Team17 / LichthundIggy Pop is returning to video games as a radio host… but this time he’s a dog. The rock icon, who voiced Liberty Rock Radio 97 in GTA IV, now stars as narrator and DJ in Rockbeasts, a 90s-inspired RPG about managing a dysfunctional rock band.
The “I Wanna Be Your Dog” singer is just one of many brilliant characters in Rock Beasts, a game which has you playing the part of a rock manager trying to get a rabble of a band to make it in the industry. There’s also a bass called Carlton who plays, you guessed it, the bass guitar – and you’ll also meet the likes of Kurt Cobain (as a Cocker Spaniel) and David Bowie.
We spoke with Team17’s developer Bartek Pieczonka to discover more about the game, its inspirations, and what it was like working with Iggy Pop.
What is Rockbeasts?
Combine Rock Band gameplay with visual novel stylings inspired by Papers Please and Bojack Horseman, and stories by the writer behind The Witcher 3, and you have Rockbeasts.
“It’s a role-playing, story-driven, management game where you’re the manager of a rock and roll band,” developer Bartek Pieczonka said. It’s “set in the 90s” and is “all about decisions and making hard choices.”
While that’s mostly the gist of Rockbeasts, there’s so much more to the adventure. You’ll expand your band’s reach, from their small town to large cities, all while organizing their hype, health, mood, and of course, dollars.
Throughout, you’re given the opportunity to make some incredibly tough choices that will impact the future of your band as well as the ending of the story.
What stands out about this wild adventure is its gigs. Playing your way through live gigs, you’re responsible for the band’s success or failure, all while hearing original songs that will plague your mind for weeks (I can’t stop humming them).
Related
Rockbeasts is simple on the surface and is beautifully calming with its management style, but once you break through that, you’re met with an emotional rollercoaster – one with talking ostriches, chainsmoking bunnies, a hesitant fish, and a regularly sulking deer.
What the devs say about it
Iggy Pup
Dexerto / Lichthund“It was not that easy to get to Iggy Pop because he’s a superstar and we’re just an indie studio. But luckily enough, his manager’s partner is Polish, and the person recording our album knew him. And we got his phone number.
“We started chatting away, talking about the project, and we got Iggy interested. He said, as long as he’s being himself and how he described ‘not doing funny animal noises,’ he’s okay with it.
“And we got Iggy Pop on board for playing the role of the narrator. So he’s the radio host who’s interviewing the band, and we’re kind of learning their story through as we play the game as a retrospective. “
“We did some improv, too. He did a lot of improvised laughs and jokes, and kind of added some curse words. It’s all in-game; we didn’t cut anything.”
Dexerto / LichthundWhy animals?
“We wanted to immediately showcase who the characters are. As you introduce a new character, you kind of immediately get a vibe from it. And we thought, having animals there helps a lot, because you have those attributes associated with animals.
“So like an ostrich has a bird brain, is not very smart, but he’s kind of tall and obnoxious. Then a deer character is more graceful, but also a bit wild, so there are a lot of things that you can already communicate with the players, just through the character design.”
Inspired by Bojack & Papers Please
“From very early on, we were looking at games like Papers Please, where you’re doing this paperwork, but the consequences are like real life, all while you’re getting this pressure of doing mundane stuff.
“Then there’s, like, this other side of the name with the concert, with the mini games. We struggled to know how we give you that rush of performing like it’s a gig. So, we looked at Rock Band, but we also looked at Night in the Woods; they had little sections when they were playing music, and we thought that just works, and it gives you that kind of short rush of adrenaline you get when you’re performing live or watching a live performance.
“But also, we were looking at more typical management and time resource games like Punch Club, Yes Your Grace, for instance, even Persona 5, when you have the calendar and some decisions and things you do in the game time. So you constantly have to have to remember that you’re progressing and time is limited. So a lot of different games, a lot of different genres. It’s a bit of a Frankenstein.”
Dexerto / Lichthund“Bojack Horseman was a huge influence, I think they did a great job with the cast, there with having anthropomorphic animals that you immediately kind of understood. Like he’s a horse, but also a man, that was kind of part of the arc. So, that was also a huge inspiration.”
Everchanging storyline
“The story is written by Jakub Szamałek, who was previously the principal writer on Cyberpunk 2077 and the Witcher 3 and he came in with an amazing ability to write branching narratives, so the game has a ton of branching and some very big choices that will determine the outcome, not just of the ending, but like the second, product can look completely different based on your choices.
“So there are a lot of different endings and a lot of different choices you make in the first hours of the game. And you’re stuck with that choice, so you’re cutting immediately, like half of the contents out. So you have a lot of branching, not just on the narrative side, but also on the main story.
“You also have optional things, like side quests. You can skip all of it, but it will influence the journey, the endings, and the characters you’ll meet.”
Optional Hardcore
“The way it’s designed is, if you’re looking for more challenge, and you want it to be harder, and you want to achieve everything and do everything there is in the game, it’s going to be difficult. You’re going to have to, especially later on, figure out how you want to manage your stats. You have to be good at concerts and perform all the mini games.”
Dexerto / Lichthund“So it gets difficult as you progress. But if you’re a player who just wants to enjoy the story and just move through it, you can.
“We want to make this accessible to people who enjoy narrative games, choice-based games, but because we also enjoy a more hardcore experience, we also wanted to add that to the game so we can have both.”
Original music influenced by choice
“Because we’re an RPG, we have a leveling system, and you get experience for doing stuff. So the whole idea is, as a manager, you’re not writing songs, but you influence what your band’s portfolio is. What the songs are and what their sound is. And you can either go in a more mainstream kind of way, or you can be more kind of alternative music.
“We’ve got 18 songs that were written specifically by our composer, and they’re all original, recorded by us. And you won’t see all of them on your first playthrough. You have to kind of unlock them, almost like skills.
“They were inspired by a lot of different rock bands from the 90s, from like obvious ones, like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, very kind of grungy American music, to more punk rock like Green Day. We wanted to have some that represent the huge variety of rock music from the 90s. So people will also find tracks that resonate with them or that they enjoy.”
Rockbeasts doesn’t yet have a concrete release date, but it’ll be blasting onto PC soon. Eager rockers can also play a demo at the Team 17 booth at Gamescom. For more creative indie games you might not have heard of, be sure to check out our other New Game+ features.
