Rock Saga Evolution
| Rock Saga Evolution | |
|---|---|
 The 23 October 2015 release cover featuring Billy Brixton of the Nympho Guns smashing his guitar. | |
| Developer(s) | Fireborn Games |
| Publisher(s) | Abyss Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Brad Graham |
| Producer(s) | Jeremy Stuart |
| Series | Rock Saga |
| Engine | Identity V5.0 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) |
VERS 360, VERS 720, InfiniTech 2, InfiniTech 3, Nintendo Revolution, Nintendo Revolution NEXT
|
| Genre(s) | Music, rhythm |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Rock Saga Evolution is a music rhythm video game developed by Fireborn Games and published by Abyss Entertainment. It is the sixth core installment in the Rock Saga series, the third to be developed by Fireborn following Rock Saga Greatest Hits, and the first core title following the dissolvement of SummerDream Games in June 2014. The game was launched in North America on 23 October 2015 for the VERS 360 and 720, InfiniTech 2 and InfiniTech 3, and Nintendo Revolution consoles. A month later, on 20 November, the game would be shipped worldwide, as well as being released on Direct Edge X and tOS. The game would eventually be ported to the Sega Krypton on 15 April 2016. Much like the predecessor titles of the franchise, Evolution is designed to offer a four-person band experience, encompassing lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals. The game can be purchasable as a standalone title, enabling players to utilize their current compatible instrument controllers, or as a bundled package that includes these controllers.
Evolution shares common gameplay elements with preceding core games of the series, but introduced a new story mode that chronicles the "evolution of hard rock from the 1960s until present". Much like Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock, the game incorporates drop-in/drop-out play, bands composed of any combination of available instruments, and both song-specific goals and general challenges to unlock new characters, guitars, and other extras in the game. Various historical music venues were also introduced, such as Euphonia Music Festival and The Alamo, as well as more recent music venues like SunFest in Columbia City. The game also incorporates the Giza pyramid complex—referred to as the Necropolis of Memphis—and the Colosseum of Rome, which serve as the final two venues in the game. The song "Seven Headed Whore" by Scorched Earth was also performed for inclusion in the game.
Much like other Rock Saga titles developed by Fireborn—Greatest Hits and Unplugged—Evolution re-uses songs previously featured in other titles of the series, however it is the first core title game to re-feature tracks previous used in preceding titles. Evolution 's track list contains 111 songs by 101 separate artists or groups dated between 1964 and 2015—the most of any Rock Saga core title, surpassing Rock Saga: Across the Globe 's track listing of 98 songs—which are playable across 17 different venues, the most of any game. Much like previous Rock Saga games, several musicians with songs in the game have been modeled through motion capture for playable characters in the game, including Ozzy Osburn and Doug Carpenter of Planetaria, Klaartje Den Boer, Hailee Wilhelm of Harmonova, Joe Petruzzi, Daniel Mustang of Damage Inc. and Speed Demons, Thom Choltz of The Red Patriots, Dene Gibbons of Bliss, and Derron Podanian of Method to the Madness. Despite the game being the first since Rock Saga II to not support any user-created music studio, though additional downloadable content for the game is made available in venues or songs through respective platform's digital marketplaces. A Definitive Edition of the game would be released on 18 November 2016, expanding the track list to 176 songs and adding five new venues, all of which were made available on the digital marketplace, and has been the subsequent version to be remastered for newer video game consoles.
Despite Evolution receiving generally positive reviews from gaming journalists, some critics felt that the overall soundtrack took too much from previous titles in the series. The story mode was praised by critics for its inclusion for various well-known music acts throughout the decades as well as its length though some journalists noted "mid-way fatigue". Sales of Evolution on release were comparable to those of Rock Saga 5, but were "less than a third" of Rock Saga III by Q4 2017. Despite low physical sales, the game's digital marketplace would be significantly larger than previous iterations, as Fireborn announced on release that the game would see "long-term continued support for the foreseeable future" rather than release new titles in the series. Since then, and despite licensing agreements limiting any song's downloadability for long-term durations, twelve total additional venues and 963 songs have been made available at some point in the form of digital downloads or micro-transactions, with the latest being released as of September 2023.
