The Sega CD is home to some great graphic adventures. Whether you’re into classic PC-style releases like The Adventures of Willy Beamish and The Secret of Monkey Island or the gritty, cyberpunk sci-fi of Rise of the Dragon and Snatcher, the add-on has you covered. The Genesis, to much less extent, has a few of its own, but they’re not on the same scale that the CD-ROM format can provide. Well, that’s what most of us have thought until now. Indie studio Pixel Pusher Games has spent the last few years working to bring that same level of experience to a cartridge game with Chords. Lead developer Matteus is a big fan of Hideo Kojima’s fan favorite and is planning to bring a title of that quality to the Genesis. Snatcher served as a direct inspiration behind Chords, but what they’re crafting is shaping up to become something all its own and a game that can sit beside Kojima’s Sega CD classic rather than behind it. It’s also in development for PC, but we had the privilege of spending a solid chunk of time with the Genesis demo, and we came away super exited to see the final product.
The story in Chords centers on Akio, an aspiring musician competing in a global battle-of-the-bands competition while uncovering and confronting a powerful group manipulating the contest for its own purposes. Its story is spread over three parts and promises to deliver a memorable, story-driven experience that can hold its own against any graphic adventures the Sega CD can muster. This is no simple comic romp, either. There’s some serious meat on these bones, and players can expect to take several hours to get through the entire adventure. Matteus recently speed-ran the first chapter, and it took him 45 minutes.
The gameplay in Chords is similar to Snatcher and other graphic adventures Sega CD fans know and love. Commands like “move,” and “look” explain the locations and help advance the story, but it’s more than a matter of simply going through all the menu options until you find the right one. Many of the puzzles require using information from conversations, scenery in the environment, and even a bit of logic to figure out. They’re not overly hard, but they do make you examine everything multiple times, and as sure as you’ll be that you checked everything, there’s bound to be something small you missed in a poster or other object in the location.
As I mentioned above, this project takes a lot of inspiration from classic adventure games and the art of cinematic storytelling. The presentation is top-notch, too, with detailed 16-bit pixel artwork from Daniel “108 Stars” H, who previously work on games like Pier Solar, and an energetic chiptune soundtrack by SuperJet Spade. Chords will also support multiple languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese, making it accessible to Mega Drive owners worldwide.
Chords really puts the spotlight on narrative, atmosphere, and character growth, rather than just action-packed gameplay. The design philosophy here is all about viewing video games as a form of interactive storytelling. By blending immersive world-building, dramatic pacing, and impactful dialogue, Chords aims to deliver a deeper player experience that pays homage to both classic Japanese and Western adventure titles. Pixel Pusher Games is trying to recreate the feeling and experience of Snatcher generated, and it looks like they’ve nailed it. Don’t get me wrong, While Chords pays tribute to beloved classics, Pixel Pusher Games is focused on the game establishing its own distinctive identity through its original setting, characters, and musical focus. This is no mere Snatcher clone.
With all the shooters and action titles coming to the Genesis lately, it’s nice to see developers tackle other genres. Our time with the demo left us impressed with just how smooth and seamless the narrative design was. a release, both physical and digital, is still a ways off, but development is advancing nicely. Pixel Pusher Games has crafted something beyond his inspiration, and it looks like the Genesis will soon have another quality graphic adventure to offer fans. We’re also closely watching the studio’s other title under development, the dungeon crawler Crypt of Dracula, which should also be a solid Genesis release. We plan on reviewing both upon release. Check the Pixel Pusher website and follow Matteus for updates on Chords’ development. We can’t wait for release!
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