Sometimes you make content, promote that content, and receive attention. Other times, you make content, promote that content, and receive no attention. And then you haveStephen Ddungu—a solo game designer whose upcomingSword of Symphonyexploded on TikTokdespite Ddungu not even being on the platform. Not bad for a 22-year-old, recent college grad.
The sudden popularity ofSword of Symphonyhas left plenty of questions about the game, and Ddungu has beenposting subsequent TikToks(he has an account now) to show some of the early design aspects. With interviews, the TikTok posts, and general hype popping up all over, it seems a great time to collect everything we know about this intriguing title.
RELATED:9 Indie Games to Play in September
It’s A Musical RPG
Describedas “a game where you fight with the power of music,”Sword of Symphonyis going to be a story-driven, action RPG. Ddungu provides a more detailed description throughhis Patreon:
The story of Sword Of Symphony is centred around music wielders called ’Composers’ who dwell in a musical kingdom called ’Sonata’. Composers dedicate their lives to composing music (music is the energy source of the soundscape). They also fight to preserve the tonality of the soundscape, innovate new Melodies, and experiment with them in collaboration with other Composers to inspire and help each other develop their abilities to wield music and fend off against The Block (manifestation of ‘writer’s block’), a race of being that feeds off the creativity of Composers, and rogue Composers who wish to steal other Composers’ Melodies, and overthrow the Royal Council Of Sonata.
Mechanically, the game is set to be different from other action RPGs (more on that in a minute), but there seems to be a lot of overlap withEternal Sonata, at least in the way music literally defines aspects of the experience —cities, characters, and abilities all stem from musical terminologies inEternal Sonata. But whereSword of Symphonyis set to differ is in its approach to combat.
The Battle System Is All About Rhythm
In arecent, early-development showcase, we see the role rhythm and timing will play when doing battle. While we don’t have a lot of concrete details about how this system will be fleshed out as development progresses (it’s unclear if even Ddungu knows at this early stage of development), we do have some of the intended bones of that system thanks to arecent interview:
The flow of battle will be structured around an “invisible metronome.” Though players will be allowed to attack whenever they choose, Ddungu says this metronome will “hold up that attack” until it syncs with the player’s input commands. Such flexibility allows the game to be more approachable even for those who aren’t interested in its musical depth. Ddungu states that while the game can be played like a button-masher, the “key to actually succeeding…is listening to help with precise attacks,” and thus allowing them to line up with the metronome.
For those players whoareinterested in the musical depth, Ddungu says there are combat bonuses for staying in time with the metronome, giving the player the chance to string together critical hits. Successful inputs will make the collective attacks sound more like melodies, and less like individual notes.
All of this musical tug-of-war is designed to allow players to attack at their own pace, and in whatever manner they wish, but also to “keep the game on its tracks, musically.”
The Game Is Connected to Ddungu’s Other Titles
Prior toSword of Symphonygaining traction, it was only supposed to be a school assignment, intended to be abandoned on the academic cutting floor upon completion. Ddungu’s focus was on his other projects,Purpose: Versa— “a 3D animated, 13-episode miniseries, inspired by popular titles from Square Enix such asFinal Fantasy,Kingdom Hearts,Nier: Automata,etc., set in a modern/pre sci-fi, fantasy genre (Similar to that ofMetal Gear Solid)” — and his other upcoming action RPG,Purpose: Versus. Additional information about both of these titles is available viaDdungu’s Patreon.
With a desire to flesh out the story ofPurposein a more “cryptic” way, Ddungu decided to connect the worlds ofPurposeandSword of Symphony. He has been silent on how exactly these worlds are connected —without any of these titles being out, the answer probably wouldn’t mean much to anyone at this point— but has specifically rejected the theory that their relationship will be similar to the relationship betweenFinal FantasyandKingdom Hearts. An overly specific rejection, sure, but given his vocal fandom of these titles, Ddungu felt the need to put this speculation to bed.
Sword of SymphonyIs Autobiographical (Broadly Speaking)
Ddungu conceived ofSword of Symphonythrough his own battle with being a self-taught musician/game designer, and the ensuing conflict of constantly needing to feel adequate amongst your peers, as well as the professionals in your field. The protagonist ofSword of Symphonywalks a similar path, having to prove himself in a world of more advanced composers, and the aforementioned “Block” characters who try to derail his quest. This sort of social pressure, that almost everyone feels at one time or another, is one of the threads that Ddungu hopes makes the game reach beyond the music audience.
The group of “Composers” that Ddungu mentions in the aforementioned description of the game mirrors his own group of friends who call themselves the “Inner Circle,” consisting of seven different composers/designers who intend to link their projects together, through crossover content, and cross-promotion once they’re ready to launch them.
The Game’s Release Date Is A Long Ways Off
The downside aboutSword of Symphonyexploding in popularity right now, on top of the mountain of content Ddungu is working on, is that this game remains a long way off. While the unexpected hype that has materialized might quicken up the pace of development, as of now Ddungu is puttinga two-to-three-year timeframeon release (though this number has beenas high as five yearsin other interviews).
As of now, Ddungu has announced through Patreon thatPurpose: Versuswill only be available on PC, though he intends “to port it to other platforms after release.” While that may be the path forSword of Symphonyas well, he has yet to formally announce where it may eventually be available.
