Klang
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Klang is an innovative take on traditional rhythm games that pushes the genre beyond pressing buttons to tempo into a world of fast-paced exploration, platforming and combat.
In Klang, players assume the role of a tuneblade-wielding, elite rave warrior on a quest to free himself from the shackles of Soundlord Sonus. Become one with the music as you battle your way through increasingly challenging levels, timing every action and attack to audio visual cues.
Set to the music of legendary EDM composer, bLiNd, Klang is an adrenaline rush sure to challenge even the most skilled of multitaskers.
Key Features
- Fast and euphoric rhythm-based gameplay
- Beautiful neon aesthetic
- Original soundtrack by the illustrious EDM composer, bLiNd
- 2 to 4 hours of playtime, plus an unlockable Nightcore difficulty mode to separate the truly hardcore from the casuals
- Play with a keyboard, Xbox 360, Xbox One or PS4 controller
- Steam Trading Cards
Steam User 27
Klang! That’s the sound of electronic beats so sick you’ll need to report to a music specialist and a physician to find out why you can’t stop tapping your toes and nodding your head to the rhythm. Klang’s difficulty is absolutely brutal, but you’ll let the game pulverize you because you can’t help but love its amazing tracks and neon stylings.
.Story.
There’s not much of a story to speak of here. From what I’ve gathered from the flashy cut scenes is that the monkey protagonist is being bullied in a sort of God of War 3-esque manner by other neon-drenched beings of animal and human origin—much like Kratos was by the gods in Olympus.
.Gameplay.
Rhythm is everything.
Klang controls better with a gamepad (though not a Steam controller because of the whole track pad-instead-of-a-second- analog-stick thing). You use the left joystick to move about, the right trigger button to jump, and the second stick OR the face keys in order to do a violent little swinging motion that will be used for the majority of the game to parry attacks. The former is the most comfortable option.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to make your way from the beginning of a stage to its end as quickly as possible while taking as little damage as possible.
Klang’s controls are very smooth, which means doing just that is a satisfying feeling—after you’ve died a few dozen times trying to figure out how best to proceed. Everything from wall jumping to the timing of platforms to the enemies’ roaming line of sight to the dynamic backgrounds—just everything—sways to the beat and you will have to join them in their deadly dance in order to progress.You’ll be given on-screen cues to parry, jump, slide, and a special ground pound ability during combat. For the most part, it’s up to you to figure out how best to proceed.
Every stage is built into little segments which serve as checkpoints (an amazingly fair system, if I do say so) that you’ll respawn at should you fail to time a jump or get caught in an enemy’s line of sight.Failure means bursting into a million pixels and is results in a cacophony of sound. It also means you won’t be getting the best score because death slows you down.
Are you down with perfectionism?
At the end of each segment, you’ll be given a score calculated based on how quickly you cleared it based on combo (that is: how many times you deflected enemy attacks without faltering), life lost, accuracy, and time elapsed. Scores range from D-S with S being the best possible. Once you’ve completed all of the segments that make up a stage, you’re given a final grade for the area. Then, you’re taken to the world map where you’ll be able to continue to the next stage or try your hand at a better score.
Even if you aren’t up to the task of getting the best possible marks, there’s no score requirement in order to progress.
Within stages you’ll find portals that give you access to a bonus challenge. Completing one nets you a key, which is used in the Pirate Bay, which is the game’s cleverly named jukebox.
.Atmosphere.
Fair warning to those with any sort of photosensitivity or epileptic tendencies: this game is not for you. Klang runs through a spectrum of neon colours and starkly contrasting negatives upon receiving damage or dying. The way the protagonist kind of moshes in place when idle is great and the cut scenes, though eerie and sometimes incomprehensible, are gorgeously animated.
Klang has one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in an indie game. My opinion is, of course, biased by the fact that I love this rave-y, EDM sort of music. Turn up the bass.
.Pros.
• Fantastic music. An audiophile’s wet dream.
• The music is so good.
• Did I mention the music?
• Gorgeous, Tron-esque neon aesthetic.
• Dexterous mix of precision platforming and rhythm game.
• The check point system makes the game’s difficulty bearable.
• Scores give you something to strive for without hindering your progress.
• Fast, fluid gameplay.
• Everything from wall jumping to enemy movement/attack patterns to how the stage and its platforms moves hinge on the music’s beat. Very cool.
.Cons.
• The difficulty may be a turn-off to some. I’ll admit I had my rage quit moments.
• The game can be controlled with keyboard, but the gamepad is FAR superior.
