Sword of Symphony
British game developer Stephen Ddungu’s Sword of Symphony highlights the rhythm and precision of a complex musical performance in the context of an action RPG. The game’s singular premise has made the title a DIY sensation on social media, plotting a path toward significant exposure and eventual funding for the solo developer.
Sword of Symphony takes after several Japanese RPG classics such as the Kingdom Hearts series, NieR: Automata, and other contemporary Japanese action games like Punishing: Gray Raven.
“The game is influenced by the kinds of games that have really nice, fluid animation and movement when it comes to combos,” Ddungu said in an interview with Game Developer. He made direct reference to the aforementioned titles.
In Sword of Symphony, music wielders of the musical kingdom of Sonata, called composers, fight to stave off an evil force called The Taçet, who feed off the creativity of composers. The game, Ddungu has said in past interviews, evokes themes explored in his life as a creative, such as contending with writer’s block and intellectual property theft.
For Ddungu, 23, what started as a university project is now an innovative title developed by a driven, self-taught game developer, animator, and composer.
More than that, Sword of Symphony is a hit on TikTok, where Ddungu has accrued close to a million followers and posts clever reinventions of the traditional developer diary. Here, Ddungu takes full advantage of the TikTok format, incorporating music, creative camera angles, and meaningful snippets that showcase the game’s features.
2022’s gonna be a great year…#indiedev #gamedev #animation@PURPOSEVERSA♦️@PURPOSEVERSUS
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