Back in 2020, Malaysian game development studio Metronomik released No Straight Roads, an action-adventure game deeply rooted in music coming with a distinct visual style, and some great boss battles that made it easy to look past the general simplicity of the entire experience. After releasing the Encore Edition featuring additional content, the development studio started working on No Straight Roads 2, a sequel that promises to significantly expand every one of its predecessor's features, from music to gameplay.
During last month's Gamescom, I had the opportunity to meet with Metronomik co-founder and Game Director Wan Hazmer and Business Development Manager Rie Matsuura to talk about the second entry in their series. Much like in 2019, when I met him during the very last E3 in Los Angeles to to talk about the original, Wan Hazmer was very enthusiasiastic about the project, and I feel he had every right to be, as No Straight Roads 2 immediately felt like a massive step up over its predecessor, which did a lot of things right, but whose relatively small scope ultimately impacted the experience negatively.
With No Straight Roads 2, Metronomik is not taking any chances. Bunk Bed Junction is not only heading out of Vinyl City for the first time, but they are also expanding the band, as keyboard player Casey and another yet-to-be-revealed band member will join guitarist Mayday and drummer Zuke. And, for the first time, they will feel like an actual band playing together, as all characters will actually participate in combat when not controlled by any player, fighting mobs and bosses together. The introduction of mobs is only one of the things made possible by Metronomik getting bigger as a game development studio, as the support from publisher Shueisha Games and the addition of more developers allowed the creation of a proper AI system for mobs and characters, but also the creation of much bigger stages that will address the extreme linearity of the original.
The unique combination of music and action gameplay of the original is also getting significantly expanded in No Straight Roads 2, as the new entry in the series will explore Jazz besides EDM. This new genre, which is considerably more complex than most modern music, will be explored in a rather unusual way, as the developer has injected a Malaysian flair into it, which is sure to make the experience rather unique. The addition of a more complex genre will also impact gameplay in some form, Wan Hazmer told me, although it was difficult to tell exactly how from the short demo playthrough I watched during the session. One thing this playthrough made sure of is how boss fights will once again be the highlight of the experience. The one featured in the demo did an excellent job showing how the gameplay complexity has increased, with mobs joining in the fight, and the music's intensity indicating when the boss is about to unleash a powerful attack. With some new cues indicating when an attack can be parried, perfect dodging, a stun mechanic that allows players to stun enemies if certain conditions are met, a combat arena that changes depending on how the battle is going, taking advantage of a green screen setup in a very clever way to offer some visual storytelling, it's clear how No Straight Roads 2 is setting out to be a more involving experience than its predecessor that will surprise the vast majority of players.
With Hi-Fi Rush in some way revolutionizing the action-rhythm game landscape, I expected No Straight Roads 2 to take more than a few pages from its book, but that is not precisely what Metronomik is doing with their game. While it is undeniable that Tango Gameworks' action title has influenced the game, Metronomik is focused on keeping its identity, using music differently and far less restrictively. Unlike Hi-Fi Rush, where the player is punished for doing things to the beat, No Straight Roads 2 provides incentives for doing so but with no downside if the player doesn't. This is not only a way to make the game more accessible and less restrictive, but also to implement more varied music. In Hi-Fi Rush, every song is rhytmically simple in a 4/4 beat, which makes it easy for players to follow even if they have no music education. With No Straight Roads 2 exploring different musical genres, this wouldn't have worked as well and would have proved to be even more restrictive and punishing. In terms of music, No Straight Roads 2 will also feature all original music, so licensing issues will not force the developer to alter their game down the line.
With so many improvements across the board, including multiplayer, No Straight Roads 2 is setting out to be a much better game than its predecessor. The little I have seen of the game being so interesting already, I cannot wait to see what else Metronomik has come up with, especially how the new bosses will top the already excellent bosses of the original and how the yet-to-be-revealed character will impact an experience that already looks to be tons of fun. Unfortunately, the wait may still be a little long, as No Straight Roads 2 is slated for a generic 2026 release window on PC and yet-to-be-confirmed consoles.
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