Xbox Reviews

The Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor Review

The Metronomicon

I love rhythm games and I love roleplaying games, developer Akupara made something that combines them both. What a great idea, right? We have been treated with many rhythm games lately, Thumper, Aaero and Stereo Aereo for example but Metronomicon really stands out. Read why in this good sounding review! 

THE GOOD

  • Arguably the most important thing for a rhythm game is the soundtrack, Metronomicon features a pretty long list (around 40) with indie-songs, music lovers might recognise some artists but don’t be afraid about the unknown. The soundtrack is fantastic, especially for the cheap €20 price. I love to discover new bands and artists and Metronomicon is a big help with that.
  • The gameplay seems easy at first, but you’ll quickly notice that it has a lot of depth and can be surprisingly nail-biting difficult. You need to press the correct direction from the note chart on-screen, the twist comes from four character based note charts. You can freely switch between charts and all four of them have different abilities. One chart is the healer, another one will do melee DPS, a magic based chart or a chart that buffs your party. You have a few different charts/characters, so you can find your suiting gameplay tactic for yourself. The depth is pretty big and let’s you explore many ways of earning high scores on music tracks.
  • The American developer didn’t forget about local co-op players, the multiplayer mode work the same but each player controls two charts. Making it a little bit easier to tackle those demanding songs. It’s a really sweet option and I really recommend to try it out with your friends!
  • Metronomicon’s art style is spot on, with some excellent monster design. CMain characters are a little bit less impressive but I had a real laugh about some crazy fun monster species. The backgrounds are good too, they don’t scream for attention so you can have a clear view on the four note charts.
  • Local co-op, high scores on each songs, different party members with unique abilities, lots of modes, playing it with a Guitar controller, and an addictive soundtrack. Let’s make one thing clear the replay value for this game shoots out of the roof.

MIXED FEELINGS

  • Metronomicon’s story is a little bit on the light side, especially for a hybrid RPG game. Cut scenes are fully voiced but the story just wasn’t interesting enough to follow. I regularly skipped the dialogues near the end because I just wanted to play. That said, I’m pretty sure that other gamers will love the characters and story, and I appreciate that the developer did some effort.
  • Character and monster animations are a little bit all over the place, they have that funny dancing animation but in such a woody and repeating way that it becomes a little annoying. As a player you won’t really notice it, but people who watch while playing all said that the animations looked weird and unfitting.

THE BAD

  • One thing that got me annoyed quite a few times was how difficult it was to see the weakness from enemies. It would have been an easier option to have some kind of monster preview before starting the song so you actually knew what magic to use. As with most rhythm games, removing your eyes from the note chart isn’t an option. The developer paid so much attention for small details that it actually surprises me that this is something that they have missed.

Metronomicon: Slay the Dance Floor is an addictive and really fun game that uses the best from the roleplaying and rhythm genre mix. It has a great list of songs, depth and unique gameplay, replay value and more!

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