Games with Bands
March 24, 2017 9:16 PM Subscribe
Which video/digital games feature some kind of band as part of the story? Not something like Rockband or Guitar Hero, but where the story or universe involves a band of some fashion playing actual songs (doesn't have to be a big part of the gameplay).
Hiveswap has The Grubbles while Night In The Woods involves the player character & friends in band practice. Anywhere else?
Hiveswap has The Grubbles while Night In The Woods involves the player character & friends in band practice. Anywhere else?
Does the finale of Plants vs. Zombies qualify?
posted by Mr. Justice at 9:29 PM on March 24, 2017
posted by Mr. Justice at 9:29 PM on March 24, 2017
Final Fantasy X-2 starts with a concert scene and one of Yuna's dressphere options was a singer w/ microphone weapon.
posted by betweenthebars at 9:30 PM on March 24, 2017
posted by betweenthebars at 9:30 PM on March 24, 2017
Final Fantasy VIII has a band scene in which the playable characters perform.
posted by the webmistress at 9:42 PM on March 24, 2017
posted by the webmistress at 9:42 PM on March 24, 2017
Bumpy Trot AKA Steambot Chronicles, truly an underappreciated little gem IMO. It was a mech battling open world game but you also played rhythm minigames as part of a band.
posted by juv3nal at 10:24 PM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by juv3nal at 10:24 PM on March 24, 2017 [1 favorite]
There's the whole barbershop quartet thing in the third Monkey Island game - you hire a trio of pirate barbers by completing their barbershop quarte in song, and then later quash their mutiny through a bit of back-and-forth barbershop quarteting. Not quite a band as such, but close enough perhaps?
posted by Dysk at 10:30 PM on March 24, 2017
posted by Dysk at 10:30 PM on March 24, 2017
Legendary Super Nintendo game EarthBound has the Runaway Five, who are based on the Blues Brothers. They figure significantly into the story, and there are a couple of extended cut scenes of them playing original songs.
posted by The Minotaur at 12:24 AM on March 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by The Minotaur at 12:24 AM on March 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
I realize this is (1) the third answer involving Final Fantasy and (2) an orchestra rather than a band, but there's the wonderful scene in Final Fantasy VI where badass General Celes Chere sings her way through an opera. (youtube, narrative recap)
posted by cdefgfeadgagfe at 12:36 AM on March 25, 2017
posted by cdefgfeadgagfe at 12:36 AM on March 25, 2017
Gone Home's story features a band fairly prominently. You are just reading about it in the past tense and listening to some songs, but it's a major part of the plot.
posted by ropeladder at 2:58 AM on March 25, 2017
posted by ropeladder at 2:58 AM on March 25, 2017
Bioshock: Infinite has a Babershop Quartet doing a sweet cover of "God Only Knows":
posted by Prunesquallor at 3:14 AM on March 25, 2017
posted by Prunesquallor at 3:14 AM on March 25, 2017
Mafia 3 has a bunch of little jazz clubs you can hang out in throughout New Bordeaux.
posted by postel's law at 5:01 AM on March 25, 2017
posted by postel's law at 5:01 AM on March 25, 2017
Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game!
posted by ewok_academy at 7:53 AM on March 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ewok_academy at 7:53 AM on March 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Additionally Wikipedia has a category of games that feature actual bands (many of them already mentioned) but that may not be what you're looking for.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:59 AM on March 25, 2017
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:59 AM on March 25, 2017
The DEARDROPS series is a pair of visual novels about members of a band. You can read about them on mangagamer.com (site potentially NSFW, first game VERY NSFW, second game screens should be safe but may appear on NSFW sites).
posted by koucha at 8:56 AM on March 25, 2017
posted by koucha at 8:56 AM on March 25, 2017
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask has a Zora band called the Indigo-gos.
In the same game, Link forms kind of a one-man band with himself in various shapeshifted forms, playing all different instruments.
posted by cheesegrater at 11:55 AM on March 25, 2017
In the same game, Link forms kind of a one-man band with himself in various shapeshifted forms, playing all different instruments.
posted by cheesegrater at 11:55 AM on March 25, 2017
UmJammer Lammy for Playstation, in which you play a lamb guitarist trying to make it to her band's concert (same creator as PaRappa the Rapper, but he's more a solo act)
posted by lesser weasel at 6:30 PM on March 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lesser weasel at 6:30 PM on March 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Alan Wake has a rock band as a prominent part of the story. And one level involves killing monsters during a rock show, essentially. An underappreciated game, IMO.
posted by jclarkin at 8:51 AM on March 27, 2017
posted by jclarkin at 8:51 AM on March 27, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by so fucking future at 9:24 PM on March 24, 2017 [3 favorites]