[Indie Spotlight] Rhythm game, date sim, and visual novel?
Impressions - Concerto on White (Demo)

Published on September 23, 2023 Review

Concerto on White consists of two main ideas blended into one harmonious composition. The school academy life, and actual rhythm game gameplay. The school academy life is where you can attend classes, interact with your schoolmates, and practice music, all presented in a chapter-style visual novel storytelling.

The rhythm game segments are accessible as also part of the story chapters and during free-play mode. The rhythm game mechanics are quite novel in its design and concept, fun and engaging too. Your left hand is constantly adjusting the keys up and down while your right is hitting the correct notes at the right time. The whole mechanic is quite confusing at the start, and I needed a second run of the tutorials to finally get it. Once it clicks though, it’s as easy as any other rhythm game. There are a few musical pieces available to try in free mode, including the ever popular Canon in D. The game plans to include more pieces and an editor as well.

As for the actual story, it starts off with your character as a newly accepted — rejected rather — applicant of a prestigious musical university. But somehow this decision gets mysteriously overturned and you find yourself still enrolled. It’s our first day, and we meet the professor and his teaching assistant for our first music class. Of course, part of the gameplay is experiencing slice-of-life-esque adventurous campus life in this prestigious music academy, and I’m also seeing traces of date sim elements, especially with the female characters. However, the game isn’t a slice-of-life experience as it may seem, as it plunges the player into an intriguing larger-than-life mystery early on.

The story is actually intriguing and got me hooked early on, and it got me excited into seeing what comes next after the demo ended.

Original link
Originally posted on TapTap.


You Might Also Like

The best Avengers game without being one | Marvel's Midnight Suns - First Impressions
9/10

The best Avengers game without being one | Marvel's Midnight Suns - First Impressions

Sure, it is titled Marvel’s Midnight Suns, but don’t let the relatively inconspicuous title fool you. It is a full blown high-profile Marvel game packing a roster that features popular Marvel characters including Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Wolverine, Spider-Man and The Hulk. As well as including less-known characters like Nico Minoru and Magik. All of these characters are fighting in a high-stakes interpersonal story involving the demon Lilith, the military organization Hydra, as well as throwing other heroes and villains into the mix.

Masterclass in Anti-Fatigue Open World Design | Ghost of Yotei Review
9.1/10

Masterclass in Anti-Fatigue Open World Design | Ghost of Yotei Review

Ghost of Yotei, the newest installment in the acclaimed feudal Japan action series, shifts the stage to Ezo/Hokkaido Japan, introducing a new protagonist, Atsu, and a razor-sharp revenge narrative. Set during a tumultuous period, the game follows Atsu as she embraces the path of the Ghost to hunt down her targets. While built upon the foundations of its predecessors, Yotei immediately distinguishes itself by prioritizing refined gameplay flow and anti-fatigue design over overwhelming map density, setting it up as a truly modern open-world experience.