A City Sleeps
- October 16, 2014
- Harmonix Music Systems
A City Sleeps has too little content and a frustrating main conceit
Get on Steam"A City Sleeps" is a rhythm-action game where you play as a spirit battling other spectral entities to protect a sleeping city. Using a variety of attacks synced to the game's music, you'll navigate through ever-changing levels, battling bosses and collecting power-ups. The game features a unique visual style and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that complement the gameplay.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable for music lovers.
- The unique combination of rhythm-based mechanics and bullet hell gameplay offers a fresh take on the genre, providing a tactical layer with the ghost system.
- The art style is visually appealing, creating an engaging atmosphere that complements the game's themes.
- The game is very short, with only three levels that can feel repetitive, limiting overall content and replayability.
- Controls can be unresponsive or clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, especially during intense moments.
- The rhythm mechanics can make the gameplay unpredictable, as attacks are tied to the music, which may hinder player control and enjoyment.
- music152 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in "A City Sleeps" is widely praised for its quality and integration into the gameplay, with many reviewers highlighting the fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. However, some players express frustration with the gameplay mechanics that tie firepower and enemy patterns to the music, leading to moments of unpredictability and potential frustration. Overall, while the soundtrack is a standout feature, the execution of its integration into the gameplay has received mixed feedback.
“The game looks great - the music is wonderful, and the aesthetic is near-perfect.”
“The soundtrack is the highlight of the game.”
“A city sleeps is a music-driven dual joystick bullet hell shooter.”
“Unfortunately, the music / rhythm element adds nothing to the game whatsoever, and despite using preset music, the link between music and gameplay isn't any better than in titles like Beat Hazard, where an algorithm generates gameplay elements for the music of your choice.”
“The main addition is that when you shoot, music comes from your bullets, thus giving the impression that this is a music-inspired shooter (the music has nothing to do with the gameplay but the sound is very good).”
“With a game like this centered around music, I would have hoped for more stages with more opportunities for awesome music.”
- gameplay43 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its unique blend of rhythm and bullet hell mechanics, while others find the combat dull and the rhythm elements poorly integrated. Many reviews highlight the fluidity and polish of the gameplay, alongside an excellent soundtrack, but some criticize the lack of level variety and the awkwardness of controls. Overall, while the game offers engaging mechanics and high replayability, it struggles to fully realize the synergy between music and gameplay.
“This is an amazing combination of rhythm and shmup gameplay.”
“The gameplay is fluid and flows perfectly, the art is beautiful and each enemy stands out.”
“Simply amazing... from the soundtrack, to the beautiful world, to the crazy frantic gameplay... amazing.”
“Because the rhythm-based gameplay doesn’t add much to the bullet hell experience and at worst takes away some of the enjoyment.”
“Unfortunately, the music/rhythm element adds nothing to the game whatsoever, and despite using preset music, the link between music and gameplay isn't any better than in titles like Beat Hazard, where an algorithm generates gameplay elements for the music of your choice.”
“Something about the control scheme or the mechanics just feels awkward; I feel like I'm flailing around rather than getting into the flow of things.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their unique art style and beautiful visuals, creating an engaging aesthetic experience. However, the high-contrast design can hinder visual clarity, making it difficult to differentiate elements on screen, which may detract from gameplay. Overall, while the artwork and soundtrack are well-received, the execution suffers from issues like low bullet visibility and a cluttered interface.
“The game looks great - the music is wonderful, and the aesthetic is near-perfect.”
“It’s in the combination of intense arcade shooting, total absorption in the gorgeous and overwhelming visuals, and the constant harmony of so many sounds coming together that something incredible is born.”
“A really well polished game with an amazing art style and soundtrack that go well into the game mechanics, and despite its short length offers a fair amount of fun.”
“The high-contrast art style actually makes it substantially harder to differentiate anything at a glance, requiring you to look more closely at any given part of the screen to tell what's going on.”
“Low bullet visibility, unintuitive controls, a very eccentric combat system, walls of story text, and a cheap graphic budget add up to a product that just doesn't work well.”
“Visual clarity is lacking, and an option to turn off the visuals of your character besides your hitbox is missing.”
- story14 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story in the game is present but often feels underdeveloped and poorly explained, with players noting that the backstory is conveyed through brief paragraphs between levels rather than being fully integrated into the gameplay. While some find the narrative elements intriguing, many express disappointment in its lack of depth and clarity, leading to a sense of detachment from the overall experience. Overall, the story does not significantly enhance the gameplay, leaving players wanting more substance and engagement.
“The small story paragraphs you get between levels and difficulties are nice.”
“It plays like a wave-based side scroller, with intriguing mechanics that contribute both to the overarching story, as well as add significantly to the gameplay, allowing it to feel very much like a noted title in the near-to-overflowing genre.”
“It also doesn’t help that my eyes immediately glazed over when I read the first paragraph of the supposed backstory of this title.”
“There isn't much of a story.”
“The story is present, but not well explained, and much of the terminology isn’t defined either.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate to high replayability, primarily through unlockable abilities, various difficulty levels, and a leaderboard system. While it features a limited number of stages, the introduction of new mechanics and modifiers encourages players to revisit levels for different experiences. Additionally, the ghost mechanic allows for varied approaches to previously completed levels, enhancing the overall replay value.
“Even though there's a small number of levels, the game makes up for it in terms of replayability, as there are plenty of difficulties for each level that seem to unlock new mechanics and other features as you play through.”
“The ghost mechanic gives the game additional replayability, as you will likely want to try a different approach on a level you've already beaten.”
“With its beautiful art and fluid gameplay, it offers high replayability despite the short length.”
“It's quite short, only three stages with three chapters each, and some incentive for replayability in the form of unlockables and new difficulties.”
“Even though there's a small number of levels, the game does make up for it in terms of replayability, as there are plenty of difficulties for each of the levels, and they seem to unlock new mechanics and other things as you play through.”
“The ghost mechanic gives the game additional replayability, as you probably will want to try a different approach on a level you've already beaten.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a blend of quirky, heartfelt writing and a dreamlike quality that enhances its generic cyberpunk setting. Users appreciate the art style and music, which contribute to a unique and engaging experience, despite some criticisms of the controls. Overall, the atmosphere effectively captures the game's tone and resonates with players.
“The setting is generic cyberpunk, but the writing and dreamlike atmosphere of the stages are engaging.”
“I love this game so much; the art sets such a perfect atmosphere for the tone of the game, and the music is crazy good. It's so full of heart.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, despite appreciating the art style and music. The gameplay is described as a blend of digital consistency and human unpredictability, resulting in a familiar yet ever-changing experience.
“The art style is nice, the music is pretty good, but I found the gameplay ultimately tedious.”
“The compositions that emerge from these systems are beautifully uniform yet unstable; digital consistency grinding against human unpredictability and imperfection to mold a track that is immediately familiar yet never quite identical.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players praise the game's optimization, noting that the art is well-executed and the performance is smooth throughout.
“All the art is very well done in-game and everything runs smoothly.”
“The game is optimized beautifully, allowing for seamless gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
“I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making it accessible for a wider audience.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players report a stable experience, noting no glitches, bugs, or lag even after extended gameplay sessions.
