Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands

From the outset, the band's internal dynamics evoke a dysfunctional Metallica, perhaps most reminiscent of the documentary "Some Kind of Monster." Ian, the gruff and arrogant skeletal character sporting what looks like a military helmet, incessantly repeats, "The show must go on" (classic Lars). Briff (Kirk), the band's discreet negotiator and diplomat, tries to remind the singer, Faye (James), where she stashed her guitar before the upcoming concert, as they're already behind the curtain. The audience grows impatient, and the jeers intensify... so perhaps it's for the best that it was all a dream? After the opening sequence, it's clear the band will reunite, pull themselves together, and storm the stage at the musical contest of the century, orchestrated by demons in... The Battle of the Bands.

Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands had me in stitches within just 10 minutes. It's a perfectly dosed dose of slapstick comedy, imbued with the same spirit that characterized the "insult sword fights" of Ron Gilbert's famous point-and-click adventure series, *The Secret of Monkey Island*. The truth is, I haven't laughed this much at a game in years, and that alone is well worth the price of admission. Originally released on PC in 2023, it's now making its debut on all consoles. It's not a title that ever caught my attention—I didn't even know it existed—but damn, it's a treat from start to finish. You can't even interact with the environment without chuckling; it's brilliantly written from beginning to end, and you'll want to explore every nook and cranny, especially to soak in the richness of detail. Not a single millimeter of the game has been neglected when it comes to peppering it with humor, and it hits the mark with every hand-drawn frame.

The game has been praised for its humor, and I perfectly understand why. For example, when I break down a neighbor's door (that's how you open doors and chests in the game), the door ends up nailed to the wall inside, with varied results. There, I stumble upon a bearded old man slumped on his couch, who craves cheese, triggering a "side quest." The task is to fetch cheese from the fridge located three meters away, on the middle shelf... a shelf that doesn't exist. I'm thus forced to choose one of the many overpriced cheeses on the top or bottom shelf, which, of course, doesn't quite satisfy the old man's cheese craving. The guy adds a complication to the mission by specifying that the cheese is in blue packaging, and I return to the same fridge, where I can choose between red or gold packaging... The quest then culminates with the possibility that the cheese is actually in the neighbor's fridge. And it continues like this until the end, with varying degrees of absurdity. There's no room for frustration when everything is so wildly unpredictable, as the goal is mainly to make the player smile.

I swear, no one can play this without laughing, and that's enough to make it more than easy to recommend. Added to this are turn-based battles inspired by old-school JRPGs, but with, of course, an original twist. Balancing your characters with attacks, abilities, and equipment is a feature most players of the genre are familiar with. New "riffs" (attacks), class mods, and "patches" that act as passive modifications. It takes a little time to get used to the terminology used by the game (which, of course, is quite self-aware). Forget "mana": here, it's all about "hype."

The battles themselves are also unique despite the basic formula, where it's your turn to act once your gauge is full. This same gauge is also divided into four sections ("measures") that can be affected by various status changes, both positive and negative. Being subjected to "pain," for example, means that as long as the needle moves along the gauge and crosses the affected section, the player takes damage. Similarly, "Speed" (for obvious reasons) moves the needle faster towards the next section, eventually allowing you to take your turn. All of this is quite simple to understand, and the game explains all the mechanics very well.

Similarly, the game uses a somewhat peculiar system for managing your "Merch" (items). An energy drink restores health once found, and a horn can inflict damage on the enemy, which, so far, is nothing particularly remarkable. But the items themselves are not used based on the number you carry, as was traditionally the case, for example, in Final Fantasy. Instead, they are registered as fixed entries in what could be compared to an item database. It's then up to you to use what you want as many times as your "Stock" level allows, this global resource being shared by all your items and covering them all. Each time an item is used, your "Stock" decreases, with some items costing more to use than others. You can both increase this stock to have more uses and replenish it for free along the way by talking to the mail carriers you've defeated.

So, you don't need to buy 30 revives and 60 potions in a shop, but rather buy and add a better version of the same item. Similarly, you can restore your health and Hype through what Link would undoubtedly call a "Fountain of Fairies," recreated here in the form of pools populated by singing fish, a recurring theme in the game. So, singing fish... it's so wacky, but at the same time super funny.

Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands is an overlooked game that you'll surely enjoy if you love rock themes, good laughs, and turn-based combat with a touch of originality. In addition to its quirky design, where you never know what to expect around the corner, you'll be just as pleasantly surprised each time you discover a fantastic soundtrack with enchanting rhythms across all genres, as well as a boss theme that borrows notes from the classic *Master of Puppets*. The fact that I had never heard of this game before is a bit of a shame, because not only is it very good and well-thought-out, but it's just as fun to play even before you launch it. Frankly, have you seen the game's title and the name of the trio's band?