Hi there! In case you missed it, last month we announced what we've been working on, our upcoming game: Tactichord: Glam Strategy! It's our biggest project yet and carries on the spirit of our previous games with Ichigoichie's signature blend of music, humour, narrative investment and innovative strategic gameplay. Wishlist it now below! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3389400/Tactichord_Glam_Strategy/ You can keep up with our devlogs on our Discord or by joining our email list at this link. Check out our reveal trailer: [previewyoutube=1uU16U7C0dQ;full][/previewyoutube] There's plenty more to come from us about Tactichord: Glam Strategy so make sure to follow us, here on Steam and social media! Let's get rocked! // The Ichigoichie team

[ 2025-03-04 14:51:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi there! After keeping it quiet for more than a year, we've just announced what we've been working on, our biggest upcoming game; Tactichord: Glam Strategy! It carries on the spirit of our previous games with our signature blend of music, humour, narrative investment and innovative strategic gameplay. Wishlist it now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3389400/ To celebrate the announcement, we're holding our deepest ever sale on Backbeat and Hexagroove: Tactical DJ! If you haven't had a chance to check out both, now is the best time to get them. Eagle-eyed players of Backbeat might even spot a few crossover characters in Tactichord... We hope you enjoy the games and are as excited as we are for Tactichord: Glam Strategy! Check out our reveal trailer; [previewyoutube=1uU16U7C0dQ;full][/previewyoutube] And feel free to come and join us in our Discord if you haven't already, we'll be discussing the game, guitarists, and mini-devlogs there until release! Let's get rocked! // The Ichigoichie team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1396140

[ 2025-02-11 18:30:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hi! Johannes from Ichigoichie here - developers of Backbeat and Hexagroove. We're eager to get to know YOU better to craft even better games and community content. To that end, we've created a short survey that takes only 3-8 minutes to complete. We would be honored if you would contribute your answers. Please find the questions here: https://forms.gle/Xaun4s6d2QxiRJTw7 Exclusive role on Discord for your answers As a token of our appreciation, we're offering an exclusive role on Discord to those who answer this questionnaire (3-8 min)! Simply add your Discord username in the last question and join our Discord server at ichigoichie.org/discord. You'll be awarded the OG 151A FAN role, granting you exclusive bragging rights.
Joining the Discord server also gives you the opportunity to participate in the development of our next exciting music game, which will be announced soon. Development has just begun, and we are thrilled to invite you to join us on this journey! See you on Discord Best, Johannes and the 151A / Ichigoichie Games

[ 2024-05-03 11:56:51 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Thanks to support from our players we have identified several problems that impact different users of the game. Firstly, player PRPE7UAL has helped us identify a situation where the game would hang on start with a white screen due to a Unity issue involving certan vsync settings on Nvidia graphics cards. Accordingly we have switched to using the software encoder for movie playback on all Windows builds. This should resolve launch issues you have in these setups. Second, thanks to Yhprum we found an issue where the updated movement UI could cause unsolvable puzzles in a few levels due to subtle changes in how potential movesets are generated. 9-2 is one such level and should be solvable again now. Finally, thanks to omgkitteh we discovered in previous versions of the game there was an unintended glitch that allowed Toshi to move in certain ways with his powermove. This was culled in the QoL update inadvertantly, but we have restored this behavior now to preserve the 1.0 experience of the game for those players which may have been using the glitch to solve some of the levels. Thank you to our community for helping make Backbeat even better and more compatible on all devices. As always, if you run into difficulty with the game, please reach out in the forums and we will assist as promptly as we can. Thank you and happy music making! From snowy Stockholm, David

