Unsemble

Play that meme song at your own risk...

You're in band class sectionals and you can't help it: you REALLY want to play that meme song¹ ² ³ ⁴. You know you should be focused on practicing but the urge is bubbling up inside of you... you won't be able to stop it...

"The URGE" meter slowly rises throughout the whole game. The only way to deplete the urge is by playing meme songs. Each player chooses a character, each with 2 KEYS to work with! Playing quietly (key on the left) depletes the bar slower than playing loudly (key on the right), but the louder you play, the more you attract the band directors attention...

The bar fills up continuously throughout the game, and if it hits the top you will PLAY UNCONTROLLABLY for a while, and with the band directors gradually getting more agitated/faster... that won't end well. If the band directors reach you, YOU LOSE.

It's a battle royale, fight to the death suspension: may the best player win.

¹ If you're a flute, it might be 'All Star' by Smash Mouth. Or anything tbh. You're a flute, you won't get in trouble.
² If you're a saxophone, it's DEFINITELY 'Careless Whisper' by George Michael. Don't try to deny it. (or that one sax guy meme...)
³ If you're a trumpet, it's probably 'Take on Me' by A-Ha. Though honestly you can't get away with any song, because trumpets are too damn loud.
⁴ If you're an oboe, it might be 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. But you're an oboe, so you can play anything: you won't get in trouble because people are too afraid of your aura.

This is a local multiplayer game! Controls are positioned on the keyboard in a way that makes it easy easier for 4 people to use it.

Yes, that's why the controls seem so weird. See info on controls below.

♪♬ ||  CONTROLS  || ヽ( ▀̿ Ĺ̯ ▀̿)ノ♪♬

Each player chooses a character, each with 2 keys to work with! One for playing quietly (bar drains slower), the other for playing loudly (bar drains faster).

• [R] — Restart the game!

Character	Location,  Color	Play Quiet	Play Loudly
Flute	top left, green	[2]	[3]
Saxophone	bottom left, pink	[X]	[C]
Oboe	top right, blue	[0]	[-]
Trumpet	bottom right, yellow	[,] (comma)	[.] (period)

Note: as aforementioned, controls are weirdly positioned so four hands can operate on one keyboard!

♪ ||  FEATURES  || ♪♬♪ ヽ( ᐖゞ)

• Local couch multiplayer with 4 players, battle royale style! 
• Try to leverage your resources and play strategically to avoid getting caught
• Play individually or try to team up!
• 4 different characters (each with a different instrument) to play as - Flute, Saxophone, Oboe and Trumpet
• Each instrument plays a different meme song! (read the above description if you don't recognize one)

♪ ₊⋆♬ ˚ ||  CREDITS  || ♫⋆｡♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟ.

• Kimya Taheri - Game Concept/Design, Art, Audio
• Ben Hecker - Programming, Game Design
• Audios from YouTube and Freesound.org

⋆˚࿔♫⋆ ||  INFO  || ⋆˚࿔♫⋆˚࿔

• Engine: Unity
• Date: October 2024
• Time to Make: 1 Day (with an extra few hours later to add a start screen + change aspect ratio)
• Made For: 1 week rapid prototype project for a studio game class, NYU Game Design
• Other Software: Procreate

⋆.˚✮ •  AUTHOR'S NOTE  • ♬ ﾟ.✮˚.⋆

This was my sixth 1-week rapid prototype for Major Studio Fall!  The prompt was audio-focused and we were told to "analyze all the games we had made over the course of the class and make a game that fits our pattern." 

As a high school band geek myself (clarinet player!!), I felt inspired to make a chaotic and silly 4 player local multiplayer game about playing meme songs in band practice (and rightfully earning the ire and frustration from the band directors). 

All jokes aside, huge respect for people who work as band directors or music teachers in high school. They changed my life, and this is more to pay an homage to them and the silliness that occurs when you put a bunch of teenagers in a room with noise makers. Please be nice to your music teachers, they are the best!

Fun Tidbit: Most of these were songs that my band sections would play when they got bored! Usually happened more during marching band than regular band practice, but you know. Anyone who's played in band/marching band Knows™.

·········•  KNOWN BUGS  •·········

• This was made in a day, so it's not gonna be perfect lol!