A Musical Story is a beautiful lo-fi rhythm action adventure that takes you on a 70’s Psychedelia filled journey as a Jimi Hendrix-esque musician relives the memories of a road trip with his band.
In A Musical Story you follow the story of a fictional (Jimi Hendrix inspired) musician called Gabriel, who is critically ill in a hospital. Throughout the adventure you’ll relive Gabriel’s memories of him and his band, helping to shed light on the decisions that led him there. The story is entirely wordless, with the game relaying the narrative via music and its beautifully animated visuals alone.
Each of Gabriel’s memories form part of a road trip that his band are taking to a Woodstock-esque festival called Pinewood. Each memory is a short musical vignette, which you play along to using an intuitive rhythm action system that prioritises actually listening to and playing along to the music over just completing visual prompts (though there is a little glowing light that appears if you start to struggle). It’s a great system that feels a little more intimate and makes you feel more connected to the music than most Rock Band style rhythm action games.
The music really is superb too. It’s a remarkable fusion of lo-fi beats and 70’s psychedelic rock, with sick riffs that make you want to fail so you can hear them loop a few more times. The music fuses perfectly with the beautifully animated vignettes and it all comes together to tell its story perfectly.
The narrative is obviously not exactly the same as Jimi’s but A Musical Story really does feel like a Jimi Hendrix experience. If you have any interest in 70’s psychedelic rock then you really owe it to yourself to tune in and rock out to this fantastic musical adventure. It really feels like you’re part of a very special journey through a golden era of experimental music. Highly recommended.
Check Out a Gameplay Video Here
Download The A Musical Story Beta Demo Here (Steam)