[ 2023-11-28 12:31:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Backbeat fans! This month we have released a quality of life update to all platforms to help improve the game experience and get you on track to knocking out all the achievements. A new How To section is available in the pause menu showing off all the basic mechanics and scoring rules for Backbeat, along with short looping videos to demonstrate the feature. The move previews for each character are now displayed at all times to help with level readability. Tutorial text has also been reworked to explain some of the musical resources. Finally, the dialog system now has a more iconic UI in the lower left hand corner of the screen so you can throttle the cutscene playback speed or keep it interactive. All tutorial dialogue segments automatically shift to manual advance so you nothing slips by. Thank you for continuing to support us! We are a four-person studio and your reviews and feedback help us keep producing fresh takes on strategy games. Please review Backbeat today, or reach out in the forums if you're having trouble. Yours from Stockholm, David and the Backbeat team

[ 2023-11-15 11:43:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Superfans! We have been busy beavers this quarter working on all kinds of fun things in the office and now we can share some of them! First and foremost, we have a new content update in Backbeat, the Gig and Gear Expansion! Update now and you will receive a bevy of fun new things to mess around with, some inspired by feedback from you:

• Six new chin-scratching time-based environment puzzles and hijinx
• Classic 4:3 CRT display mode
• A new master band title and the ultimate guitar effect pedal, OCTAVER
• Dialogue chatter volume adjustment
• Interface scale adjustment

[previewyoutube=Nzd18Pf_HXI;full][/previewyoutube] Six new remix levels take our heroine Watts and friends through adventures including fishing for change in arcades, hanging out at the mall, and breaking Josh out from unpaid overtime. And there's no better way to think outside the box then use a 90s 4:3 aspect ratio when solving your puzzles! Imagine what Backbeat would look like on an original 32-bit GameStation with CRT mode. For the hardiest Backbeat players, we've added an entirely new guitar pedal, OCTAVER, as the final unlock in the game. Can you reach 13000 style points to try out the phattest bass in town? We believe! If you can't get enough of Backbeat's amazing music in Steam, we can't blame you! You can now take Backbeat's snazzy solos wherever you go as we've launched Ichigoichie Records on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Tidal, and Deezer. Follow us and support your favorite indie developer on the go, leaving that soundtrack on LOOP. steamhappy
Try it on your favorite music service here: https://ditto.fm/backbeat-original-soundtrack Our art team has been working on some new Backbeat remix comics and we're happy to share the next one. This time our heroes have been shortchanged by a certain club owner and need to stealthy retrieve their fair share. Check out episode two of Garage Band Bites, "Stiffed Again".
Read and follow on Instagram here. Read and follow on Tapas here. Today is our company's annual midsummer dinner in the garden outside our office, so we are toasting you! Thanks for helping make our 2023 a blast.
Get engaged! Comment on this post and tell us what you think, or follow along on social. Stay cool and funky! -- David & the Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2023-06-22 13:37:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello funky 151a superfans! Since Backbeat launched on all platforms in March, we have been hard at work at new exciting things to share from the town of Hornsburg. We can't say much now, but suffice it to say there are some awesome new features in development built largely from your feedback! Look for more information in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, we are proud to announce the launch of our official Backbeat web comic, Garage Band Bites. On Instagram and Tapas you can follow along with some fresh storylines involving our heroine, Watts, and her friends in Powerslyde. Check out the full episode 1 from the links below!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs_VSmwoRU4/? Tapas: https://tapas.io/episode/2860574 Get engaged! Comment on this post and tell us what you think, or follow along on social. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2023-06-02 13:49:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Our sophomore title, the funky sokoban/stealth-strategy mashup Backbeat is now available on Steam!
This is our second title launching on Steam and its really cool to see how much our company grown since Hexagroove: Tactical DJ in 2020. The first time around was a great experience but there was so much more we wanted make more accessible and inviting. In Backbeat we designed the interface from the ground up for 4K and able to scale across Windows, Mac, and Steam Deck, on monitors boxy and wide. The games we design at Ichigoichie are built on mashing up genres and deriving our gameplay mechanics from musical theory. This was at times a little overwhelming in Hexagroove, so we worked hard to portion out new mechanics in Backbeat through a much broader portion of the game. So much in fact youll still be learning new tricks more than three quarters through the main campaign! Backbeat is at first glance a turn-based sokoban puzzle game. You have a band of up to four characters and must get them all to the goal within a limited number of turns. Each character moves differently presenting unique challenges. After some levels we introduce time mechanics to the mix, and youll need to synchronize each characters timeline with the others, working together to unblock obstacles on the path to the goal. Finally, we add four shared resources you must manage while navigating space and time. Which turns you choose to change direction or interact with the environment cause these resources to increase or decrease. Maximize the resources and you get a high score. Run out of resources, and youre in a failure state. Fortunately, rewinding the turns of each character individually is possible to allow incremental improvements to your puzzle solutions.
One thing we wanted to add to Backbeat was a story to motivate the your choices and set the stakes. The setting is 1995 in suburban Washington, D.C. and has a lot of callouts to the last days of the analog era before the advent of the internet. The narrative is a homage to ensemble 90s dramedies like With Honors, The Commitments, and School of Rock. Heroine Watts is doing her best to hold together a band of amateur funk musicians and contending with all the struggles of collaborative creation: inflated egos, clashing personality types, and external responsibilities to work and family. A diverse cast of characters exist in each of the two main bands, and we hope you can find one that speaks to you. If youre a fan of puzzle games, turn-based strategy, or story-rich retro experiences, then I think theres something for you to appreciate, and many more novel features to discover. Start with the free demo and I hope you have some fun! Here are some places to get tips on starting and up to speed on what makes Backbeat unique: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2946791114 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmCvB3AKNLU&list=PL-c7vBDSe07Lumz1ZKPuWGnDj-GNynJF5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rDkXJwnYMo&list=PL-c7vBDSe07Lumz1ZKPuWGnDj-GNynJF5&index=2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Kn6_cXYhU&list=PL-c7vBDSe07Lumz1ZKPuWGnDj-GNynJF5&index=3 From lovely Stockholm, David Ventura - Creative Director Our 90s retro video game homepage Our Twitter