Gameplay
The core gameplay of Rock Saga Evolution is a rhythm video game similar to Nintendo's Rhythm Blitz and to a lesser extent Nexus Byte's Beat Brawler and Guitar Guardian games. The guitar controller has been required for play ever since the inclusion of drum and vocal parts in the series in Rock Saga: Across the Globe. The game supports toggling the handedness of the guitar, allowing both left-handed and right-handed players to utilize the guitar controller. Evolution offers gameplay reminiscent of Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock, supporting a four-instrument band setup consisting of lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. In a notable upgrade, the songs not only utilize master recordings but are also charted to incorporate gameplay features first introduced in Across the Globe, including open bass strumming and slider sections for intense solos, which can be executed using the normal buttons or the touchpad on the guitar originally bundled with Across the Globe.
Due to a significant portion of songs featured on Evolution have been featured previously through various mediums of titles, numeorus songs have undergone re-charting or remixing to make them either more accessible, more band-friendly, or more difficult. For instance, "Anything for Love" by Sal's Berry now includes much of the dedicated drum, piano and vocal introduction and solos which were absent in the original Rock Saga iteration, with the lead guitar player being able to tap the piano introduction. The game also draws inspiration from Rock Saga: Dred Tenets, featuring the challenging "Advanced+" difficulty level for band play, which requires two bass drum pedals, and reimagines the on-screen meters for band mode with graphical elements and gameplay mechanics that reflect this difficulty.
Notes in the game can take various forms: they can be single notes or chords consisting of two to five notes played simultaneously. Both single notes and chords can be held or sustained, which is indicated by a colored line trailing the note marker. Players have the option to hold down the keys for sustained notes throughout their entire duration to earn extra points. During a sustained note, players can also use the whammy bar on the guitar to modify the note's tone. Whether a sustained note is hit early or late, if the fret is held for the entire duration of the hold, the game will consistently award the same score increase for the note. Additionally, the games feature virtual renditions of "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs", guitar-playing techniques that enable players to smoothly play a rapid series of notes by altering their finger positions on the fret buttons without needing to strum each note individually. Sequences in which strumming is unnecessary are visually distinguished on-screen by notes with a white outline at the top of the marker instead of the usual black one. Evolution is the first game in the series to add an open string note for bass players.
In certain sections of the song, special notes will be adorned with star-shaped outlines that emit a glow. Successfully hitting all the notes within these series will gradually fill the "Bonus Meter." Additionally, players can also fill the Bonus Meter by skillfully using the whammy bar during sustained notes within these segments. Once the Bonus Meter reaches at least one-third capacity, players can unleash the power of "High Gear" by either pressing the select button or briefly tilting the guitar into a vertical position. Activating High Gear doubles the scoring multiplier until the High Gear is exhausted. Moreover, the scoring meter experiences a more substantial boost in these moments. Consequently, players can strategically employ High Gear to navigate challenging sections of a song that might otherwise lead to failure.
Instruments
The Rock Saga guitar controller, designed to resemble a Fender Stratocaster, serves as the interface for lead and bass guitar gameplay. It features five-colored fret buttons on the guitar neck (corresponding to on-screen notes), a strum bar, and a whammy bar. To use the guitar controller, players need to hold down the fret button that matches the scrolling colored note on-screen while simultaneously pressing the strum bar. The five frets can be utilized for playing guitar solos as hammer-ons and pull-offs, eliminating the need to strum. The whammy bar is employed to add a sound-distorting effect to sustained notes. A special effects switch allows players to toggle between five different guitar effects during solos and High Gear periods,. It's worth noting that this switch was removed from usage in Rock Saga III, however, the switch would return in Evolution. For guitarists, activating High Gear can be done by either holding the controller in a vertical position or pressing the "Select/Back/-" button. The controller is available in both wired and wireless versions. Rock Saga games also provide a "Lefty Flip" setting, accommodating left-handed guitar players. As the second iteration of the Stratocaster-based controller, following the first iteration in Across the Globe, the version developed specifically for Evolution introduced quieter fret buttons, a more reliable strum bar, and an optical sensor and microphone to assist players in calibrating the video and audio output of their television or stereo system.
