GDC08 impressions: Go! Go! Break Steady

Though not officially announced yet according to developer Little Boy Games' website, we had a chance to pick up and try out Go! Go! Break Steady at the XNA bar in Moscone Center North. The rhythm game is reminiscent -- in both gameplay and title -- of Boom! Boom! Rocket. We picked our character (the bespectacled brothah on the left in the above picture) and proceeded to press the according buttons and as they quickly scrolled from right to left on the screen. One mistake would result in a failure for that sequence and we'd be told to "try again" with a new, somewhat easier sequence.

We didn't fare too well with the game; more often than not, our avatar fell on his butt in disgrace. (In our defense, the music volume was very low and drowned by the adjacent console playing Mass Effect.) We wish the buttons that scrolled on the screen also had corresponding arrows; dance pad compatibility would add to the replayability, as would guitar and drum controller support. It's hard to make a judgment given the lack of music, which will ultimately make or break the game. Go! Go! Break Steady is being planned for release this year.