A Story of a Band Lets You Manage Your Own Band
I’m not Simon Cowell. I’m not going to get the chance to manage my own rock sensation in the real world. Thank god for videogames, eh?
A Story of a Band, releasing soon on Steam, lets you live out that very dream. Starting in the swinging sixties, you’ll hire band members, train ’em up, send them out on tours and record albums in order to make a world famous musical act.
It turns out, though, that I’m not cut out for music management, even in the virtual sense. My band, Banana Anomaly, released three albums in their first few years of existence. Not one of them got a review higher than a 4. Harsh. I kept my dignity though; when an editor of Karreng Magazine (ha!) approached me with the opportunity to buy a higher score, I refused. Banana Anomaly might not have been making waves, but we were making an honest living, damnit!
A Story of a Band, for the most part, requires minimal input from you, minus navigating a few menus. The band will perform automatically, whether that’s in the studio recording an album or on the stage of one of the gigs you’ve arranged for them. When inactive, your band will be constantly rehearsing, stopping only to take brief naps at their instruments when their energy bar drains. You can buy items, upgrade their skills, and train them in numerous areas in order to make your band as good as it can be.
Your main input in the game comes in the form of band battles. Playing out like old-school turn-based combat, you’re tasked with defeating members of rival bands one by one by unleashing a series of basic and special attacks on them. Defeating them increases your popularity, and unlocks access to international tour venues.
It’s a simple game that started life on mobile, but A Story of a Band is a fun little time-waster. Its mobile roots means its pretty laid-back – I was able to play it mostly touchscreen on my laptop, which made for a relaxing experience while sat in front of the TV.
Banana Anomaly might not have set the world on fire in their first few years, but I’m not giving up on them and their take on psychadelic rock just yet. With the game allowing a career to span 40 years, this band’s story ain’t over yet.
A Story of a Band will be available on Steam from 19th June.
