Harmonix is best known for rhythm-focused series like Rock Band and Dance Central, but its next release is quite a bit different — a multiplayer first-person shooter. Called Chroma, the sci-fi PC game has you squaring off against opponents like in any other multiplayer FPS, but the key difference is its focus on music. Weapons will emit musical tones when they fire, and the developer says that both combat and movement are tied to the game’s soundtrack.
The studio behind ‘Rock Band’ is making a musical first person shooter
The hills are alive with the sound of gunfire
The hills are alive with the sound of gunfire
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
"It's a very different headspace than most shooters."
“It’s a very different headspace than most shooters,” Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos told Polygon, “and on some level much more about creation than destruction.” Levels will change at important musical moments, and you’ll be able to choose your weapons based on sounds. Just how everything will work is still in flux, however — Chroma is still in an early alpha state, with much of the design not yet finalized. You will be able to check out its musical warfare this year, though, as the free-to-play Chroma is slated to launch on Steam some time in 2014.
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