It almost sounds like a joke when you first hear about it. How does Harmonix, creator of wildly far-reaching rhythm hits like Rock Band and Dance Central, go for a more "core" crowd? Why, they make a musical shooter, of course. Hoho, what a topical yet preposterous notion! Let us adjourn to ye olde Chuckle Hut, where we shall instantly acquire wealth beyond our wildest imagination.
Yet, here we are. And you know what? Chroma looks (and sounds, obviously) like a pretty darn cool idea. If you perform actions - from shooting to running and jumping - on song beats, you'll do them with more aplomb. Moreover, different teams represent different musical genres, with weapons and environments creating sounds synced to a beat underlying each level. It's a giant, rhythmically thrumming combat arena, with DNA that crisscrosses between music theory and Quake.
Chroma is, however, Harmonix's first crack at free-to-play, which could spell disaster in less dedicated hands. But between a firm no-pay-to-win stance and a partnership with Defense Grid and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive developer Hidden Path, things certainly seem to be on the right track.
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