The drum set for Rock Saga features four rubber drum pads and a bass pedal. The drum pads are encircled by colored rings that correspond to the on-screen notes' colors. Typically, these pads represent the snare drum (red), hi-hat/tom-tom (yellow), ride cymbal/tom (blue), and crash cymbals/floor tom (green), although certain songs may utilize the pads for other percussion instruments. The pedal, on the other hand, symbolizes the bass drum (orange), with on-screen notes displayed as horizontal orange lines on the drum track. To operate the drum controller effectively, players need to strike the pads with drumsticks and press the bass pedal in synchronization with the scrolling notes on the screen. Drummers also have the opportunity to improvise during special "freestyle drum fill" segments in songs, indicated by the on-screen columns for each note turning a solid color. The functionality of the four pads often adapts to represent other drums, depending on the song's requirements. If desired, players can reverse the default pad order using the "Lefty Mode" option in the game. The drum peripheral's legs are adjustable in height and can be detached, allowing players to position it on a tabletop for added convenience. In addition to the drum pads, the controller features standard buttons in the center for navigating in-game menus. Drummers can activate High Gear by striking the crash cymbal (typically represented by the green note in the right-handed configuration), which can be altered in the settings to allow an additional freestyle drum fill as a bonus, though for professional e-sports, this setting is disabled. For Evolution, previous models of drum sets are required, however, drum-set bundles with the game have been known to be sold by some retailers.
The microphone utilized in the game is a standard USB microphone, and players have the option to use most other USB microphones. For VERS console users, they can opt to substitute their console's headset if they prefer. Primarily, vocalists are evaluated based on how closely they match the relative pitch of the song's lead vocalist. During "talking parts" that do not assess pitch accuracy, a phoneme detector identifies individual vowels and consonants within the spoken lyrics. This approach also applies to songs with unclean vocals, such as growled or screamed vocals. In some sections of the songs that lack vocals, circular notes appear, allowing players to use the microphone as a tambourine or cowbell by tapping it or providing vocal cues. To activate High Gear while singing, players can trigger it by briefly creating a sound through the microphone during sections of the song, which are typically indicated by yellow visuals in the background of the vocal interface. Beside the Mark II Fender, the microphone was the only other controller officially packaged for sale.
Characters and customization
Famous musicians' avatars play a significant role in the game, performing songs by the respective artists, which are sometimes unlockable as characters afterwards. Notably, the 1978 line-up of the Nympho Guns are featured as playable avatars in the Career mode, though cannot be unlocked officially. Abyss Entertainment spent years seeking permission to use members of the band for their games from each member's respective estate, though prior to appearing in Evolution, had only been able to license usage of the song "Pretty Vacant" for Rock Saga: Across the Globe. Surviving family and friends of the band would provide input and materials such as photos and videos for each avatar design, while a tribute band would be used for motion capture. Ozzy Osburn and Doug Carpenter of Planetaria, Klaartje Den Boer, Hailee Wilhelm of Harmonova, Joe Petruzzi, Daniel Mustang of Damage Inc., Thom Choltz of The Red Patriots, Dene Gibbons of Bliss, and Derron Podanian of Method to the Madness are playable avatars as well which can be unlocked either during or after Career mode, having performed motion capture for their own avatars. The game also features unlockable fictional characters such as The Grim Shredder.
Abyss Entertainment approached Mathew Christ of Inspira and George Ben Detti of Atlantic City Highway to appear in the game, though both declined the offer. The VERS 360 and 720 version allows players to import their Vers Live Avatar into the game. Nine characters from previous installments return in this game, each starting with a default costume and having the opportunity to unlock three additional costumes by completing challenges. This also unlocks new clothing pieces for user-generated rockers. Although Gibson is no longer a sponsor, Fender and other guitar manufacturers like Ibanez, ETP, Duke Steve Howard, and Greco allowed the likenesses of their instruments, permitting the creation of new combinations for custom guitars and basses. Sponsored clothing pieces from Danny Chang, Dr. Posh, and Sartoria can now be used for customization. Instruments and certain clothing can be unlocked for use, and some clothing styles can now be changed. There are six styles for each character, including the one introduced, three others that were separate items in previous games which were remastered, and two new styles. Though only pre-generated characters' outfits can be changed and virtual avatars of real-life rockers cannot be altered in any way, users are able to change some virtual avatars' instruments.
