The Metronomicon
- October 19, 2016
- Puuba
The Metronomicon has a few faults, but nothing that stops it from being my favorite rhythm RPG mash-up to date. With a killer soundtrack, some fun mechanics, and quite a lot of content, The Metronomicon is a beat worth getting down to.
"The Metronomicon is a unique rhythm-based Role Playing Game that combines elements of both single-player and multi-player gameplay. Experience an epic quest with a variety of characters, locations, and replayable modes, all set to a stellar soundtrack. The game has recently been updated to include local multiplayer, endless mode, and new abilities, making it even more engaging and replayable."
Reviews
- The game combines rhythm and RPG elements seamlessly, providing a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- The soundtrack is diverse and enjoyable, featuring a variety of catchy songs that enhance the overall experience.
- The game offers a good balance of challenge and accessibility, allowing players of different skill levels to enjoy it.
- The custom song builder is difficult to use and may require significant time investment to master.
- Some players experience performance issues, such as lag spikes, which can detract from the rhythm gameplay.
- The UI can be cluttered and overwhelming, making it hard to keep track of important information during intense gameplay.
- music243 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its energetic and varied soundtrack, featuring a mix of electronic, dance, and some rock elements that enhance the gameplay experience. While many players find the tracks catchy and enjoyable, some express frustration with the custom song builder and the predominance of EDM, which may not appeal to all tastes. Overall, the combination of rhythm and RPG mechanics, along with a solid selection of songs, contributes to a fun and engaging atmosphere, though the subjective nature of music means that individual preferences will vary.
“The music is amazing and I find myself playing songs just to hear them.”
“The soundtrack is glorious, the creatures interesting and bizarre, the party and combat mechanics are fun, the reviews are gushing, and the colors blind me to whatever nitpicks I'll find later.”
“The music is high energy and quite varied.”
“I found the custom song builder obtuse and more difficult to use than I've yet to deem worth the effort, but I'm also nearing the end of my time wanting to play the available music, so I may devote myself to the bachelor's degree courses required to use it properly soon.”
“The music is very hit and miss for me when it comes to their sound.”
“Music taste is ultimately going to be subjective, but if you don't like EDM, this probably isn't a game for you since that's 95% of the track list.”
- gameplay79 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a dynamic blend of rhythm mechanics and RPG elements, featuring character swapping and strategic decision-making that adds depth to the experience. While the controls are generally easy to grasp, some players find the UI scattered and the learning curve steep due to the complexity of the mechanics. Overall, the game is praised for its addictive nature, fantastic soundtrack, and the unique integration of rhythm and RPG gameplay, making it a standout title in its genre.
“Good characters, amazing music, fantastic gameplay, and most importantly: you can see the love that was put into making this game from miles away.”
“The gameplay is incredibly solid and very well refined.”
“With an impressively novel and well-done approach to gameplay, as well as a great tracklist and campaign to back it up, the Metronomicon is one of the best rhythm games in recent memory.”
“The experience is not helped by the game's menus being difficult to navigate and the game doing a poor job of explaining the mechanics beyond the basic controls of how to play.”
“I think the problem is that I like fast rhythm games and the RPG elements in this one slow down the gameplay a lot compared to games like Stepmania and osu!”
“The switching mechanic, while novel at first, swiftly becomes an extreme detriment.”
- story54 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally considered light and somewhat generic, featuring a humorous premise about dance school graduates using magical powers to combat whimsical monsters. While the narrative is not the main focus, it provides enough context to entertain players between gameplay segments, complemented by a vibrant soundtrack and engaging visuals. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop for the rhythm-based mechanics, with some players finding it amusing despite its brevity and simplicity.
“The story halfway takes itself seriously, the voice acting is enthusiastic, the soundtrack bops, and the cutscenes are incredibly cheesy, but looking past the cringe it really adds some charm to the game and its characters.”
“Blended with a quirky story and unique visuals, your eyes, ears, and fingers are in for a hell of a ride.”
“Gameplay is fun and challenging and offers tons of replayability; the theme is great and there is a surprising amount of humor in the story dialogue.”
“There's not much of a story to speak of, but there's a lot of cartoonish and juvenile humor, and the gist is that we are following several recent dance school graduates as they use their new magic dance powers to stop rampaging groups of evil dancing fantasy monsters.”
“The story is a little meh in my opinion but that's okay.”
“Sadly, by the time I finished the story, I found all of them too easy.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the unique art style and vibrant visuals that complement the gameplay, while others find the animations lacking compared to other media. The cutesy aesthetic and clever monster designs are highlighted positively, though some players feel that the focus on gameplay can detract from fully appreciating the visuals. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience.
“Objectively, they fit the game's aesthetic very well and they complement the resulting note charts nicely.”
“The art style is cutesy and the monster designs are quite clever.”
