Have you ever been to a live concert so loud that your brain feels like it's bouncing around inside your skull? Overwhelmed by the music, thrilled, exhausted, and disorientated all at the same time, that's what it's like to play Metronomik's musical action game "No Straight Roads." Outlandish character designs, epic boss battles, quirky humor, animated cutscenes, and dynamic music all add up to an eccentric energy.

I've been screaming for an encore ever since I was shocked by the demo, and while Metronomik has upped the ante significantly for the full No Straight Roads release, the rock vs. EDM adventure unfortunately suffers from a major distortion. In No Straight Roads, they play as Mayday and Zuke, the musical duo that formed the underground indie rock group Bunkbed Junction, and while the two's hearts belong to the chaotic power of rock, they literally live in a city powered by electronic dance music. Vinyl City can convert music into electrical energy, and EDM is the most popular genre and a major source of power.

This power source is controlled by No Straight Roads (NSR for short), an elite music organization that manages each music district. After witnessing a citywide blackout in which backup energy is only provided to the NSR elite, the duo decides to take down the EDM empire by taking out the NSR artists one by one in hopes of restoring power to the entire Vinyl City. This is a powerful setup for a long boss rush, literally a battle of the bands.

Each NSR musician rules their own district within Vinyl City, and you will seek out each of them and battle them on a theatrical boss stage. These musical battles are the lifeblood of No Straight Roads, and each boss is more over-the-top than the next, flaunting their musical talent and egos through their performances.

DJ Subatomic Supernova is a flamboyant EDM musician obsessed with the solar system and his first encounter with the musical elite. His performances take place in a giant planetarium, with the stage at the center of an intergalactic spinning record. In this battle, you have to smash a giant disco ball, collect ammunition, and shoot it into a supernova while avoiding incoming asteroids. The encounter is wonderfully designed and feels like a collaboration of music, theme, and fun all rolled into one.

Combat is a mix of hack-and-slash attacks and rhythm-based evasion. You can switch characters on the fly, with Mayday's guitar strumming attack being slower but more powerful, and Zuke's combo drumming being faster but not as hard-hitting. Both characters are well balanced, and I loved playing with each of them.

While matching the beat is not critical, a good sense of rhythm will help you dodge incoming attacks. Unlike other rhythm games, you are not punished for losing your timing, and the music serves as a guide to help you time your actions. There were many moments when I completely lost my rhythm and composure, panicking and resorting to button mashing.

Each battle is designed around a different genre and always feels like a cohesive collaboration of music, theme and fun. In the dynamic soundtrack, the pulsating rhythms of EDM are slowly succeeded by guitar solos that thrash as the battle progresses.

These battles are bursting with chaotic energy, but can quickly become overwhelming and feel like the core of the battle loses direction; DJ Subatomic Supernova's battle was the best because of how cohesive the whole thing was, but other battles were sometimes feel like a clutter of explosive ideas.

There are missiles to collect, enemies to hit, attacks to dodge, and tricky platform elements trying to figure out what the next boss is coming up with. I need to pay attention to the rhythm of the music. At once, my attention is pulled in ten directions. It can be both exhilarating and exhausting.

Thankfully, you're not required to run at 100% full speed throughout the entire game, and there is some downtime in between boss fights; Vinyl City functions as a loose overworld where you can explore each NSR artist's district. You can chat with various NPCs, collect useful items, and upgrade your abilities in the underground sewer base at Bunkbed Junction. If a particular boss gives you a hard time, you can also repeat battles to increase your fan base and unlock additional abilities.

Running around town, hopping from district to district, and enjoying the cartoonish visuals of No Straight Road reminds me of Psychonauts and Banjo-Kazooie. The humor and art are reminiscent of Tim Schafer's droll comedy games.

A good example of this humor is the boss fight with Sayu, a vocaloid who radiates a Hatsune Miku-like cuteness. To defeat her, you must defeat the very introverted team behind this cutesy idol: voice actors, programmers, artists, and mo-cap actors. You sashay through a pastel underwater dream world and are attacked by a giant magical mermaid as a huge crowd of neon glow sticks cheer her on. The whole performance was completely crazy and I was hooked. It helps that Sayu's song is an absolute banger, and I'll link to it below.

Fighting a piece of Vocaloid software is just another part of this strange world. The animation and character art is an explosion of shapes and colors, and the amazing voice acting brings these strange characters to life. Cutscenes feature 3D models and 2D illustrations, giving the film the lively atmosphere of a Saturday morning cartoon. Dreamy robotic boy bands, frenzied rap battles, and eccentric pop artists that seem to have come straight out of Bjork's brain. Be sure to check out the art book, which features sketches and development designs for each character.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the raw energy of "No Straight Roads," a fresh and stylish take on the rhythm-action genre, Metronomik's debut and a bold statement of creativity from the Malaysian game development scene. It's exciting to play and wildly different.