LEVEL 2 FULL ALBUM AND VIDEOGAME DEMO NOW AVAILABLE

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LEVEL 2
demo

Welcome to the demo of ‘Level 2’, the interactive concept album by Last Chance to Reason. Featured is the first track and first level of the album, ‘Upload Complete’.

Destroy everything that moves and shoot for a high score!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FIRST STAGE FOR FREE

**YOU NEED UP-TO-DATE DIRECTX FOR THE GAME TO RUN. GET THAT HERE: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3

RECOMMENDED SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: Windows XP service pack 3 or above, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
1.6ghz processor
512mb system RAM (1gb for vista and 7)
128 MB Direct3D compatible video card and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver
*THE MOST COMMON ISSUE IS NOT HAVING UP-TO-DATE DIRECTX.YOU NEED UP-TO-DATE DIRECTX FOR THE GAME TO RUN. GET THAT HERE: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3

CONTROLS

General:

Control with either Keyboard+Mouse or an Xbox 360 Wired USB controller. Your controller MUST be Wired, or have a Wireless reciever in order for it to function.

The game is divided into sections of Flight and Platforming:

In Flight the player character can move around in any direction.

In Platforming you succumb to gravity and may only move Right and Left, and are able to Jump and Double-Jump (press Jump again in mid-air).

Note: The longer you hold Jump, the longer you will stay in the air and the higher you will go. A short tap will result in a short hop. Use this variable Jump height to your advantage! This also applies to the Double-Jump.

There is a Rumble function for the Xbox 360 controller, but if you experience intermittent lag (game slowing down, choppy performance) it is recommended that you play with this function disabled.

Keyboard + Mouse:

[WASD] or [Arrow Keys] – Movement in Down, Up, Right and Left directions. Up functions as Jump (and Double-Jump) in platforming sections.

[Ctrl] or [Space] – Dedicated Jump (and Double-Jump) keys for platforming sections.

[Mouse Movement] – Aim with the cursor.

[Left Click] – Shoot weapon.

Xbox 360 controller:

For those familiar, the game uses Dual-Stick shooter control.

[Left Analog Stick] – Movement.

[Right Analog Stick] – Shooting. Gun will fire automatically towards direction pressed.

[Any other button] – Jump and Double-Jump in platforming sections. Right Shoulder Bumper button is recommended. Pressing or ‘clicking’ either Analog Stick will also work. Shoulder Triggers will not work.

[Start button] – This will reset the game back to the opening titles.

Similar dual-analog PC controllers may also function, though no other models have been tested.

COMMON ISSUES:

Due to the nature of synchronizing the game with the song, sluggish or choppy performance can result in bugs and glitches, some of which may be quite dramatic.

Make sure your computer is running on DirectX 9 or above. Without it, the game will not run – it will likely crash after the title sequence. Support for downloading and installing DirectX can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179113

Enabling Rumble may result in a loss of performance for some users, rendering the game unplayable. This should become apparent the moment it is enabled, so you must disable it again.

Making sure any background applications (such as instant messengers) do not interfere is one method of ensuring smooth play.

Your Xbox 360 controller must be Wired in order for it to function with the game. Using an ‘Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless Gaming Reciever for Windows’ may also work, though this has not been tested. Hooking up a wireless controller via USB will only cause the controller to charge – it will not respond in the game.

CREDITS:

Music – Last Chance to Reason (Prosthetic Records)
Design – Evan Sammons and Tom Vine
Programming – Tom Vine
Pixel Art and Graphics – Francis Coulombe and Evan Sammons

‘Quadrangle’ font by Typodermic Fonts

For those who are curious, the Level 2 demo is built in Clickteam’s Multimedia Fusion 2 (Developer edition). Find out more at http://www.clickteam.com/website/index.php

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Maine’s progressive-metalers, LAST CHANCE TO REASON’s Prosthetic Records’ debut, “Level 2,” is out today! To commemorate the release, the band has posted the downloadable demo version of the companion video game, also titled, “Level 2.” Go to the band’s official blog site,  https://lastchancetoreason.wordpress.com/ to get instructions and download the first stage! The game was developed by the band, designed by Evan Sammons and noted indie video game developer Tom Vine, who also programmed the game and features artwork from pixel artist Francis Coulombe.  
“Level 2,” the album, can be ordered on its own, or with an exclusive shirt, at PROSTHETIC’s official webstore:  HYPERLINK “http://store.prostheticrecords.com/index.php/bands/last-chance-to-reason” http://store.prostheticrecords.com/index.php/bands/last-chance-to-reason  .
The band  is currently on a tour that will end Saturday at New England Metal and Hardcore Fest on Sunday. Look for more dates to be announced shortly.