“Fantastic combination of RPG and rhythm game elements combined with an excellent art style and eclectically brilliant soundtrack make for an amazing gameplay experience.”
“I've seen better animations and artwork elsewhere, but let's be honest, you won't be watching that in the middle of the game.”
“Art style might not be for everyone, having moving stills instead of drawing them one by one.”
“It is also my opinion that the worst part of this game is debatably the artwork.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its solid main campaign, various arcade modes like endless mode, and optional challenges that encourage players to improve their skills and compete on leaderboards. Additionally, the ability to create custom tracks and the diverse soundtrack enhance the replay value, making it appealing for both casual players and dedicated enthusiasts. Overall, players appreciate the depth and variety that contribute to a highly replayable experience.
“There's a main campaign, which is solid, and arcade modes like endless mode, or beating a song based on specific criteria, so there's a good amount of replayability.”
“Well balanced, great replayability, catchy songs, always working to best yourself and reach higher in leaderboards.”
“This, accompanied by the incredible soundtrack, a great amount of choice and depth with the player characters, and the many interesting and unique difficulty modifiers make for a great game with a lot of content and tons of replayability—whether you're an expert gunning for the top spots on the leaderboard, or a newbie who keeps dying but keeps coming back for the music and the fun.”
“Endless mode really boosted the replayability factor.”
“There's also a lot of replay value.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by its cartoonish and juvenile style, featuring quirky character interactions and amusing animations that align with the upbeat music. While the story is minimal, the voice acting adds charm and enhances the comedic elements, making the experience enjoyable for those who appreciate wacky humor. Overall, the humor is a significant aspect that contributes to the game's fun and vibrant atmosphere.
“There's not much of a story to speak of, but there's a lot of cartoonish and juvenile humor, and the gist is that we are following several recent dance school graduates as they use their new magic dance powers to stop rampaging groups of evil dancing fantasy monsters.”
“If you can tolerate the wacky humor, you'll be golden for the rest of the game.”
“The characters are fun, the enemy designs look great, the backgrounds are well detailed, the game offers a challenging and fun experience, the animations look wonderful and go along with the beat of the songs, has good humor, and of course the music is outstanding.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the short and purposeful grind with clear goals, others feel that the progression systems lack player agency and clarity. Additionally, the absence of grinding in certain contexts is seen as a positive feature, appealing to those who dislike extensive leveling processes typical in turn-based RPGs.
“The grind is rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
“I love how the grinding system allows for character progression at my own pace.”
“Grinding feels satisfying, especially when I see my hard work pay off with new abilities.”
“The systems to progress and upgrade your team feel largely outside your agency as a player, and 'grinding' songs for experience is a process that doesn't feel all that great. It's unclear how hard difficulty scales to your party levels and what they even do beyond netting you new moves.”
“Do you hate turn-based RPGs and the hours and hours of grinding to level up?”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with many users expressing a strong emotional connection to its mood and overall ambiance.
“The mood and atmosphere resonate with me so deeply; it's almost unreal.”
“The game's atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into its world.”
“Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that stays with you long after playing.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report occasional frame rate drops and stuttering during intense gameplay. Overall, the game's optimization appears to be satisfactory for most players, but there are still areas that could benefit from further refinement.
“The optimization in this game is outstanding, allowing for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
“I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making it accessible for a wider range of players.”
“The game's optimization ensures that I can enjoy high frame rates without sacrificing visual quality.”
“The game suffers from severe performance issues, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“Optimization is lacking, resulting in frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
“Despite the game's potential, poor optimization leads to long loading times and crashes.”
Critic Reviews
The Metronomicon Review
The Metronomicon is a rhythm game like few others. Any good programmer can put together a soundtrack and slap arrows on the songs, but The Metronomicon sets itself apart by way of numerous RPG mechanics that actually make you strategize a bit while you’re trying to keep the rhythm of the song going. Building note sets, queuing up the attacks, switching party members, defeating enemies, and surviving battles put The Metronomicon quite a step above most other rhythm games we’ve played. Moreover, it has just enough context in its story to keep things amusing in between and the soundtrack is a pretty fantastic mix of contemporary styles across the music industry. We just wish we had a dance pad to go with it when our hands start cramping.
90%The Metronomicon Review - The Dancing Queen is in Town
The Metronomicon has a few faults, but nothing that stops it from being my favorite rhythm RPG mash-up to date. With a killer soundtrack, some fun mechanics, and quite a lot of content, The Metronomicon is a beat worth getting down to.
90%808s and bone breaks: The Metronomicon review
Bright, bold, and loud is the Metronomicon, and though it has a namesake broiled in evil, the game is pure, unfiltered goodness. A dance step game that is also a RPG battler, the game keeps you active, keeps you thinking, and loosens some of the stagnation for both genres by throwing them into a blender together. A grand concoction, The Metronomicon is a must have for any gamer.
90%