Game modes
Rock Saga Evolution features a Band Lobby as the starting point for players. This lobby serves as a central hub, allowing seamless transitions into the various game modes featured in the game, most of which are carried over from previous titles. Players can assemble both local and remote players into a party, and effortlessly switch between game modes without leaving the party or lobby, which addresses the technical challenges encountered during the release of Across the Globe and Gods of Rock. The game offers a range of engaging modes, including the familiar Career and Full Marathon from previous titles, though the polled favorite for players is Solo or Band Fastplay, which enables players to curate a set list of up to seven songs and perform them at a venue of their choice. In a departure from earlier versions, where unlocking songs in Fastplay was tied to Career mode progression, all songs available on the disc and through downloadable content can now be accessed right from the beginning. Players are initially limited to the first four venues, with the remainder unlocking as they progress.
Career
The primary gameplay mode in Rock Saga is Career Mode, in which the player and their in-game band embark on a journey across a variety of performance venues, playing sets of anywhere between four or nine songs. Successfully completing songs in this mode unlocks them for play in other game modes. Players have the freedom to select their on-stage character and guitar, though this is purely for visual customization purposes and does not impact gameplay. Within Career Mode, players can accumulate earnings from their performances, which can then be spent in the in-game store. This store offers bonus content, including extra songs, guitar options, and finishes, that players can unlock and add to their collection. While most Rock Saga titles feature venues that are both fictional and based on real locations, Evolution is the first title to only feature real music venues that were performed either historically, being reassembled based on photography, or ongoing music festivals. The progression in Evolution is meant to chronicle the evolution of hard rock and its subgenres that were developed over the decades.
The first venue players encounter is based on Shemberg Hall at the University of Sierra, Bernheim in San Joaquin, which features music from The Rolling Rocks, the Entourage, Grateful Dead, The Birds, and Gloomy Ponds, dating between 1964 and 1968. After successfully completing the songs, the school's superintendent will try to unplug the amps to their instruments, however, the superintendent is humoursly picked up in a crowd surf, which unlocks the first encore song players are able to accept or decline to perform, being The Landing's "Revolution". Following this, the band is signed to an in-game record label based on their performances, and are flown to Honolulu, Hawaii to perform at the Waikiki Shell. Music featured comes from Living Still Lives, Santana, Simon, Giles, Yorke, & Clapten, and Queen Scarlet, which upon completing, starts the game's first-of-four boss fights in the form of a guitar battle with the late Jimi Redding. By defeating Redding, an encore will follow of "Voodoo Child (Live in Maui, 1969)" by The Gypsy Experience.
The following three venues chart across much of mainland Sierra and are centered on the 1970s. The third venue takes place at the Euphonia Music Festival, being based on The Pyramid Stage, and featuring songs from The Doors, The Stellars, The Landing, His Majesty, and Steve Bech. Prior to the onset of performing Planetaria's "Die Young", vocalist Ozzy Osburn and guitarist Doug Carpenter will join the stage for the song's performance before jumping into a crowd surf and being carried away. This culminates in an encore performance of "Same Old Song and Dance" by Stratocloud. During this encore performance, the weather which was previously sunny will shift into a down-pouring thunderstorm. The band then travels to the The Big Fresno Fair in Central Valley, where songs from Leviathan, Liver, Techno Eagle, The Falcons, A.C.E., and The Juno Montage. This leads to Dene Gibbons of Bliss fame appearing, challenging the guitarist to the second in-game guitar battle. If the guitarist defeats him, Gibbons will smash his guitar on stage, before being handed a new one by one of the stage personnel, and initiating the encore song, "Fresno Rock City". Gibbons is available for purchase in the in-game store after this. The fifth venue, based on Hotel Cecil in Porciúncula, Gold Coast, is the first of two Porciúncula-based venues, and is dedicated to the late members of the Nympho Guns, where instead of playing as the player-made band, they play as the band's line-up from 1978, performing "Anarchy in Sierra", "Holiday in Cambodia", and "God Save The King" in the hotel's ballroom to a roaring crowd while the doors to the room are chained shut. After "God Save The King", the screen fades into a montage of photography presented in tribute to the band, rather than an encore, before returning players to Fresno. The band members of the Nympho Guns are made only available for play in their songs attached to the Career mode venue and cannot be unlocked by other means beside modding, though Hotel Cecil is playable afterward by the player's band.
