If Guitar Hero spawned a side-scrolling arcade shooter about killing zombies with sick guitar riffs, the result would probably come out similarly to Double Kick Heroes, only with guitars instead of drums. However, since killing zombie hordes with machine guns powered by drums is an awesome idea, and crafting a new heavy metal soundtrack to play those drums to is an even more awesome idea, PC gamers get to experience Double Kick Heroes, which leapt onto Steam Early Access just a couple of days after being shown off at PAX East.
I got to experience Double Kick Heroes during the calm before the storm that is PAX’s Day One media hour. The relatively quiet show floor made the game’s music much easier to discern, a vital quality in a rhythm focused game. Players at home will definitely find their enjoyment of this game enhanced by investing in either a good sound system or a quality set of headphones.
Meet the band
For my PAX playthrough, the developers handed me a large arcade style controller like the ones preferred by the dedicated fighting game community. In Double Kick Heroes, the player’s car (the one and only Gundillac) has upper and lower guns, each fired by a different button while following the same beat line. Later levels introduce a secondary weapon, which follows a separate timing line, and the ability to maneuver the Gundillac around the screen. The game should be perfectly playable on a typical controller, or even a keyboard, but anyone with an arcade stick just sitting around is in for a treat. The larger buttons and crisp response times give an excellent feel to the game, and make it much easier to manage multiple rhythm lines. Personally, I want to try playing with a Rock Band drum set just for the fun of it.
Essentially, Double Kick Heroes plays like a cross between choose your own music games such as Melody’s Escape or AudioSurf and rhythm-focused arcade titles like the Bit.Trip.Runner series. Following the beat line while keeping an eye on what the enemies are doing makes for some interesting challenges, particularly at later levels. The game includes a story mode for players to battle through, plus an arcade mode to jam to whichever songs or levels players want. Most importantly, there’s an Editor mode, which allows players to import their own songs, edit tracks, and participate in community challenges.
Just a few zombies to take out.
Developer Headbang Club originated the concept for Double Kick Heroes during Ludum Dare #34 in late 2015. After that prototype gained significant notice, the team coalesced to create a bigger, better, commercially viable product. They currently expect the game to be in Early Access for around six months while they add additional campaign levels, songs, and other features as they go.
Oh, and did we mention boss fights? Well, we did now.
I tend to enjoy most rhythm games, and as a metal fan, this game is right up my alley. In the PAX demo that I played, the controls seemed quite responsive, and the soundtrack (which can be acquired on Steam as a separate OST, or bought through composer Elmobo’s Bandcamp page) is excellent. Killing zombies has rarely been this much fun.
Double Kick Heroes available now on Steam is as an Early Access title. Players can also check out the official website.