4/12    Sandusky, OH – The Underground

4/13    Trenton, NJ – Championship Bar and Grill

4/14    Brookfield, CT – The Room

4/16    Worcester, MA- The Palladium, NE Metal and Hardcore Fest

LAST CHANCE TO REASON teamed up with producer Jamie King (Between the Buried and Me) to create a modern take on the classic progressive concept album. Drawing influence from the 70’s prog of King Crimson and Yes, composers Steve Reich and Schoenberg as well as prog-metal masters Opeth, Dream Theater and Cynic, LCTR’s “Level 2” takes the band in awe-inspiring new directions.
Set in a Tron-like virtual world, the album’s concept revolves around the relationship between man and technology, our move from physical reality to virtual spaces and what these changes mean to our lives and our art. The lyrics are expressed from the point of view of an artificial intelligence facing the violent reality of a videogame world.
Since forming in 2005, LAST CHANCE TO REASON has shared the stage with Born of Osiris, Genghis Tron, Periphery, The Red Chord, Daath, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, Unearth and many more.
Myspace.com/lastchancetoreason

21 Responses to “LEVEL 2 FULL ALBUM AND VIDEOGAME DEMO NOW AVAILABLE”

  1. This is legit dudes. Frakking amazing.

  2. Really brilliant you guys.

  3. […] The demo includes the first stage and is available for download now. […]

  4. Mastrik Says:

    Where the hell can I buy the full game? I want it immediately!
    Also, please do fix the TERRIBLE color schemes on this blog, impossible to read anything unless you highlight the text first

  5. I’m a little confused– does the full game come with the physical album, or has it not been released yet? I want to play the rest of this game!

    • The full game is not complete yet, it would either be released separately as a full game or in an ‘episodic’ fashion, level by level.

      Thanks for playing, everyone!

      -Tom

  6. Good stuff! I’d really like to see some desktop wallpapers of the game, especially something similar to the artwork on the posters you’re selling.

  7. The game is nice and fun. I especially like the singing enemies – it’s the first time I see something like that in a video game and it greatly enhances atmosphere.
    I have a request for the developer: could you please add a deadzone (possibly as an option) for gamepad controls? My Xbox 360 gamepad is a bit broken and needs around 50% deadzone to function properly.

  8. The Anime Cow Says:

    Jesus. Christ. This is the most awesome thing I have ever seen.

    I was wondering, would you guys be opposed to releasing some of your songs from Level 2 into Rock Band 3 via the RBN? I happen to be well connected in the RBN world, and could hook you up with a great authoring company to get it done.

  9. this is one of the coolest things i have ever seen, period. as a gamer and metal fan, it’s like a dream come true. great work! any plans for a mac release?

  10. […] a five minute demo available for the shooting/platforming hybrid at the band’s official website, in case the video above isn’t enough to pique your curiosity. Comments […]

  11. cerdor Says:

    totally amazing……..GREAT Album.

    We hope more!!!

  12. […] you’d like to try out Level 2, the first stage is available directly from the band’s official blog. Categories: Featured, News, PC, PC News   Tags: , 360 controller, indie game, Indie […]

  13. awesome awesome awesome. Great music, great game. Also, something very hard to do, the gameplay is smoooth! – he jumps high enough, you have good control when moving, and the shooting has many directions so you never even have to move to shoot something, and can concentrate on avoiding stuff.

  14. […] Chance To Reason, the progressive metal outfit who created their own video game to go along with their album Level 2, have recently released a video for the track “Upload […]

  15. This is an amazing media experience; combining your album into a interactive music video. Everyone should be doing this!

  16. […] Last Chance to Reason released their second album, Level 2, in 2011.  The prog-metal opus was accompanied by a side-scroll, Contra/R-Type style, game demo that extended the album’s concept into a cross medium platform, Level 2; the game and the album.  It seemed such an obvious concept, yet no one had ever really done it.  The band eventually put full development of the Level 2 game on indefinite hiatus and carried on making music.  The idea has still been lingering in my mind for a band to push an album-game combo further.  In case you’re interested, the Level 2 demo is still available for free download. […]

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