After completing Hotel Cecil, the player's band goes on a world tour for much of the remaining venues, with each venue meant to symbolize an era of music defined by the culture of the time, with venues six through eight centering on the 1980s. The sixth venue, The Alamo in San Antonio, features many San Antonio-based acts such as Jon Berry's Jam Band and Torkbrain while also featuring other Brazorian-based acts such as Steel Clergy and The Beast. The encore is "Sharp Dressed Man" by Houston Blues. The band then travels to Wembley Stadium in London, where songs from bands popularized during the 'British Invasion' of the mid-1980s are played, including songs from bands such as Hadrian, Odyssey, Krane, Rock Candy, The Blind Lions, and Moe Bacciani. Den Boer is also included in this venue, where guitarist Klaartje Den Boer appears alongside the character band for the song "Hot for Teacher". The encore for the venue is "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" by The Hookers. The eighth venue, featuring Aeneas Stadium in New York City, encompasses music from Atlantic City Expressway, Bullets N' Blossoms, Damage Inc., The Scalers, and Quikkill; the only band not original to the United Commonwealth is Damage Inc., though during the performance of "Vulture of Misery", former guitarist Daniel Mustang will join the character's band for the performance. The stage for the venue would be based on both The Landing's 1961 and Bullets N' Blossoms' 1992 live performance in the stadium, as concerts being hosted at Aeneas Stadium are rare. After completing the required songs, Thom Choltz of The Red Patriots will appears for the game's third guitar battle, where upon defeating, culminates in the encore, The Red Patriots' "Amalia". Following "Amalia"'s guitar solo, the crowd can be seen rushing past security personnel from the stands and to the stage, leading to the character's band being 'banned' from the Commonwealth over 'riotous activities' after the song is completed, and being flown out of the country immediately. Choltz is unlockable in the store afterwards.
The ninth venue, O'Connor Coliseum in Vancouver, pays homage to many early grunge acts born out of the Seattle scene, acts influenced by the scene, and other early 1990s hits. Songs included range between Sal's Berry, Omar Copeland of The Juno Montage, The Mariner's Bay, The Offshoots, Noiseoasis and Stereocide. The venue culminates in a performance of "I Gotta Know (Go My Way)" by Benny Hurvitz. The following venue, which takes place at the Waldbühne in Olympiapark, Berlin, was re-created when many members of the development team, including Graham, visited Olympiapark in the spring of 2015, a form of work retreat, during the game's development. The track list features songs from Sofia in Bondage, Marble Chapel Voyagers, Beastie Boys, Bleeding Roses, The Weird Fishes, Velvet Sweaters, and the Plugged-In Children. The game's fourth in-game guitar battle, featuring Derron Podanian, is considered one of the hardest battles in the series due to his constant use of sliding. If successfully defeated, Podanian joins the band for an encore performance of "Soil" by Method to the Madness, which leads to an in-game visualizer where skeletons rise from the grave to rock along with the crowd, with the song concluding with the souls being sent into the sky and the bones collapsing. Podanian is unlockable in the store afterwards. After completing this venue, the band travels to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival near the base of Mount Naeba. Songs by Coveiro, the Sky Warriors, Noosework, Dogma, Wish Bone and wink-273, which culminate in an encore of "The Day the World Went Away" by Six Inch Blades. During the encore, nearby forest animals can be seen nodding along with the crowd.
