Drop the Beat: Trailer, Demos and Dance Mats

It's been an electrifying few months here at Rhythm Towers HQ, and we've got so much to share that we can hardly contain our excitement. From the reveal of our new trailer announcing that Rhythm Towers is coming to consoles, the launch of our playable demo on both PC and Xbox, to unveiling and showcasing a brand-new way to play at FORMAT:Liverpool, there's a rhythm in the air that's impossible to ignore. So, let's dive right in!

Announcing Rhythm Towers for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S!

We unveiled our new announcement trailer, showcasing that Rhythm Towers will be coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S! Check out the trailer below:

Creating this trailer was an adventure in itself. To stay on the rhythmic and musical theme we decided to spice things up with some facial and motion capture technology. We have already been using the Move AI suite of motion capture tech to record the dance moves featured in the game, so it made sense to use the same technology and expand upon it using Reallusion's iClone, AccuFACE and AccuLIPS to really bring The Manager to life, ensuring every action you see him perform you see is busting with genuine rhythm. A couple of behind the scenes shots are featured below but we will go into more detail on this exciting technology in a future blog post!

Facial motion capture for The Manager for the Announcement Trailer

And let's talk about those playful lyrics! We wanted the trailer to be as informative as it is fun, introducing the game to players that haven't heard of it before - so we crafted lyrics that not only get stuck in your head but also explain the game's core mechanics. It's like a catchy introduction tutorial you can't help but sing along to!

Recording motion capture for The Managers enigmatic moves

Steam Demo Success and Double Festival Fun

We kick-started getting a playable version of the game into your hands earlier this summer with the launch of the Rhythm Towers Demo on Steam. First, it hit the scene during the Steam Tower Defense Fest, catching the attention of strategy enthusiasts eager to outsmart every wave. Then, we took the stage again at the Rhythm Fest, where music-focused players discovered a new way to keep time while keeping their towers standing.

The result? An awesome mix of communities colliding, each bringing their own unique tastes, tactics and awesome new suggestions of improvements to the world of Rhythm Towers!

Xbox Insider Playtest: Our First Step onto Consoles

Next up we launched the Rhythm Towers Demo on the Xbox Insider Program, as this is our first console game (our first game on any platform actually!) we wanted to make sure we were able to do some early testing and gather feedback so that it looked and played great. So we invited wave after wave of eager players, topping out at just over 19,000, to put our game through its paces. The feedback was incredibly instrumental, helping us squash pesky bugs, refine our balancing, and even inspiring us to add entirely new features that we hadn't thought of. The playtesters in the Xbox Insider Program showed us the kind of innovative and creative thinking that matches perfectly with our rhythm-meets-tower-defense formula!

Rhythm Towers Demo reviews from the Xbox Insider program

And now that the Rhythm Towers Demo is available on Xbox Series X|S, we’re thrilled to be featured in the Xbox Indie Game Fest Demo Event running throughout the rest of December! This spotlight is a direct result of your valuable input and playtesting prowess.

Expanding, Updating and Demo Stats

But that’s not all. In our mission to spread the beat far and wide, alongside adding some new updates we’ve brought the Rhythm Towers Demo to the Epic Games Store. Whether you’re on Steam, Xbox, or Epic, the latest updated version of the demo includes:

Bug Fixes: Your feedback helped us iron out those wrinkles!
A Brand-New Challenging Level: Up the ante with a fresh and frosty environment with strategic twists.
New Music Track: Groove to a never-before-heard tune as you defend in the icy new level mentioned above.

Now’s the perfect time to jump back in—or step into the game for the first time—and put your rhythm defending skills to the test.

Some fun stats from the demo so far:

Creeps Defeated: You've collectively sent over 100,000 creeps packing. Talk about teamwork!
Towers Built: More than 40,000 musical towers have been strategically placed to the beat!
Syncing Strategy with Style: Crimson Dunes has seen the highest combo with a player reaching 528!
Fan Favourites: Neon Canopy has been the most replayed level, one rhythm maestro has played it 46 times!

We can't thank you enough for your support and enthusiasm. Curious to see what’s new? Jump into the updated demo and let those rhythmic towers sing to your strategic symphony. Don’t forget to share your stories, screenshots, and high scores with us on Discord, X or Instagram. We can’t wait to see how you groove with the updates!

Dance Mat Mode Unveiled at FORMAT

Last but definitely not least, we had the pleasure of attending FORMAT:Liverpool, where we revealed and showcased our latest feature: the much requested Dance Mat mode!

Dance Mat mode being shown off at FORMAT:Liverpool

Imagine defending your towers not just with your fingertips but with your feet! Players at FORMAT got to be the first to experience this new mode, and the reactions were everything we hoped for and more.

Enthusiastic players danced their way through waves of creeps, combining strategy with some serious footwork. The smiles, laughter, and sheer excitement was contagious, we didn't expect so many people to be brave enough to try the dance mat when the controller was also an option, but throughout the night we had more dance mat players than seated controller players!

We're still buzzing from the energy at FORMAT and are considering ways to integrate the Dance Mat mode into the demo. Stay tuned for future updates on this!

What's Next?

With all this momentum, we're gearing up for more exciting updates in the coming months. Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements, new features, and maybe even a few surprises along the way.

Join the Conversation

Your feedback means the world to us. Don't forget to download and play the Rhythm Towers Demo on Steam, Xbox Series X|S or the Epic Games Store. Follow Us on Social Media: @rhythmtowers on X and Instagram - or come and chat with us on Discord!

Thank you so much for all of the feedback, positivity and encouragement so far. Keep building those towers, keep hitting those beats, defending the precious AlgoRhythm - and as always, stay tuned for more rhythm-infused action!