Occasionally, a game comes along that feels like it sits comfortably in the centre of this site’s seemingly disparate Venn diagram of interests. Five Houses’ musical comedy RPG about a trio of goofball musicians, Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands, is one such game. Oh, and it’s out on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X
Originally released for the PC in 2023, Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands puts players in the combat boots of Faye, Ian, and Briff, three dysfunctional friends and bandmates who unwittingly stumble into a cursed and potentially fatal battle of the bands contest where all entrants fight to the death with the power of rock.
Brawl against rival bands in Deathbulge’s turn-based battles using the “Measure Effects” system, which sees you managing your band members to affect the flow of battle. For example, swapping out your frontman may speed up your turn, but can also have consequences if the same band member hogs the spotlight for too long.
Customise the band with nine musically themed classes to choose from, each with its own attacks, perks, and cool outfit. Inspire your bandmates as a Busker or recklessly deal huge damage at the cost of damaging yourself as the Headbanger.
The new console version also has additional content (also coming to PC via a free update), including new items, an Easy mode option, save points, and harder versions of bosses for those seeking a tougher challenge.
“Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands is a blast from the past, drawing on our experience of being teenagers and playing what are now thought of as ‘retro’ games while dreaming of one day making a game ourselves,” said Dan Martin, Solo Artist of Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands.
“That said, we’ve learned a lot about game design in the intervening years and have created something unique that merges classic game design with modern sensibilities for something entirely singular – at least we’ve never seen anything with a combat system like it. Having it on consoles, where you can play it on a couch – or handheld on Switch wherever you like – just feels so right for Deathbulge’s unique twist on semi-real-time RPGs.”
Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands is out now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X