Between venues twelve and fourteen, the players perform music from the 2000s. After Mount Naeba, the band then travel to Capitol Studios in Porciúncula, being the second venue to be featured in the city. Songs from Scarab, Xero, Sheep Torture, One Two Three Four, Transephemera, and Redflag are central to this venue, which lead to an encore featuring "Thousand Nation Army" by the Peppermints. This is only venue which players must purchase with money collected through previous venues, to reflect the cost of studio time. The band then travels to perform at the Red Square in Moscow. Songs in this setlist are specifically non-English, and consist of bands More Laptevyh, Chaos Orkestr, Remington, Aeroxape, Klash MC, Brodyachiye Artisty, and an encore performance of "Pasport" by Fotone. After the encore, a riot erupts at the venue, leading the band to be smuggled to Columbia City, Antilles, where they perform at SunFest. Developers specifically looked to bands that headlined the music festival during this time, incorperating songs from Village Idiot, 60 Seconds to Mercury, The Thrillers, Rainbow Monkey Picnic, Tumble in Blokes, and Queens of Mariana. During the performance of "Misery Business" by Harmonova, lead singer of the group Hailee Wilhelm will take over on lead vocals. The encore is "Super Luminous Supernovae" by Inspira.
For the final mainline venue, the character's band, being labeled as outlaws in the Western world and their music censored, are forced to flee to Naas, Ireland. In exchange for staying there, the President asks for the band to perform at Oxegen, with the venue featuring music from bands whom performed at the venue, including Vengeance Unchained, Driving With No Breaks, Cellar Door, The Earless Band, DiT, and Child of the Sea. "Legion of Monsters" by Brawl is featured as the venue's encore. Following the performance, the band is granted indefinite asylum. Meanwhile, the character overhears on the radio that an inter-dimensional portal was opened above the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, and monsters have been wreaking havoc across nearby peoples. After further hearing that weapons were not working but apparently an mp3 player scared one of them, the players travel to Giza. The venue—referred to as the Necropolis of Memphis—sees the player's band encounter the first of two final setlists, with music featured from GEAR, The Ferals, WingedBlitz, and Me You and Him. For the performances of "Pulling Your Strings" by Damage Inc. and "Eruption/You Really Got Me" by Den Boer, guitarists Daniel Mustang and Klaartje Den Boer join the band for their respective songs. After successfully completing these songs, an encore performance of "Achilles Last Stand" by Dred Tenets commences, which leads to the monsters being repelled back into the portal. After this performance, which is televised worldwide, the band is commemorated by many world leaders who issue apologies, however, another portal opens in The Colosseum located in Rome, Italy, leading to the player's band being called to action. The final setlist consists of music from Embrace of Chaos, Quikkill, Elegiak, Scorched World; vocalist Ozzy Osburn and guitarist Doug Carpenter re-appear to join the band for a performance of Osburn's "Howl In The Night" and guitarist Joe Petruzzi appears for a performance of "Lost With You". After successfully completing the songs, which slowly defeats the invading monsters, the final boss monsters appears, leading to an encore performance of Dred Tenet's "Stairway to Heaven", which slays the monster and the portal closed forever.
The game's epilogue, taking place after the venue of Rome, sees the player—still in the Colosseum—being rewarded with a 'staircase made of light and gold but solid as steel', which they ascend into the sky above. There, to a crowd of angels, the band performs "We Are the Champions (Live at Wembley '86)" by His Majesty as the credits roll, ending the game.
