Disaster Band (Nintendo Switch) – The test

Who has never tried to become a music star, with their big brother's guitar, their cousin's harmonica, or simply with their school recorder (hey, you also liked to show off by performing Titanic, right?). Disaster Band has the simple goal of bringing together young and old in front of the screen to form a crazy music group. To be crazy, it's completely crazy…! Too much maybe?

Developed by ProduktivKeller and published by Toplitz Productions, Disaster Band is a universe all its own. Simple but no less endearing. The entire title seems to have been drawn with a few amateur pencil strokes, with equally anecdotal sounds. The general atmosphere is intended to be good-natured, fun and easy-going. But is it enough to pique the player's interest?

Doing the scales

Before going on stage, the player is invited to select an important parameter: his way of playing. Indeed, Disaster Band offers different techniques in order to be accessible to the greatest number. More or less difficult, they have the merit of offering a distinct panel that fleshes out the content of the game (which really needs it…).

So, novices will be more comfortable with maximum assistance, while the bold will try the hard mode where assistance is totally non-existent. The use of the gyroscope is possible. From there to say that it is playable… there is a gap, into which we will quickly throw ourselves.

The title has 20 songs, belonging to various registers (from nursery rhymes to classical music). Each piece is presented with its level of difficulty, its duration, but also some cute and funny little annotations, like the few loading times which are also provided with funny quotes. Unfortunately, the content turns out to be quickly used up, with some pieces lasting barely a minute (40 seconds for the Toccata!). We had the impression of finding ourselves faced with an amateur title that draws melodies from the public domain…

The menu allows the selection of the song, but also the player's instrument. We stay in the fun with the kazoo, the cat (!), or even the pipa. Other more classic ones, like the electric guitar, are also available. 15 instruments are offered. Finally, the volume of each instrument can be modulated.

While the presentation may seem to have come out of a school notebook, its layout is not necessarily very pleasant since you have to juggle with the R button to move from one menu to another. The selection is therefore on a single access point and not on a series of small menus.

Concert !

The game screen is divided into several areas. The main one shows the notes to play, with the correct key, itself represented by lines of varying height. A cursor of a variable color lets you know exactly where you are. The upper part of the screen recalls the time and quality of the concert so far. Finally, the area on the right is simply there to entertain the gallery, with the musicians using their talents to perform the said piece, or pulling the cat's tail…!

Every mistake is signaled by a fart sound. While some players may agree with this choice, we were quickly annoyed by these incessant farts (since there are so many mistakes!) that go so far as to mask the music itself. Fortunately, it is possible to disable these flatulence noises in the menu.

Cacophony is the order of the day. Except in the case of an easy difficulty where the tone is automatic. Indeed, moving on the different lines is particularly difficult, especially since the notes follow one another quickly and it is impossible to slow down the cadence. The level of difficulty indeed affects the accessibility of the tone but not at all the speed.

The full use of the gyroscope is calamitous (or you'll have to spend weeks on it!) and the fun is no longer really there.

We submitted the title to several players. The same refrains came back each time: the joke is funny for a few minutes but then, we would like to play! That's the only song available…?!

Brainstorming

Let's take stock after the performance. Who played well, who fell asleep, who farted the whole time?

More seriously, once the little concert is over, the results are displayed. These are then saved so that you can try to beat your score during a next attempt.

We did not notice any unlockable content, no instruments, no songs. On other platforms, the title announces the possibility of including your own songs in order to enrich the content thanks to the community. Unfortunately, we do not find this ability at the moment on Nintendo Switch. We did not have the pleasure of confronting players online (too bad, we could have checked the level!). The only available parts were ultimately not accessible to us, players on Nintendo Switch, since they were always songs not included in the title!

Contrary to what we imagined when we received the test, it is hardly possible to play local multiplayer… with limited online traffic, it is clear that you may quickly fall back on another game! The initial idea of ​​Disaster Band is indeed reminiscent of a certain “Trombone Champ”. An initial idea that certainly remains pleasant and funny. But the fun of the game is very limited due to a gameplay that is difficult to get to grips with (except in the simplest mode) and ultimately very limited content.

Disaster Band is available on theeShop of the Nintendo Switch at a price of around 10 euros.

Did you know ?
Let's stick to farts since they are in the spotlight! On average, a man emits 0.5 to 1L of flatulence daily, or a good ten farts per day. There you go…