[ 2023-03-15 23:00:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello puzzle/strategy fans! The journey to launch is nearly done! We have been hard at work squashing bugs left and right and polishing Backbeat and now we're in the home stretch. The full version of Backbeat will launch on Steam in two weeks on March 16th!
The last few months we've gone through the game and taken note of all the little places we can make things smoother and more engaging, and internally we're just finishing up testing on a slew of features that will be ready on day one: * SteamOS / Steam Deck support * mouse controls * performance optimisations * dialogue flow adjustments These are just a few of the many small updates we're adding right now so get those fingers ready. A lot of these improvements are the direct result from your kind feedback in our Steam forums, so a big thanks goes out to our demo players.
The melodies of Backbeat are just too good to put down. We can't get them our of our heads! And so we've collaborated with our composer the amazing Pete Fraser to add a soundtrack app to the game which will also be live on March 16th.
We're on the road right now exhibiting at DevGAMM in Gdask, Poland, so we'll sign off for the moment but see you again on launch day in two weeks. Stay funky! /David & the Backbeat Team

[ 2023-03-03 15:37:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy Holidays from Ichigoichie!

After the Steam Next fest in October, we have been in full bug bash mode, but taken the time to sneak a few holiday goodies into our free demo to make the game easier on the eyes and fingers.

Dialogue auto-advance

We have added an auto-advance feature to the dialogue system so you can enjoy the cutscenes with much less effort. Pressing TAB or the X/Square button during dialogue will cycling between two advance speeds and manual. Your preferences will be retained between gameplay sessions so sit back and enjoy the 90s!

Language! Idioma! Sprache!

To make enjoyment of our ensemble dramedy even easier, you can now choose between Japanese, Spanish, German, and Simplified Chinese! The operating system language will be used by default on initial installs, but you can change at any time with the refined OPTIONS menu.

Playback camera system upgrades

We squeezed a shot composition and lighting editor into the playback camera system, so on level clear you now can enjoy a wider range of desaturated pastels, lights, and bloom settings as Powerslyde takes the stage.
And many, many more small upgrades in sound and graphics we don't have changelists for right now, but trust us, it's better, and all thanks to your feedback!

