As Gamescom kicks off in Cologne, Germany, we were given to sit down down with Wan Hazmer, co-founder of Metronomik, and communicate in regards to the upcoming sequel to No Directly Roads. The second one recreation targets to proceed the rock-and-roll rhythms by way of taking the track journey to new heights and new locales.
Learn on to determine in regards to the sequel’s soundtrack, new additions, and the way the staff’s backgrounds helped shape what No Directly Roads 2 looks as if. You’ll be able to sit up for the sport liberating on Steam and Steam Deck in 2026, with extra consoles to be showed.
Pocket Techniques: You have got a background in track, you are a musician, and you might be growing track – this recreation is nearly like a 2nd album, if you’re going to, a sophomore album. What is it like revisiting this global and drawing near it in that means, as though it had been a brand new album?
Wan Hazmer: I believe I love that time period, reinventing ourselves form of, . So we are seeking to get a large number of fan comments from the remaining time we attempted to mirror that within the recreation. As you’ll be able to see, the combat is far smoother as neatly. I believe the visible readability may be higher.
That is a method of the way we need to thank our enthusiasts again.
I believe as a result of we had been simply caught in Vinyl Town, and I do know that a large number of enthusiasts are very within the lore of the sport. Somewhat than simply going via Vinyl Town itself, as a result of it is a beautiful small town, we attempted to damage out of that to peer the place we will move in the case of exploring new genres, exploring new storytelling, and now, spoiler alert, they are not the villain.
You’ve got touched on exploring new genres – had been there any genres particularly that you simply concept you had to put your spin on going into the sequel?
We’ve already introduced jazz. We no longer best have a look at the style, however we’re very, very serious about track and the way it used to be born and the way other folks create track. Particularly my cousin, the ingenious director, he likes to peer how and why other folks create track. As you spot within the first one, proper, we had DJ Supernova. He used to be very self-centered. He needs his track to achieve the a long way edges of the galaxy, and that is the reason how we represented him with the sun device. We’re going to do the similar factor for this one, however as a result of we don’t seem to be restricted best to EDM this time, we will discover the histories of alternative genres.
How are you increasing at the feeling of that on this recreation, in regards to the advent of track and its impact on other folks?
Ah, that is very fascinating. So ahead of this, it used to be extra of a rock with EDM roughly factor, and it used to be an EDM empire. We had been being careworn by way of them to prohibit rock. This time round, we are seeking to discover no longer best the ability play phase.
I do not know the way [much] I will be able to say [here], however track can turn out to be other folks in some ways. Now not best to persuade other folks, for the reason that first one used to be extra about convincing them that your style is healthier, that your insurance policies are higher than this. In the second, we are seeking to discover a little extra of that motivation of why you might be combating them and why they’re combating you. Sorry, I will be able to’t say a lot more than that!
In the case of fan comments, we need to know extra in regards to the global and the lore – had been there any specific issues that you simply concept you had to increase on, or one thing you did not moderately contact on within the first recreation, that you have now were given a chance to revisit?
We best took round two and a part years to make the [first] recreation – and it used to be right through COVID, so we needed to sacrifice a large number of issues. So there have been a large number of concepts, and once we created Metronomik, we had 5 concepts for music-based, however no longer rhythm recreation, roughly facets.
I will be able to guarantee you that, initially, it is much less linear than the primary one. We will discover extra about quest traces and facet dungeons. Then we even have the van. I believe a highway commute is a part of the revel in of track, particularly if you end up appearing semi-professionally. I got here from a background of creating Ultimate Fable 15, bringing in that highway commute facet into play [was easy].
It is humorous that you simply deliver that up as a result of we are all enthusiasts of Ultimate Fable at Pocket Techniques. Particularly our boss, she’s an enormous Ultimate Fable fan. I am curious to peer any learnings from that have you introduced over to this?
You will not see that many similarities, however the truth that even the AI characters are transferring within the house may be one thing that we did for Ultimate Fable 15. I assume ours is extra chaotic as a result of we need to make it extra stylistic, so we need to make certain that the band plays in combination, while Ultimate Fable 15, I believe, used to be extra about camaraderie.
Within the demo, there are new forms of fight mechanics, just like the stun device. What is it been like for you toying with that and discovering that steadiness between having pleasing fight that still blends into the arena of the track?
