Universal Rhythm Doctor - a Rhythm Heaven-inspired tough-as-nails one-button rhythm game!

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by fizzd, Feb 10, 2017.

  1. fizzd

    fizzd Member

    Jun 21, 2012
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    #1 fizzd, Feb 10, 2017
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2017
    Hi guys, we’re 7th Beat Games, a game studio that dedicates itself to making weird one-button rhythm games. And this is Rhythm Doctor:

    [​IMG]

    Summary
    It’s a brutally hard one-button game heavily inspired by Rhythm Heaven!

    For those who haven't played Rhythm Heaven, the defining feature of the series is the extremely strict margin of error, compared to any other music game out there. This means many people don't even realise their rhythm is a little off until they play Rhythm Heaven. Our game seeks to emulate that feeling ;D It's different from other rhythm games, in that all the music is composed specifically to match the level design, mechanics, and story.

    We won an IGF nomination for the game back in 2014, while we were still in school. Now that we've graduated, we're going full steam on development!

    The core idea is simple: press on the 7th beat to save patients.

    Demo on iOS

    But! Every level has a twist on that concept. In this one, a virus is messing up your connection, leading to glitchstep music, and you have to keep the count to 7 in your head.



    Further twists include having you master things like polyrhythms, offbeats, even irregular time signatures.. and if those don't mean much to you, don't worry - its designed to make you learn music and rhythm theory without even realising it.

    Here's an early tech-demo showing some of those other concepts.

    If anyone wants to try an early alpha on TestFlight, just add your Apple ID here / message me, thanks :) Requires iOS 10 and above, current build just for iPhones. So far it runs smoothly on an iPhone 5 and above, but if you have older models and would like to try it, it'd be appreciated if you could let us know how it runs. We'll get back to you in the near future. In the meantime, if you're eager to try it on desktops...

    Playable Stuff

    >>PLAY BROWSER DEMO<<

    Official website: rhythmdr.com

    Random freebies:
    Kanye
    'Steinway', a tough acoustic prototype level.


    Features

    • 3-4 hours main campaign
    • 20+ handmade levels, each with their own story.
    • Face-off with a resilient virus in epic glitchstep boss battles.
    • A large cast of doctors and patients feature in an overarching storyline.
    • Play solo campaign or grab a friend for drop-in drop-out local multiplayer!
    • Blind mode, where the game can be played completely via audio cues only.
    • Large amount of challenge levels, New Game+ modes, and modifiers, for the brave.
    • Full visual and audio calibration settings.

    Press & Feedback on our desktop demo

    2014 IGF Showcase nominee!

    Destructoid
    "Even if you've checked it out before, please try this new build. It's deliciously difficult, and that's really what keeps me coming back."

    Indie Haven
    "A genuine masterclass in rhythm game design."

    Eurogamer
    "a rad Rhythm Paradise-esque browser game (...) sadistically difficult."

    Indiegames.com
    "The base mechanic and premise of Rhythm Doctor are gold for me. (...) Rhythm is in everything, and I'm glad the developers found it in medicine."

    David Rusak, Drinkbox Studios (Guacamelee!, Severed)
    "I just opened the afore-RT'd zany rhythm game and played as far as the first boss and it was indeed wonderful, recommended."

    Reddit thread
    "You've really nailed that quirky Japanese game sort of personality, that often really quirky and surreal sense of humor with a gentle sort of grounding to it. It has a resonance to it that most games don't." - Clumpy

    ---

    Thanks for the reading, greetings to TA staff and TA forumers, and we're eager to get in contact with rhythm game fans here!
     
  2. Stronsay

    Stronsay Well-Known Member

    Aug 6, 2015
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    I have to try all rhythm games and this looks to be entertaining. Scored a couple of A's in the browser version but they were just intro levels. Will be great fun when the glitchstep really kicks in. This should be taken up by the NHS.
     
  3. fizzd

    fizzd Member

    Jun 21, 2012
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    Thanks Stronsay - wow you're pretty good. :) There's a hidden extra-tough secret level in that browser version too, that you might like!
     
  4. skylined87

    skylined87 Well-Known Member

    Nov 9, 2014
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    Holy crap, this looks very interesting! I love glitchstep, so this is already a must have in my book. The pixel art, music, visuals, and crazy glitch out moments really come together to make something special from what I can see. Can't wait to give this a spin! #

    PM sent!
     
  5. Escci

    Escci New Member

    Feb 12, 2017
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    i am so excited for this!! :eek: any idea how much you are planning on pricing it at? just curious! thank you for the hard work on this wonderful game
     
  6. fizzd

    fizzd Member

    Jun 21, 2012
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    Thank you for the kind words skylined87 and Escci!

    @ Escci, we're deciding between priced and free (like Super Cat Tales). Leaning more towards free with ads for the main campaign, as is the climate nowadays, with paid additional challenges and extra levels!

    If it were premium though, we're looking at $5 or less, for sure.

    Replying to those who've sent PM's now. And to clarify, our mobile beta is likely to be at least two months away! We're planning for release by the end of June.

    Meanwhile here's another quick level we made for fun :p

     
  7. Puke Aces

    Puke Aces Well-Known Member

    Sad to hear that it's iOS 10 only :( but I'm glad the game I loved so much is being updated regularly! :D are there any plans to port this to android too? :)
     

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