Game designer Joost van Dongen has combined a multiplayer-based twin-stick shooter with real-world instrumentation in a new experimental game called Cello Fortress.
The game, which Dongen is currently touring at live events across the Netherlands, requires a cellist to use the real-world instrument to trigger attacks in the game while combating four other players with standard Xbox controllers. The cellist triggers gunfire by playing notes quickly, while low notes activate mines.
"Cello Fortress is a really weird and unique game," said van Dongen in a statement. "But for me, it makes a lot of sense: playing cello has been a hobby of mine for ages, and I am a professional game developer. I like to make weird, unique things. How could these ingredients not combine into a game?"
Dongen, who is unsurprisingly an experienced cellist, is co-founder of Ronimo Games — the studio behind Awesomenauts. He has previously worked on other experimental titles such as indie racing game Proun which was displayed in European museums. Cello Fortress is currently in beta; however, don't expect a commercial release any time soon.
