“There’s something beautifully friendly and elevating about a bunch of guys playing music together. This wonderful little world that is unassailable.” – Keith Richards
Overview
Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die is a comical point-and-click game about a middle-aged bear trying to get his old glam-metal band back together and keep rock alive! Dressed in a stereotypical denim vest and bandana, players can organise band practice, frequent bars, play unpaid support gigs and much more in this amusing musical adventure.
Developer: Valtteri Tavast
Released: 28th April 2022
Price: £13.99
CONTENT WARNING – “Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die! contains scenes of cartoon violence, including blood and death. There are also instances of strong language, alcohol and drug use, and sexual innuendo.“
Narrative
The game follows a middle-aged bear as he tries to get his band back together. He must re-recruit former members, juggle practice with their everyday life commitments and get gigs! All of this leads the bear into some sticky situations and subsequently some questionable choices. The protagonist seems to have little sense of morality and stealing, glorifying drug use, and lying (amongst other things) are all common practices.
The hyperbole of the ‘sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll’ aspect of the game and narrative makes things feel a bit cliché at times but for the most part the jokes and innuendo land pretty well and provide a lot of entertainment. Additionally, the main character’s humour is often cheesy, resembling dated dad jokes but this matches his personality, living in the past, loving rock ‘n’ roll! Regular rock and pop culture references appear throughout the game adding an air of familiarity that is really fun, for example, a lot of the Steam achievement names are song titles!
Gameplay
Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die features fairly typical point-and-click gameplay with the majority of puzzles being inventory based. Some solutions are a little obscure but generally speaking the conundrums are a lot of fun and very satisfying to solve. Early tasks include fooling the press and clearing up a practice room and problems are usually solved in multiple stages with one solution leading to the next, despite this the gameplay is very efficient and there is very little backtracking.
The game starts in a bar toilet but as the game progresses different areas of the city are unlocked allowing the player to explore an exciting array of locations. As each chapter comes to an end, places that are no longer relevant or needed become unavailable once more which helps avoid confusion and wasted time.
Styling
Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die features a hand-drawn cartoon art style with bold, chunky linework, vibrant colours and a hint of grunge! Despite the jolly aesthetic, however, this game is definitely not for kids! There are some wonderfully eclectic settings and scenes to explore from a mouldy basement to graveyards and dive bars! The game’s soundtrack has surprising range with the likes of gentle piano, eerie detective game-style tunes and upbeat electronic music to add variety to the guitar-filled sounds of rock and metal that make up the bulk of this nostalgic OST.
Summary
Overall, Rock ‘n’ Roll will never die is a fun and unusual game with original themes and a wonderfully silly comedy style. It will take about 8-10 hours to complete and has a lot to offer including its cute yet edgy hand-drawn artwork, 100+ characters to meet and plenty of musical adventures to be had. It comes with a content warning and the themes and explicit humour may not be to everyone’s tastes but I’d happily recommend this to point-and-click fans with any sort of appreciation for rock or metal.
If you like musical puzzle games you might also enjoy:
Sonority – A Brand New Musical Puzzle Game! – One Hand Clapping: Sing Your Way Through this Brand New Adventure!
