Cosmic DJ was released on May 16th and was developed by Gl33k and published by Devolver Digital. We had a chance to jam out with the game after its Early Access release, read on if you like to party.
Cosmic DJ could be described as a casual music experience, although players of all types might find something to enjoy with the game. Cosmic DJ blends rhythm-based gameplay and easy song creation with an absolutely insane narrative that makes for a seriously unique experience.
I approached Cosmic DJ as a gamer whose total music game experience includes about an hour with Guitar Hero a few years back. From a completely inexperienced player’s perspective, Cosmic DJ was particularly easy to learn. The campaign that’s included gets you into the game and mixing beats very quickly. There are a few ways to create your tracks using the Tap/Grid Sequencer. Experienced music gamer players may enjoy the Tap Sequencer, although I found my fingers to be lacking in musical beat making. For me, the Grid Sequencer made things much easier.
The story in Cosmic DJ is pretty insane, but in this case, pretty insane is also pretty fantastic. Players assume the role of the Legendary Cosmic DJ on a quest to repair the broken “Jamtennas” and restore harmony to the galaxy. Throughout the missions available thus far, players will quickly find themselves creating catchy tunes thanks to the easy to learn music creation system.
After you’re done with the particularly entertaining campaign portion of the game, you can try your hand at making even more music in a free-form Quick Play Mode that allows you to choose a randomized set of instruments. I did find that the inability to choose my instruments was a bit limiting at times, although you’re allowed to re-randomize your instrument set until you find a combination that you like.
Overall, I enjoyed the hell out of my time with Cosmic DJ. I can’t imagine most audiophiles will find the music I personally created to be particularly enjoyable though. Regardless, I was able to make music and upload the audio file and in-game created album cover in a matter of minutes. Considering my total lack of experience with music creation, the simplicity of the entire experience makes Cosmic DJ a fantastic learning tool in addition to just being a fun game to play.
Feel free to jam out to my amateur beats in the SoundCloud.com embed at the top of the page.
Steam Cards: No | Steam Achievements: No | Version Reviewed: Steam Early Access Initial Release