Beta testers wanted!

There are still a few months to go before we release the retail version of our game, and we're spending our days hunting bugs. Do you think you have what it takes to help? Send us a comment or message on social media we will review your application for beta testing and give you access to a deeper version of the retail game to tinker with.
See you soon, god fortsttning, and /151a Team

[ 2022-12-27 14:39:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the REBROADCAST of our Next Fest Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by giving you an introduction Backbeat, highlighting controls, mechanics, and gameplay in the demo. We'll also talk about the setting, characters and inspirations that went into building 1995 Hornsburg. We'll also provide a glimpse into the full version with some of the more sophisticated mechanics and scoring that show up farther into the game. We're streaming live from our studio in Stockholm so this is your chance to ask us whatever's on your mind about the game. Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-08 20:00:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Dynamic Music Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by talking about about the reasoning behind our games and what we want to create, including our award-winning title, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ. Over twenty original music sandboxes have been assembled for our title, and each is a step along the road paved with the evolution of funk. We'll show off how musical variations are composited in several special "dojo" training levels, and how the music behind each puzzle solution is altered about the strategic choices you make with paths, power moves, and solos.
Finally, we'll give you a preview of some of the unlocks that exist in the retail version of the game. Instrument variations and realtime pedal effects allow you to push your funk even further in more creative directions.
Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2022-10-06 16:27:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the REBROADCAST of our Next Fest Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by giving you an introduction Backbeat, highlighting controls, mechanics, and gameplay in the demo. We'll also talk about the setting, characters and inspirations that went into building 1995 Hornsburg. We'll also provide a glimpse into the full version with some of the more sophisticated mechanics and scoring that show up farther into the game. We're streaming live from our studio in Stockholm so this is your chance to ask us whatever's on your mind about the game. Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-06 07:59:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Art and Story Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by walking you through the game concept of Backbeat, and the evolution of our visual language starting with our first title, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ.. We'll then visit the rendering style, concept art, and locations of 1990s suburban Washington, D.C. Finally, we'll cover the characters and films that inspired our ensemble cast. To illustrate we'll use a number of levels and menu UI from the upcoming retail version of the game.
Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2022-10-05 16:26:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Dynamic Music Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by talking about about the reasoning behind our games and what we want to create, including our award-winning title, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ. Over twenty original music sandboxes have been assembled for our title, and each is a step along the road paved with the evolution of funk. We'll show off how musical variations are composited in several special "dojo" training levels, and how the music behind each puzzle solution is altered about the strategic choices you make with paths, power moves, and solos.
Finally, we'll give you a preview of some of the unlocks that exist in the retail version of the game. Instrument variations and realtime pedal effects allow you to push your funk even further in more creative directions.
Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2022-10-04 11:03:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Art and Story Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by walking you through the game concept of Backbeat, and the evolution of our visual language starting with our first title, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ.. We'll then visit the rendering style, concept art, and locations of 1990s suburban Washington, D.C. Finally, we'll cover the characters and films that inspired our ensemble cast. To illustrate we'll use a number of levels and menu UI from the upcoming retail version of the game.
Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2022-10-04 10:55:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Mechanics Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=l9zwBA5iooY;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by walking you through the design concept of the games we create at Ichigoichie. We'll then touch music creation and how the rules of music are built into our game design. We'll then address the unique resource and constraints the player must manage deeper into the retail version of the game. To illustrate we'll use a number of special test levels showing off: * premade character paths * "doors and keys" mechanics * stagger and align resources * solo and assist resources * cooldown-managed power moves Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-04 09:58:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Mechanics Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=l9zwBA5iooY;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by walking you through the design concept of the games we create at Ichigoichie. We'll then touch music creation and how the rules of music are built into our game design. We'll then address the unique resource and constraints the player must manage deeper into the retail version of the game. To illustrate we'll use a number of special test levels showing off: * premade character paths * "doors and keys" mechanics * stagger and align resources * solo and assist resources * cooldown-managed power moves Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-04 09:52:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our Next Fest Mechanics Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=l9zwBA5iooY;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by walking you through the design concept of the games we create at Ichigoichie. We'll then touch music creation and how the rules of music are built into our game design. We'll then address the unique resource and constraints the player must manage deeper into the retail version of the game. To illustrate we'll use a number of special test levels showing off: * premade character paths * "doors and keys" mechanics * stagger and align resources * solo and assist resources * cooldown-managed power moves Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-01 04:10:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our LIVE Next Fest Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by giving you an introduction Backbeat, highlighting controls, mechanics, and gameplay in the demo. We'll also talk about the setting, characters and inspirations that went into building 1995 Hornsburg. We'll also provide a glimpse into the full version with some of the more sophisticated mechanics and scoring that show up farther into the game. We're streaming live from our studio in Stockholm so this is your chance to ask us whatever's on your mind about the game. Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-01 04:08:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to our LIVE Next Fest Stream!

