Backbeat

Backbeat is a story-driven puzzle game set in 1990s suburban America. Aspiring bassist Stephanie “Watts” Watson discovers funk after a string of unsuccessful auditions, then recruits a group of hometown amateurs to challenge the art school darlings La Tormenta at the Battle of the Bands. As Watts leads the band, she faces questions of leadership, success and keeping the group together, alongside a colorful cast of friends and foes.

Puzzles and timelines

Across 40 levels, you guide the band through time-based, sokoban-style puzzles. Each character moves differently through the maps and encounters distinct obstacles and solutions. Moving a character uses a turn and part of the timeline, shaping how the band members and enemies interact at different points in time.

You can control each character separately and rewind or fast-forward along the timeline to reach her current point in time. Rewinding undoes a move so you can seek a better solution; changes to time also affect characters’ actions in both the past and present, creating some possibilities and removing others. You can sequence combo moves and use squad resources strategically to improve your solutions.

Moves and resources

Each character has a resource-limited super move that can be used under specific conditions. The bassist can tiptoe through tight spaces, the keytar player can slide past guards, the drummer can break through walls, and the super sax can blow enemies out of the way. Using these moves strategically opens up more puzzle solutions and helps you earn a maximum score.

Four resource-based musical metrics govern when and how you can move and interact with objects. Spending them inefficiently can block progress, while managing them carefully can create musical chains and high scores.

Music and setting

The soundtrack draws on funk and fusion, with soulful grooves and hot licks composed by Pete Fraser. A live ensemble of seven funk musicians recorded 20 musical motifs, which form the basis of the game’s dynamic music. The songs generated during a puzzle vary according to the directions and paths you take, and you can customize your performance with alternate playing styles, instrument swaps and real-time audio effect pedals.

The game pays homage to story-driven games of the 16- and 32-bit era, framing its challenges and victories around the transition from analog life to the birth of the internet. Its suburban Washington, D.C. setting includes diner parking lots, shopping malls and dimly lit arcades.