player is offered upgrades to their abilities or additions to their individual movesets.

Every area of Vinyl City hosts an artist promoted by NSR. Bunk Bed Junction is to take them on, obtain their Platinum Discs, and further open up the city.

Story

Setting

The game takes place in the fictional high-tech metropolis of Vinyl City, which is stated to be the music capital of the world. The city is governed by No Straight Roads (NSR), a corrupt electronic music label whose goal is to monopolize the music industry. Vinyl City is made up of several districts, with each one run by one of NSR's artists. They each possess a Platinum Disc which gives them control of a certain district.

Vinyl City's power comes from a device called the "Qwasa". NSR's influence lets them host auditions to find talented artists who can provide a source of energy for the city. Knowing this, Bunk Bed Junction sets out to challenge their rule.

Characters

The protagonists are the indie rock band Bunk Bed Junction consisting of Mayday (voiced by Su Ling Chan), the energetic, hotblooded guitarist, and Zuke (voiced by Steven Bones), the collected, relaxed drummer, who fight to bring back rock music and defeat NSR by hijacking their artists' concerts. NSR is led by Tatiana (voiced by Priscilla Patrick), and has a roster of superstar artists which includes DJ Subatomic Supernova (voiced by Mohamad "Uncle" Ali Imran), an egotistical DJ who performs at the outer space-themed Club Planetarium, Sayu (voiced by Nikki Simmons), a bubbly digital pop idol designed as a mermaid who believes heavily in the power of love, Yinu (voiced by Damia Huda), a piano playing child prodigy, 1010 (all voiced by Muhammad Zulhilmi), a robotic boy band, and Eve (voiced by Joanna Bessey), a shapeshifting diva who curates abstract art. Other notable characters are Yinu's overprotective mother (voiced by Azah Boémia Anuarul), Neon J. (also voiced by Muhammad Zulhilmi), 1010's manager, and DK West (voiced by Alfred Loh), a famous rapper. Numerous other characters inhabit Vinyl City, such as Kliff, self-proclaimed number 1 fan of Bunk Bed Junction.

Plot

As Bunk Bed Junction, Mayday and Zuke participate in the annual Lights Up Auditions to join the record label No Straight Roads and bring rock music back to relevance. The audition itself is judged by the CEO of NSR, Tatiana, and stars from the label as they witness Mayday and Zuke's performance to determine if they are worthy. After Bunk Bed Junction finishes the course, the artists choose to dismiss them. This sets off Mayday's temper, causing her to backtalk Tatiana. Tatiana then gives a snarky response to the two in which she states electronic dance music is the only genre currently in demand.

On the way home, Mayday complains about NSR dismissing them. Zuke gives them the benefit of the doubt before he and Mayday come across a televised broadcast of their audition. The footage showing their performance powering the Qwasa to almost full capacity leads Mayday to suspicion. Tatiana then announces that she has banned rock for future auditions, and insists on playing EDM instead. All of a sudden, the power in Vinyl City goes out, and it is revealed that the backup energy is being directed solely to NSR's performers. Reaching their breaking point, the duo decide to revolt against NSR's grip on the city. Their first plan of action in is to crash the concert of DJ Subatomic Supernova, a DJ signed to NSR who holds the Cast Tech District's charter.

Their defeat of DJ Subatomic Supernova grants them control of his district. Later, Bunk Bed Junction meets a big fan of theirs, Kliff, who offers to provide them with guidance on how to take down the other artists at their concerts and gain control of their districts. Their next target is Sayu, who has the Akusuka District's charter, and is shown to have been created by a group of teenagers.

After Mayday and Zuke defeat Sayu, Tatiana and Eve reluctantly summon DK West to halt their progress.

Development

Metronomik was set up by cousins Daim Dziauddin and Wan Hazmer, who were both involved in Street Fighter V and Final Fantasy XV in Japan. No Straight Roads, their debut title, was developed as a game that could be viewed as proudly Malaysian.

Hazmer was inspired by other rhythm games while developing No Straight Roads, citing games such as Gitaroo Man, Space Channel 5, and Jet Set Radio. The unrealistic skin colours of the cast were adapted from the cartoon Steven Universe, while the surreal art direction and storyline borrowed from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Psychonauts, and Scott Pilgrim.

The musicians behind the game's soundtrack are Falk Au Yeong, Andy Tunstall, James Landino, and Pejman Roozbeh, also known as Funk Fiction. The four of them had worked together on the music of the 2013 fangame Sonic: After the Sequel, and the 2017 action-platformer Spark the Electric Jester. Falk, an employee of soundtRec, served as an audio engineer for games including Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Sonic Mania.

No Straight Roads also features guest artists in its soundtrack, such as Japanese rock band One Eye Closed, Manchester-based American singer Nikki Simmons, Malaysian guitarist Az Samad, and American producer RoboRob.

See also

• Brutal Legend - A 2009 action-adventure game that is also music-themed.

External Links

• Official website