The Steam Next Festival is coming and we are thrilled to show you our new Backbeat Demo. Join our livestream to talk about different aspects of the game and production! [previewyoutube=ehT9LyuGbyI;full][/previewyoutube]

On the agenda

We'll start by giving you an introduction Backbeat, highlighting controls, mechanics, and gameplay in the demo. We'll also talk about the setting, characters and inspirations that went into building 1995 Hornsburg. We'll also provide a glimpse into the full version with some of the more sophisticated mechanics and scoring that show up farther into the game. We're streaming live from our studio in Stockholm so this is your chance to ask us whatever's on your mind about the game. Wishlist Backbeat and stay updated on important news and information leading up to launch! A single click is all it takes to dive into our world of funk, humor, nostalgia, and strategic puzzling madness! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1585730/Backbeat/ Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Got a quarter? Give us a call! Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-10-01 04:06:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Backbeat fans!

It has been more than a couple of months since our last dev blog, but that doesn't mean Backbeat hasn't been getting bigger and better! Since we last wrote in March, we've been doing a lot of polish and under the hood work to improve how Backbeat looks, sounds, and runs. But we'll save that for another post. The last few months have been brutal in hitting the event scene. We travelled to Kyoto, Japan for BitSummit and were nominated for Best Sound Design! We also had interviews with IGN Japan, Rock Paper Shotgun, and went on the main stage to talk about the game.
No sooner than we got back from the sweltering summer heat of Kyoto, we packed our bags and headed to Cologne, Germany to exhibit at Gamescom and share our progress with Europe. This was a great experience as well and we got some good feedback to help adjust the level design of the demo slightly.
And now it's less than a week until we head back to Japan to show our title at the Tokyo Game Show in Makuhari, where we've been selected from one of 78 games from around the world as a featured indie. There are more events coming in October but we'll leave off for now as there are more story scenes to adjust and perfect.

Join the conversation!

Do you have an idea for a dev blog topic? Curious about the team and story of Backbeat? Comment on this post or tweet at us, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie
Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-09-08 09:42:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time for an update!

More great news this week as we are happy to announce that we have just reached our alpha milestone so we are now feature complete! To celebrate, we have added some extra content to the demo so now is a great time to come get another taste of Backbeat before our release later this year.

New content

The full version of Backbeat has forty levels that progressively introduce four musical resources, twenty themes, special power moves, and point-based tricks. A lot of the unique mechanics in Backbeat are spread out slowly so the player is not overwhelmed at the start. To help give you a tiny taste of some of the time management challenges, we've added an additional level to the free demo where the player may learn about the keys/doors mechanic which requires synchronization of the four characters' timelines. A new character, the saxophonist Chaz, showcases the mechanic.

Audio polish

Starting in this version we have added chatter sounds to the dialogue engine so when characters are talking you can get a deeper sense of their personality. The four members of Backbeat each have their own instrument timbre, and NPCs are unified with softened woodblock when they speak. An new musical theme is also included in the expansion level.

