I think we all know about rhythm games, enjoyable projects that can add a fresh new dimension to our gaming lives. Some will remember Crypt of the NecroDancer / Rift of the NecroDancer, others might think of Hi-Fi Rush, and still others would bring up Metal: Hellsinger and Thumper. I have a wealth of experience with rhythm games, and I’m always interested in new releases in this genre. The Alpha Nomos demo was an interesting discovery for me.
“Who would have thought that saving the world could sound so cool?”
This question comes from the young studio RibCage Games, the development team that brought Alpha Nomos to life. This rhythm-action roguelite masterfully blends musical mechanics with dynamic hack-and-slash combat.
And the world has already noticed their efforts: in December, the studio made a splash at the first Mundo Gamer Showcase, where they unveiled the game, shared their concept, and outlined their development plans on their blog.
In Alpha Nomos, music isn’t just a decoration. It’s the core of the gameplay. Attacks become devastating when you sync them to the rhythm; upgrades not only change your combat style but literally transform the sound of your weapons, and the world itself dynamically responds to your rhythm and precision.
In the game, you collect musical power-ups inspired by real-life terms, creating unique, fresh melodies in every run. Explore a devastated universe that breathes in time with your actions, breathe life into forgotten lands, and fight the forces of chaos.
The demo opens with an intriguing screen where a metronome begins to blossom. The music, setting the style and rhythm, immediately draws your attention. The difficulty bar, with its changing face, introduces us to the beginning of the game in a stylish and heartfelt way.
The demo’s protagonist, Cello, a young girl whose story the demo doesn’t yet reveal, appears in the world and wonders where her friends are. The world isn’t friendly to her, it’s populated by evil puppets, it’s filled with a strange force called music, and the reasons for the world’s ruined state are unknown to her.
The demo begins with a tutorial, showing even those unfamiliar with rhythm games the mechanics and first moves with combos. It’s nice that they let you customize the rhythm beats’ timing, choose your own “metronome,” its shape and pitch, or even turn it off. I’m especially grateful for the metronome at the edges of the screen—it reminded me very much of good old Patapon.
Having acquired her first weapon, the SaxWord, which Cello finds extremely shiny and attractive, our Cello begins her journey, after a brief pep talk from the battered Teddy Bear. The encounter is quite comical, too: Cello cries out, “AAH! Bear!” to which Teddy replies, “AAH! “Toy Clown, watch out!”, which is extremely nice; without humor and some sarcasm the game wouldn’t be quite as interesting.
Our enemies are puppets and toys of various kinds: simple puppets, those with cup helmets, those with forks and needles, nutcrackers, slugs that gnaw on enemies, and more. Each enemy has unique attacks and combos. The combat system is quite simple at first; attacks become stronger if you hit the rhythm perfectly. There are only a couple of combos to start with, but the rest can be unlocked later.
Our heroine has a regular attack, a dodge, a strong attack that can also be charged, and a jump. Essentially, with just four buttons, we can create our own unique combos and conduct battles. Combos are demonstrated in the tutorial and can be purchased from the Maestro in the Hub. Your first time through the game, you probably won’t get very far, as the enemies become stronger with each room (arena). The level is divided into arena-like rooms where musical battles will take place.
Like in Hades, after battles you can choose rooms with power-ups or shops, entering which will grant you the chosen item. After a couple of rooms, you’ll encounter a boss room, where you’ll face an interesting challenge in the arena. A few more rooms later, you’ll enter the Boss Arena, where you’ll face the strongest and most vicious enemies, along with a pair of Nutcrackers. Surviving or dying, we’ll reach Hub City, where we’ll be reeled in like fish with a fishing rod.
The hub will be your central location that you will return to power up and unlock new content. Maestro will provide combo attacks, only for one weapon in the demo so far. On the opposite side from him, we’ll see Xynoblades—very sharp and mesmerizing Xylophone “daggers,” giving us a taste of the game’s weapon diversity. Spagheto cooks (he doesn’t do anything in the demo yet, but he’s quite funny), and Earlofie will offer a few tips and will represent one of the shops in the levels.
Map buffs will give us a choice of playstyles: simple attack buffs, attack buffs with a delay, a special attack buff that causes explosions afterward, and other useful options. They’re designed to encourage you to choose your playstyle: aggressive, constantly attacking, using a strong gift in combos, or rare but powerful attacks—the choice is yours.
The game’s world is set in a musical post-apocalypse, where instruments, speakers, and other objects are scattered throughout the world, playing “Music” and adding to the atmosphere. The graphics are unpretentious, but not too simple either, offering plenty of visual interest.
The demo only includes the hub and the first level, consisting of 5-6 locations with varying views, but even this is enough for an enjoyable session.
The punches feel good, but I’ve noticed a couple of shortcomings in the Demo so far.
First, the punch sounds and music in the levels could be synchronized, but they’re not yet. The music changes during combat, with several iterations and intensities, but the punch sounds still feel a bit off.
Second, the plot is purely nominal. The heroine’s appearance is mysterious and… that’s all. What friends she talks about, who she is, where she’s from, it’s all unclear. In general, this isn’t particularly important for the Demo, but I would have liked some kind of story that would keep us interested.
Many Rhythm games give us a hook right off the bat—a plot and mystical knowledge about the world that will be revealed towards the end, but this one doesn’t have that yet. There’s humor in the game, interesting dialogue, and a good, albeit simple, design, but the running time is a bit short.
My verdict: I’ll be waiting for the game’s release; our heroine’s story is intriguing in its mystery, and the music is captivating.