• Sometimes it’s unclear what needs to be done to proceed. A lot of trial and error is required for some puzzles/fights.
• Heavy reliance on the beat makes this title inaccessible to those without rhythm.
.Bottom Line.
A beautiful marriage of platformer and rhythm game, Klang will test your dexterity. A must buy for rhythm game lovers and a solid recommendation to those who enjoy platformers as well.
If you found this review helpful, please give it a thumbs-up. For more reviews like this one follow the NeedtoKnow Gaming Curator page <3
Steam User 14
The art style of this game is pretty amazing. The music...top notch. Even when it gets you into a trance and you're going along without really realizing it. It's as enjoyable as when I played it at PAX West.
My only complaint is the levels are very short which breaks up the song. Once you get into the groove, there's a loading screen which breaks the rhythm and takes you out of the game.
There's also a few syncing issues, but nothing that is game ruining.
Get it if you are a fan of these types of games or enjoys some good trance-ish music.
Steam User 11
Pros:
Music and visuals complement eachother nicely.
Great tracks and pulsating animations ads flavor.
When your combos are on a roll the envirorment goes trough several stages of color palettes making your skill progression more satisfying.
The game does a great job at teaching you how to play by trial and error, all levels have multiple checkpoints.
Gameplay is innovative and progressing in complexity trough the game. Every level feels unique. Boss battles are nice and ads new elements.
Has bonus levels after completion and an additional difficoult level.
There's an ingame lobby where you can listen to the music.
The cutscenes are gorgeous!!
Cons:
The skill pacing is challenging, practise makes perfect. (this could be concidered a pro)
Character movement feels slightly slow or delayed at times.
The laser-beam is unforgiving, almost always killing you in one blow, personally for me breaking some of the immersion.
Wish the game had an endless mode to get more of that rythm vibe, it feels abit short.
Side notes:
Recommend using a controller
Spent ca 4 hours on the storyline
Mesmerizing experience,definitely recommend this game!
Steam User 7
For people who like rythim games and platforming this is a beast of a mashup. Soundtrack is amazing(electronic music), the game mechanics are solid and the graphics despite looking good don't require too high specs.
Kinda short, but I enjoyed every second of it.
9/10
Steam User 7
I did the music for this game (as well as the sfx) and I can say that Tom-Ivar is truly a genius. I mean, he made this game by himself, minus the sound. As a producer I wanted to share my experience. To see my sound and music come to life in this way is truly a gift to experience on my end. I got to help shape the game as well through the inspiration my music gave Tom-Ivar. This is a true collaboration of souls that vibe similarly and we hope that the game bleeds that exceptional energy. Personally I loved every minute of the game minus the last battle. I died a million times but alas I finally finished it.
I can say I wish a game like this existed when I was a teenager, so I really hope we inspire others to pursue their own passions and dreams and put them into art form. It's a worthy experience in this human shell on this big rock and I am just grateful to be a part of it. Hope you enjoy that ear and eye candy ;) -bLiNd
Steam User 13
I'm really enjoying this game thus far! The visuals are playful and colorful, with a color palette that I have absolutely fallen in love with. The gameplay is challenging but fair, meaning that I, a person with no rythm, will have a few hiccups. But this is one of those rythm games that I can really dig, and try to get better at. Give it a go!
*Longer review will be written when I have played more of it*
Steam User 4
While a creative combination Klang's two components (platforming and rhythm games) are sometimes at odds. When it works well it's a frenetic combination with appealing visuals and an aural delight, but the soundtrack can make reading a strong rhythm difficult, filtering visual input can be a real pain with the intense trippy visuals, and at its worst Klang feels like trying to simultaneously play two very different games at the same time, rather than a seamless fusion. Especially when an option to help you recover and not be punished MORE for faltering once is turned off by default. Also, don't expect a story to match the fun tunes, interesting character design and visual polish. It's an interesting ride, but hardly worth mentioning there even is a premise.
If the concept of the combination has you intrigued, check this one out, but I'd recommend considering turning on "Reflex mode" (slow mo when you miss a 'klang' - the game's DDR arrow projectiles) and actually give "casual" difficulty a second thought if you're not confident in both your platforming and rhythm game skills. I beat the game on normal in an evening, (~3.6 hours) but the challenging bits felt more frustrating than a rewarding challenge to overcome, and the post-story challenges were demoralizing without dropping to casual. Again, having Reflex mode on lessened this effect, since it provides a sorely needed recovery mechanism, rather than failure leading to several consequences that made missing the next action more likely.
An imperfect execution, but a marvelous idea and a neat new genre fusion none the less.