Usability tweaks

We have a number of features designed to help the player when breaking conditions occur in the game. When a musical resource or turns have been depleted, the character triggering the conflict will appear and specify exactly why play cannot continue. This is especially important when a timeline break is about to occur.
We also adjusted several levels in the tutorial slightly to improve visibility of obstacles.

More to come!

All levels in the full version of Backbeat are now complete! In the next month we will be working on adding the unlockable instrument and audio effect customizations, graphical polish, and performance optimizations. We're looking forward to sharing more with you in April's dev blog.

More from you!

Some of these improvements came directly from suggestions made by superfans like you! Do you have another idea for an improvement to make the funky story of Powerslyde even better? Drop us a comment below or shout at us on social media. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie
Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-03-26 02:52:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Backbeat fans!

It's been a couple of months since our last dev blog but that is how deep our noses have been to the grindstone. We are just a couple sprints away from the alpha version of our strategic puzzler Backbeat, and we have tons of content to prove it!
There are now forty levels in Backbeat! Our master designers Andy and Magnus have spent the last several months building final designs for all 20 of the mainline story levels which teach the mechanics of the game and take you through the dreamed of Watts and bandmates, as well as twenty more "remix" levels which are fun side quests used to unlock sweet musical gear, enhance your puzzling skills, and raise your band title to the limit. All that remains is one secret... well, we'll just stop there and you'll have to look forward to a big surprise when we launch.
Forty levels is a lot of places to visit and stories to tell, and this is where our set dressing and story team shine. David and Andreja have been decorating every club, gas station, and mall, meticulously recreating the feel of 1990s suburban USA. The lights, colors, and layout all evoke soft feelings of nostalgia from yesteryear. At the beginning and end of each level, a story segment plays where you get to know more about the citizens of Hornsburg, done up in classic 32-bit cutscene style.
On the other side of the office our UX and QA rep Simon sits concocting the next round's user test form. Puzzle games are hard to design because everyone sees a challenge in different ways, and through iteration and UI refinement we try to open up the accessibility a little more so everyone can enjoy. Each level is first created in a blockout partially dressed by the lead designer. Afterwards the directors and QA team try it out and provide feedback. After a second and sometimes third round of design adjustment, we prepare the level for user testing, studying how long each player takes to clear the level, where they get stuck, and which mechanics are not being communicated sufficiently. This leads us to a list of action points some of which we incorporate either by adding additional help UI and visual clarity to the game elements, or sometimes even adjusting the levels themselves.
Some of the UI improvements we've added in the past few sprints including the "keys and doors" UI, a zoom out feature, and the dithering of interior walls. A big part of Backbeat is using the environment to unblock certain characters' paths, or conversely blocking guards or enemies from reaching goals. This is done through an interaction solo with a special item we call a "key", which will affect some other obstacle collectively referred to as "doors". Keys are marked up with outlines on the objects, and a floating triangle on top. Corresponding doors bare a circle of the same color. This is useful when a puzzle involves multiple keys and doors in the same map.
Interior walls initially were made transparent with dithering in a small section when characters were directly behind them, but this wasn't sufficient to see all possible paths and understand what movement is possible, so we modified the rendering code to set all interior and southern facing walls semi transparent with dithering during gameplay.
Finally, after all this experience improvement, we of course need a few jokes to keep things light. Some of our favorite 90s brands are parodied in Backbeat and our lead artist Andreja has done a wonderful job incorporating them into our design aesthetic. Later this month we'll be at GDC in San Francisco with the alpha version of Backbeat, some swag, and a very exciting announcement! We hope to see you there on the expo floor.

Join the conversation!

Do you have an idea for a dev blog topic? Curious about the team and story of Backbeat? Comment on this post or tweet at us, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie
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[ 2022-03-08 19:28:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time for an update!

Happy New Year! The game design team at Ichigoichie is building new levels left and right, and refining new super moves for the members of Powerslyde. Meanwhile, the scenario team is adjusting the dialogue and help system before sending the story off to Japan for localization. Watts and the rest of us wish you the best in 2022!
We have no dev blog this month as things are quite intense, but we do have a tiny demo update that will help some players.