Featured venues
Shemberg Hall, University of Sierra, Bernheim - 1960s
Waikiki Shell, Honolulu, Hawaii - Late 1960s
Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula, Inland Empire - Early 1970s
Big Fresno Fair, Fresno, Central Valley - Late 1970s
Hotel Cecil, Porciúncula, Gold Coast - Nympho Guns - Late 1970s
The Alamo, San Antonia, Brazoria - Early 1980s
Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom - 1980s
Aeneas Stadium, New York City, New York - Late 1980s
O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver, Astoria - Early 1990s
Waldbühne in Olympiapark, Berlin, Germany - 1990s
Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba, Japan - Late 1990s
Capitol Studios, Porciúncula, Gold Coast - Early 2000s
Red Square, Moscow, Russia - Late 2000s
SunFest, Columbia City, Antilles - Late 2000s
Oxegen, Naas, Ireland - Late 2000s/2010s
Necropolis of Memphis, Giza, Egypt - Decades
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy - Decades
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Challenges
In Rock Saga Evolution, Career mode introduces Challenges that are linked to specific songs or allow players to choose a song for meeting the Challenge in "open gigs." Fireborn developed these Challenges to leverage the unique aspects of various songs and add an extra layer of gameplay. Each Challenge offers three completion levels—Gold, Platinum, and Diamond—reflecting music recording sales certification levels, with Diamond being the most challenging. Song-specific challenges can be instrument-specific or more general scoring and performance challenges for specific instruments or the entire band. Open gig Challenges are sponsored within the game and revolve around performance elements like achieving a specific point score using High Gear or continuously using the guitar controller's whammy bar for a set duration. Players can choose any song to complete these challenges, with certain songs potentially being more suitable for a particular challenge. In-game progress towards these Challenges is indicated by a record meter that appears when the challenge is active and fills up similar to the overall scoring meter as the player successfully works towards completing the challenge. Achieving higher completion levels, especially Diamond, necessitate playing the song on Advanced difficulty, but after a certain time limit in-game, players can utilize the mid-song difficulty adjustment feature if needed. If any member of the band completes a challenge, all players receive awards, which are reflected in their individual career progress. Additionally, players can unlock new avatars, outfits, and other content by successfully completing these challenges.
Fastplay and Multiplayer
Players can quickly play any song on any instrument individually in "Fastplay", which allows both single players and bands to play a setlist of up to seven songs in, still earning in-game money rewards for their performances. All versions of Rock Saga Evolution features online competitive play, in which the player can compete against opponents via their respective console's network service. Online play encompasses four modes: "Guitar Duel", "Battle of the Bands", "Showdown", and "Online Co-op".
The Showdown mode in Evolution replaces the previous game mode of "Rock Out" from earlier games, which pits two players against each other either locally or over network play. In this mode, players strive to outmaneuver their opponent by successfully executing "Battle Power" sequences, a replacement for High Gear sections. Accumulating these sequences empowers players to launch attacks against their rival. Each player can store up to three attacks and unleash them using the same mechanics as triggering High Gear during normal gameplay. The resulting effects can escalate the song's difficulty by adding more notes or obscuring gem tracks, or compel the opponent to perform specific actions to negate the effect, such as rapidly pressing a fret button to counter a simulated broken guitar string. If a player fails the song, their opponent emerges victorious. In the absence of a clear failure, a "Last One Standing" segment commences, featuring only "Sudden Death" attacks. These attacks invariably force the opponent to fail by depleting their Rock Meter, adding a layer of suspense to the competition." "Guitar Duel", which was inspired by the "Clash" mode from The Jam II, features two players competing to achieve the highest score on a chosen song, while "Battle of the Bands" offers similar gameplay but with bands of up-to four performing to achieve a higher score than the opposing band. While players can play at different difficulty levels in the mode, Showdown mandates both players to perform at the same difficulty setting.
Development and promotion
— Brad Graham, creative director on Rock Saga Evolution in an interview with Dollar Arcade from 20 October 2015
In response to lackluster sales of several Rock Saga titles between 2010 and 2013, Abyss Entertainment initiated significant changes within its internal development teams. Beginning with Fireborn Studios, the studio was given extensive development control by Abyss after the moderate success of Rock Saga Unplugged in comparison to Rock Saga 5, which Abyss CEO Jeff Day later wrote in his 2018 autobiography as the "physical handing of the torch". On the other hand, SummerDream's staff was cut in half, with some being incorperated into Fireborn, some being pulled into Abyss entirely, or being fired. Brad Graham, the former project lead on Rock Saga 5, acknowledged that the poor sales in 2011 were partly due to a loss of focus on the game "and franchise as a whole". Despite low sales, Jeff Day was a personal fan of the game series, and due to Graham having been lead developer since Rock Saga II, his position would be renewed for Evolution while project lead of Fireborn, Jeremy Stuart, was labeled as co-Lead. At the time, the title for the game was "Rock Saga 6", however, low physical sales for the previous games led to many internal developers treating the title 'like a swan song'.
