Rock ’n’ Roll will definitely never die. Maybe it’ll be a little forgotten or under-appreciated, but it will certainly never die nonetheless. Reminiscent of how today’s society might see the likes of Ozzie Osbourne or even Mick Jagger, the rebirth of Rock ‘n’ Roll might be upon us with the title of ‘Rock ’n’ Roll Will Never Die!’ by Valtteri Tavast and Instant Million, lighting the torches.

Following the story of an anthropomorphic, insulin junky bear, Teddy, that looks like he has just fallen out of the band Motley Crue, you wake up off the sticky floor of the local bar. With hope and a dream, you track down your old bandmates to relive your glory days in a blaze of thunder. Off having their own lives, it is up to you to reunite your comrades and bang out tunes to prove rock is not dead.

Utilising the famous point-and-click adventure genre, your job is to interact with objects, talk with NPCs, and collect objects to solve puzzles to progress the story across a map of locations. The controls are quite simple as you click along the screen to direct our friend, pick up objects and choose lines of dialogue with no keys really required.

Any unusual item acquired is stored in a drop-down-like menu that hovers above the screen. The menu is very minimalistic and you can save progression whenever you like, which I love in a game. The simplicity of this title’s pick-up and playability should be commended.

Visually, this title is a colourful assault on the eyes with bright and charming designs. In a very cartoonish style, each rocking animal has a cute and cuddly but badass air to them that just helps develop the characters’ personalities so well.

The environments are quite humble but this is commended as black bold outlines envelop every styling of the art. The animations are very jittery, which is quite jarring at times, but whether it was intentional or not, it just fits the chaos of the narrative that is unfolding.

The clash of drums and maniac riffs of the guitar is one of the main highlights of the whole experience. The music is impeccable in establishing the ‘old rocker lost in a different world’ feeling. I relate completely; to being stuck in the past as my own playlists are all banger punk of the ’00s.

Disappointingly, there is no voice acting. The written dialogue, at times, is hilarious and witty, so it’s such a missed opportunity. These characters have such a vibrant look it would have been great to match them with some voice acting to enhance their attitudes and charm.

If you can get past the janky animations, Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die! has a pretty rockstar storyline that might seem trivial or tacky, but it reeks of the actual 80s and its dirty charm. Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die! is certainly one game that is trying to keep the genre of music alive and I admired the passion.

Written by: Stacey