A Musical Story Critic Reviews

Glee-Cheese Studio’s motto is to develop innovative games with a strong artistic identity. With A Musical Story, they have done exactly this. It plays and looks like no other rhythm game out there and, to me, is close to faultless. I am very excited to see what they will produce next. Here’s hoping for an album release of the soundtrack on streaming services… Please!

A Musical Story is a short rhythm game that stands out with genuinely good original music, a touching story, and amazing visuals. If you’re a fan of music, art, or all things creative, this game is certainly right up your alley.

A Musical Story seamlessly combines genres to create an unforgettable experience. Its rhythm segments are a refreshing take on conventions, helping it gain its own identity. In addition, the narrative is expertly delivered and takes advantage of its unique art style. Highlighted through its powerful imagery and stellar soundtrack, this sensitive coming of age story is a sumptuous and sentimental observation of a bygone era.

A Musical Story is honestly a fantastic entry in the rhythm game genre. Combining storytelling and rhythm gameplay makes it very original. What's special is that it almost teaches you how to listen to music because of the way that you have to play the game, challenging you without making it impossible, creating a rewarding experience that you can take away from. The songs themselves are so good to listen to and play that you'll probably find yourself wanting to play them again. The story itself certainly makes the game worth playing from start to finish, with great characters and settings. The 70s backdrop gives it that extra edge. The central character Gabriel, while with his own flaws and personal battles, is very endearing. The love interest Amelia also makes a great addition to the cast, her presence and the romance not feeling too forced. All in all, A Musical Story takes you on a special journey, and it would be great to see more games like this.

We found A Musical Story easy to lose ourselves in, despite the difficulty. Others may not be so forgiving, but if you’re looking for a new rhythm action title for your Switch this is an almost essential purchase.

A Musical Story isn’t a conventional rhythm game. This adventure focuses on the story, if your goal is to achieve high scores, you have to look elsewhere. Albeit on the short side, this is an enjoyable road trip with vibrant visuals and groovy music.

In its mission to make you listen to its music, A Musical Story practically hands you a blindfold. The story asks you to relax into its acid-trip jam-session cool, but somewhat harshes the mellow with its insistence on repeating long phrases until they’re perfect. However, it looks and sounds fabulous, and will reward perseverance and repeated plays.

The biggest problem with A Musical Story comes in its gameplay mechanics, though. You play the tunes in sliced out sections, and you have to hit every note perfectly before the game will let you move on. And unless you’re really good with audio cues, you’re going to fail a lot. The worst thing is that once you’ve missed a note, you know you can’t succeed but you still have to finish out the slice anyway. It’s aggravating in the worst way. You never get that feeling of being one with the music that you get with better rhythm games. Great music, an uneven story, and unpleasant gameplay make for a very rocky road trip indeed.