If you've been finding platformers to be a bit on the, shall we say, chill side, then you might want to keep an eye on Krimson, launching on the Switch eShop on 21 March, 2024.
Described as a 'gritty, heart-pounding journey through a nightmarish hellscape', Krimson sees you navigate a series of frankly ridiculous environments that pulse and move in time with the music. You must keep in time with the beat if you're to survive, but judging from the trailer, you'll also need sharp eyes to keep track of everything that's going on.

It looks different, at least, and we're honestly pretty intrigued with it at this stage. We love a good rhythm game, and this one is bringing back some vivid memories of Thumper, a game that most certainly kept us incredibly busy during the Switch's launch year.
Let's check out the key features:
Rhythm-Driven Gameplay: The world of Krimson pulses with life—literally. Every jump, every dash, every desperate leap must align with the music. Miss a beat, and you’ll find yourself plummeting into oblivion.
Death Lurks Around Every Corner: One wrong move and it’s game over. But fear not—the checkpoints are frequent, and death is swift. Learn from your mistakes, adapt, and keep pushing forward.️
Electrifying Soundtrack: Prepare to be immersed in a symphony of chaos. The heavy electronic metal soundtrack is more than just background noise—it’s your lifeline. Let the music guide you, and you might just survive.
Visually Stunning: The hellish landscapes of Krimson are a sight to behold. From fiery chasms to twisted spires, each level is a work of dark art.
What are your thoughts on this one? Reckon you're going to pick it up? Let us know with a comment down below.
Comments 24
Metal as what!?
A broadsword?! A can of beans!? A semi truck!? Brass knuckles!? Mr.T ‘s necklace!? Francium!? A bullet train!? My shiny new tooth!? Slayer!? More metal!?
What is it as metal as!?
Please tell us, Ollie!
Someone got a deal on a chromatic aberration filter! xD
this looks unenjoyable.
Looks like a lot of "hurry up and wait" platforming. This seems awful but kind of funny awful.
Looks decent, I think Mario Wonder had a couple rhythm-based levels. Maybe 3D World and the Galaxy titles as well... anyway, I recall my classic heavy metal drummer self ace-ing the hell out of them and having a good time while I was at it.
But with that said, Morpheus from The Matrix asks, "What if I told you it wasn't necessary to drop-tune your guitars into the basement in order for music to be considered 'heavy metal'?"
In my world, that style of heavy music is referred to as Butt Chug. Sorry, Doom 2016 music guy, but it is what it is!
Look up the band Electric Assault, take two of these and call me in the morning!
This is one of those games that is going to be a very small amount of peoples' favorite game, and the rest will mostly hate it. It does look like a pretty cool design though.
I wish the player...'character' wasn't just a flame sprite, would have loved something with..um...well...character!
@VoodooTrumpet I know right? This trailer blindsided me with a "What did I just watch?" moment.
Honestly it kinda just hurts my face.
@SpeedRunRocks
seriously, where is all the good metal in videogames?! the crossover in fandom must be immense. raises hand. ✋
PS - can you link me to a particular Ellectric Assault album or song? I've checked ytmusic, Spotify, and youtube and im turning up nada. but im interested!
FWIW my favorite metal bands are (probably) Dystopia, Coroner, At The Gates, Corrupted, and Vektor. today, anyway lol.
ack, Death, Slayer, Testament. This could never end. 😅
No, I don't think I will
@-wc-
It's mostly on the NES. The harshness of the square waves gave the music that good old-fashioned Hard N Heavy edge.
Special props go to Tecmo for programming a full drumkit into their game music. Tecmo Super Bowl and Ninja Gaiden 1-3 go pretty damn hard.
Everything got all softened up starting with the SNES. Although the Megaman X series, Uniracers/rally and Rock N Roll Racing hauled some ass.
Most everything post SNES had the synth orchestra vibe, so you kinda had to dig to find the good stuff. I recently discovered that Shock Troopers for Neo Geo rips pretty hard.
Electric Assault just started somewhat recently. We have a Facebook page and a couple videos on YouTube. I'll have a fresh one up on Saturday, actually.
Our first record won't be out until May, but if you search YouTube for 'Clint Wheelman' you might have better luck finding Electric Assault. Early 80s Speed Metal, baby! Our guitarist is a huge Coroner fan and our other guitarist loves Vektor, so I feel like you might dig it!
@-wc- There are dozens of us!
@SpeedRunRocks
oh, i meant wheres the metal NEW games! im aware of the greatness of tecmo, konami, sunsoft, capcom et al back in the day 👍👍 great stuff!
i dont think the sample based SNES approach is really great for rock sounds, its more of a jazz, pop and ambient kind of machine. though i think SFII has some jams! and MMX, as you mentioned.
Rock n roll racing had Deep Purple and maybe Priest, if i recall?? its been a while, GREAT game 😁
I didnt realize it was YOUR band! very cool! I'll definitely go looking on YT again, and try to be on the lookout Saturday. 👍👍 looking forward to it!
@Pho
I understand more than you'll... never know.
Splatformer. Meh.
@SpeedRunRocks vektor are incredible. Sucks that the guitarist/singer is a woman beater.
@LikelySatan
That is an unfortunate fact about the singer. Definitely have to separate the art from the artist on that one, yikes!
@-wc-
New games?? Trying to think....... I got nothin. The two I came up with are pretty old at this point. Brutal Legend and that time we had both AC/DC T.N.T. and Maiden Number of the Beast on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4. What a time to be alive!
🎵 We didn't know what we had
'Til it was gone 🎵
@LikelySatan
yeah... i almost didnt mention them because of that, and maybe i shouldnt have. but, they are SUCH a great example of one corner of my metal taste that they are a useful touchstone. though to be honest i havent really listened to them since i found that out 😔
and dont get me started with absu 😩 and disma 😫
such is the minefield of music fandom.
@SpeedRunRocks
yes indeed, thats how far i have to go back, too.
it really seems to be a huge wide open territory to explore... that generally gets filled by... what did you call it? "butt chug?" lololol 🤣
Reminds me of my early childhood in the late 70's early 80's where we found these mushrooms..........I'm sure I had that dream 😜
@-wc- I've been getting into Warbringer and Nervosa lately, on the thrash side of things.
https://youtu.be/BWAhkHdXAVI?si=rhST-vxkO8xi2Kri
This game looks painful, both physically and mentally. No thanks.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...