Usability tweaks

We have a number of features designed to help the player when breaking conditions occur in the game. When a musical resource or turns have been depleted, Watts will appear and specify exactly why play cannot continue.
We've also improved playback and guard rendering to make things a little easier to see. Paths for guards are now drawn so you can predict their movements, and all paths and collision areas are hid during the victory level playback.

More to come!

Fifteen of the main story levels in Backbeat are complete! In the next month we will be working on finishing the rest and starting the remix levels which fill out the single player campaign. Additional features like audio customization and stats in My Backbeat are on the way and we're looking forward to sharing more with you in February's dev blog.

More from you!

Some of these improvements came directly from suggestions made by superfans like you! Do you have another idea for an improvement to make the funky story of Powerslyde even better? Drop us a comment below or shout at us on social media. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie
Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2022-01-24 11:09:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Backbeat fans!

November's dev blog comes about a week late due to some nasty colds decimating the Stockholm population, but now we are plugging on and adding more features for the the full game. When the members of our band Powerslyde are relaxing, they go where anyone else in the 90s would think to unwind: the mall of course! The Hornsburg Towne Mall is the scene of events both epic and comical in our game, so our environment artist Andreja worked hard to build "the mall with it all". The in-world brands have yet to appear, but we'll save that treat for later.
Also this month we are working out the kinks and logic bugs for the four power moves you unlock later in the game. Having the ability to break through a wall, slide past guards like Pete Townshend, or blow away enemies with an epic sax toot increases the complexity and number of solutions possible in the more advanced levels of the game. We did a pass of visual effects to begin with, and are now putting together audio clips with our composer before integrating them into some grey box levels.

Speaking of our composer the fabulous Pete Fraser, he is now set up with the tools needed to create some of the vanity unlocks that allow musical customization of the game. Behold the mighty AKAI Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI)! This will be used to produce a sultry synth sax that Chaz can obtain after a significant amount of puzzle solving aplomb from the player.
Finally, we have put together all the assets for the two alternate portrait styles which are optional in the game. The "sleek" and "speech bubble" styles give the character portraits new cutouts, backgrounds, and colors to allow you to set up your own narrative experience. We're adding this feature as a homage to one of our favorite 16-bit action RPGs, Secret of Mana.
If you are in the Stockholm area, we'd love to see you! We are schedule to do a beta test of some of the levels from the full game at Indie Game Dungeon next Wednesday the 15th. Attendance is free so hit us up on social media for more info if you'd like to drop by.

Join the conversation!

Do you have an idea for a dev blog topic? Curious about the team and story of Backbeat? Comment on this post or tweet at us, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2021-12-10 15:56:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

It's time for an update!

Thanks to all of the players who have tried the Backbeat demo in its first month. Production of the full version of the game is continuing, and we have some small updates to the sights and sound of the game to make playing the demo a little easier and a little more funky.

Options and usability

As before you can toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode with Alt-Enter/Cmd-F. Fullscreen is now the default and you can change the window size manually in the new baby Options menu. Language is also no longer constrained to a Steam launch option. You can change between English and Japanese at any time as well. Button guides and WASD prompts have been added until we are able to add mouse support in a future version of the game. As we get closer to release of the full version we'll be adding for options for customization of the dialogue and sound.

Realtime reverb

Speaking of sound, as in Hexagroove, we run our own custom audio engine inside of the game. This month we have upgraded our signal chain to include realtime reverb to simulate the sound of different locations inside of the game. In the full version this will help create a live feeling based on the venue Watts' band is playing, regardless of which pack of sound clips and instruments are used (did we mention the full version has over six configurable instruments and instrument playing styles?), but for now you can hear how music in Josh's Hollywood Movies has gained a more cavernous feeling.

Club mode++

On the other side of the coin, we've added some graphical enhancements to make playback even funkier. When Watts, Toshi, and Josh are strutting to the goal area, the playback feels more like a music video with the addition of camera tilt, disco balls, and pulsing spotlights. Check out their saunter to the stage in Callahan's dive bar for maximum effect.