That is in reality one of the most hardest portions, as a result of this present day there are a large number of nice motion video games [which are] very available as neatly. A few of them are loose to play. As an example, the Mihoyo video games. The motion is improbable, however on the similar time, we need to get a hold of a differentiation from Zenless Zone 0. On account of that, we concept to ourselves that, initially, our greatest likelihood is track and rhythm. We’ve explored many, many gameplay mechanics.
In reality, the sport designers had been like, ‘No, that is an excessive amount of, we have long gone excess of funds. ‘ So we selected the most productive mechanics, like the easiest dodge, the stun, and counterattack. The ones are the type of issues that really feel like you might be taking part in a rhythm recreation, however no longer in point of fact. As an example, in a rhythm recreation, you spot a bar falling down, and when to press. Then that it’s a must to press the play button so as to stun. That working out of taking part in an device without having the information of taking part in an device is a recreation idea that we really feel very strongly about, even for NSR 1.
Everyone cherished the primary recreation. Used to be the plan all the time to do a sequel, or had been there different concepts that you simply concept possibly it’s good to do first?
We’ve a large number of fan toughen, however we’re so fortunate to have discovered Shueisha Video games to toughen the speculation of getting a sequel. We already had the speculation of the sequel – the street commute factor and all that – however we did not know whether or not we had the way to make a sequel. So we are like, ok, let’s paintings on any other recreation first. However sooner or later, we discovered a birthday party that used to be very serious about our recreation, particularly in the case of IP.
Shueisha Video games does a large number of comedian IPs. We additionally imagine that our recreation will also be an IP the place the characters keep constant. Our recreation has all the time been in regards to the characters, even the villains, so we concept {that a} character-centric corporate could be highest for the publishing.
The primary recreation is on Nintendo Transfer – is it most likely we will see No Directly Roads 2 come to Transfer or Transfer 2?
It is into account at this time – there is not any actual affirmation but. Clearly, it is a new platform, everybody needs to have their recreation on it, [so it’s] undoubtedly within the talks. We will be able to say now we have PC this is showed – that is additionally the explanation why we are saying ‘consoles’, as a result of we nonetheless have to determine which console.
While you say PC, does that issue within the Steam Deck, the ROG Best friend, and different hand held PCs?
I believe that the primary goal is to have it working on Steam globally. When the sport comes out, it’s going to additionally rely on whether or not now we have a brand new Steam Deck popping out. It could be very dependent at the time it comes out. For now, Steam – a PC model – is most sensible precedence.
What used to be it like getting the primary recreation to run at the Transfer?
Oh my gosh. It used to be tricky! Clearly, it got here with a large number of sacrifices, like graphics. It used to be tricky to be truthful, as a result of on the time, our corporate comprised many newbies to the trade. Working out how the Transfer works and all that used to be no longer simple.
As a result of it is a hand held instrument, we additionally give particular content material – we had the 3rd participant as neatly, controlling Ellie the alligator. When you need to indicate to many, many consoles, that is the type of factor that it’s a must to handle. All of the other consoles have other strengths and weaknesses.
Directly to our remaining query – for you, what is your favourite a part of experimenting with the track on this recreation?
Oh, that is an overly, very fascinating query. Something I love in regards to the Unreal Engine, and likewise Wwise, the middleware, is that there are such a lot of issues you’ll be able to do now in comparison to once we had been doing No Directly Roads 1, as a result of now you’ll be able to even compose track simply by stepping on some buttons. It is moderately loopy. Then you’ll be able to have a device gun that may in reality observe track. It is extra like capturing and growing track.
A few of these issues are being experimented [with]. I had a large number of a laugh doing that. For me, the truth that the engine makers are taking a look into easy methods to make track paintings with their recreation, with the video games that they’re working on their platform, I believe it is wonderful. In most cases, audio is all the time a kind of issues that individuals do not imagine as their first precedence, so it is exhausting to infrequently pursue generation that may toughen what we need to do.
At Metronomik, we need to make video games which might be music-based, however no longer rhythm video games. Song has a large number of issues to discover that don’t seem to be exploited in video video games. When you discover track concept, it is glaring the abundance of items you’ll be able to play with.
Thanks once more to Wan for taking the time to speak to us, and we are hoping you loved getting an in-depth have a look at No Directly Roads 2. The sport is bound to be a banger of an indie recreation – possibly even one of the most best possible Steam Deck video games in the market.
