AntDaGamer

Developers always impress me when they bring something new and controversial to the table. This game will surely be controversial as it puts playing Cellos in the line of gaming. We’ve had guitars. So, why not Cellos?

Joost van Dongen, creator of the award winning racing game Proun, has announced a new project today in Cello Fortress. This game will combine a live Cello performance with a twin stick shooter allowing the cellist to play against the audience. In this experience games will control the Cello while fending off attacks and making music. The audience takes up controllers to try to beat the fortress. In the end , allowing fun gameplay between the cellist, players and the audience.

Up to four players control tanks with one stick, shooting with each other. They dodge bullets and attack turrets. The game will anaylze notes played by the cellist via a microphone. The more aggressive notes activate the burst cannons, dissonant chords turn on flame-throwers, and continuous melody charges a bombardment.

This game will turn heads when it debuts at the Indigo exhibition later this month. I’m sure this game will be one of the talks of the convention.

Sad news is that Cello Fortress is only playable at live concerts given by Joost Van Dongen, creator of Cello Fortress as while an excellent player of the cello. The debut of Cello Fortress will be at Indigo 2012 exhibition 28 and 29 September  in Utrecht, Netherlands. I’m sorry US and other countries, you’ll have to buy a airplane ticket if you want to see this one. The version that will be at Indigo will be a fully playable, early prototype , to experiment on the game’s concept.

About Joost van Dongen

Joost van Dongen is co-founder and lead programmer at Ronimo Games, the Dutch indie studio behind Awesomenauts (PS3/Xbox360/PC), Swords & Soldiers (Wii/PS3/PC/Mac/Linux/iOS/Andoid) and the original PC version of De Blob. The 2D MOBA Awesomenauts was recently launched and is currently a big hit on Steam. In his spare time, Joost also creates games. Last year he released the critically acclaimed racing game Proun, and Cello Fortress is his newest side-project. Joost also plays cello in the Kunstorkest, an amateur orchestra that plays baroque music.

About Indigo

Indigo is a yearly exhibition that shows the best new work by Dutch game developers. Indigo is organised by Dutch Game Garden and this year it is held in Utrecht’s town hall, at Korte Minrebroederstraat 2. On September 28 it is mainly for press and business people, while on September 29 it is open to the general public. Entrance to Indigo is free, and Cello Fortress will be playable regularly throughout the day.

Cello Fortress is a side-project of Joost van Dongen. It is NOT an official game by Ronimo Games!