Removal of Prologue, 2-1a, and 3-1a

Several story-heavy levels were removed from the demo to make the path of trying the mechanics and getting to the big STAGGER resource reveal on level six even faster. If you have already played the prologue, you got a sneak peak! The three removed levels are now sealed and will be waiting in the full version, so if you find them missing it's not a bug, it's a feature! In addition to the larger adjustments above, there are buckets of smaller stability and performance improvements under the hood. To reinforce the system requirements, when you run the demo on an unsupported version like Windows 7 or macOS High Sierra, a popup will tell you about the baseline.

More from you!

Some of these improvements came directly from suggestions made by superfans like you! Do you have another idea for an improvement to make the funky story of Powerslyde even better? Drop us a comment below or shout at us on social media. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie
Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2021-11-02 19:23:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Backbeat fans!

It's late October, we are still tingling in the afterglow of our demo launch last month, and the game dev marches on. If you've played to the end of the demo, you may remember how funkmaster Cliff portended a serious situation for our heroes involving a metal band. We won't say any more about that but on an unrelated note we have finished another of our internal showrooms, the live house DC10. This is a place where our heroes find themselves out of their element so we worked extra hard to make it a stark contrast to the cozy brown haze of Callahan's where their live gig journey began.
Also this month we are finishing up visual effects for the band, adding little touches like these two. First we're adding some simple light animations to the music during playback, and another where band members will play accompaniment in the goal area while waiting for the last character to join. One thing we thought of when doing environment animations for Backbeat is the frequency and synchronization. With funk there is more swing in the beat so it doesn't make sense for everything to flash off and on to a pumping four-on-the-floor like you'd find in Hexagroove. So we make the color changes and speed a bit more organic and less unified in the presentation.
Finally, we're getting ready on the marketing side by adding some new branded art for splash screens and dashboards. The key is to show up visibly in all storefronts regardless of the size of the thumbnail when scrolling through, so the logo has to be prominent, while keeping the background eye-catching enough to make you want to see the image enlarged. What do you think?
We made a sneak appearance with Backbeat at IndieCade's GameTasting last weekend, and have entered our first competition as well. Keep your fingers crossed and cheer for us!

Join the conversation!

Do you have an idea for a dev blog topic? Curious about the team and story of Backbeat? Comment on this post or tweet at us, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Youtube

[ 2021-10-26 05:16:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to the club

Today we are proud to announce that the demo version of Backbeat has been released! The last year we've spent working on the mechanics, music, and visual style of Backbeat have all built up to this point. In terms of content the game is less than 15% done, but the first six levels that set up the story and the mechanics are complete, and now you can experience the beginning of our creative puzzle/strategy title, for free and at your leisure.
The demo introduces you to Watts and two of her friends as they start on the road to stardom and form a funk band. The concepts of our multilinear time-based puzzles and the first of four musical resources are also presented. We hope this first taste of Backbeat's gameplay and characters will make you hungry for more, and that you'll share your thoughts with the development team. Join us for two livestreams this weekend during the Steam Next Fest, at Sunday 19:00 CET / 13:00 EST / 10:00 PST, and Monday night at 23:30 EST / 20:30 PST. We'll talk about the game's design, art, music, and much more showing off advanced mechanics and levels in development from the retail version. We may also raffle off a copy or two of our award-winning musical RTS, Hexagroove: Tactical DJ. So wishlist and stop on by. Until then, hit that DOWNLOAD DEMO button on the store page and take the game for a spin! https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1585730/view/2978556685280871698 https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1585730/view/2978556685280987999

Join the conversation!

Do you have an idea for a dev blog topic? Curious about the team and story of Backbeat? Comment on this post or tweet at us, we'd love to hear your thoughts. Stay cool and funky! -- The Backbeat team at Ichigoichie Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube

[ 2021-09-29 11:59:48 CET ] [ Original post ]