Graham and Stuart both aimed to return the series to its roots and cater to fans of the earlier Rock Saga games, particularly the highly successful third and fourth entries, Rock Saga III and Across the Globe. To achieve this goal, Graham emphasized that the objective of Evolution was to create a game with a unique identity that distinct for long-term players of the genre from both previous Rock Saga titles and other rhythm games but remained casual enough for anyone to pick up. Additionally, the soundtrack is 'more focused on rock 'n' roll' than the diverse genres featured in Rock Saga 5. The song selection emphasized guitar-centric tracks, which had proven to be the most popular instrument choice based on player preferences polled from 2009 to 2013. Graham explained that they used player statistics from previous games, noting that within a month of release, nearly 60% of Rock Saga 5 players were playing on Expert mode. As development continued for the game, this demographic would become their target audience.
Graham outlined their approach to developing the note track for a licensed song in the game as a parallel effort, a method they've found to be more efficient compared to their prior work on the Blane Faux games. Once a song is mixed for use in the game, they begin creating a 'tempo map' indicating the beats in the music. This map serves as a foundational guide for the rest of the development team. After completing the tempo map, the song is distributed to various teams, such as specific instrument teams or animators, to work on their respective elements and finalize the song. Following this, a note-for-note tracking of the song is carried out, which in some instances, leads to small adjustments being made to accommodate sections that can't be replicated on the game controllers. The resulting track represents the note track for the Expert difficulty of the song.
At the beginning of the development process, the team had no predetermined song list for the final game. According to Stuart, their initial goal was to include between 50 and 70 songs, though after the dissolution of SummerDream, were given a larger budget and more liberties, with their goal being to surpass the track list of Across the Globe. While the game primarily aimed to feature hard rock tracks, licensing limitations would prevent certain songs from being featured, and as development went on, developers felt a 'moral obligation' to re-use many older, classic rock songs that had been previously featured so to fit the game's sequence. As development continued, Fireborn would make significant adjustments to the track list as certain songs were either secured or removed due to licensing issues. This necessitated the team to continuously strike a balance between the difficulty and the popularity of the songs included in the game. By the end of the core development cycle, more than 130 songs had been charted, with it being reduced to 111 by the end of licensing litigation. Additionally, the "forge your 'Rock Saga'" contest, previously held during promotion of the original Rock Saga, would be started which allowed bands to submit their own song to be included in the game. Despite more than a reported 800 submissions, the winning song would be "Legion of Monsters" by Brawl. By the time of completion, the final song list would be set less than four days from the shipping date.
The game's 2015 release artwork features Billy Brixton of the Nympho Guns, while the 2016 Definitive Edition cover art features the Vitruvian Man holding a Stratocaster.
Bundling and promotion
On launch, Evolution offered various purchasing options, available both as standalone and in bundled packages. The game can be acquired individually or as part of bundles that included essential peripherals, with each platform receiving a game bundle accompanied by a wireless guitar. Additionally, players have the choice of the game bundled with a USB microphone controller. Another bundle, which was exclusively accessible for a month upon release through Fireborn Games' website, featured a T-shirt, keychain, and a battery-recharging kit. In the Antilles and Brazoria, players who pre-ordered the guitar-game bundle were rewarded with an extra guitar controller tailored for bass players—the trusted X-Plorer guitar model, which had been previously introduced with Rock Saga III but the model sold had been updated and previously sold alongside Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock.
During the fall and winter of 2015, certain retailers, such as MegaBuy and Central Value, offered a special dual guitar bundle in-store for VERS 360 and InfiniTech 3 players. This bundle featured two identical wireless SG-styled guitars from Rock Saga: Plugged-In Children, with the newer guitar model being omitted from this bundle. Other games sold abroad in the United Kingdom and Russia featured a bundle of an SG guitar and the drum kit from Rock Saga: Dred Tenets for purchase, while in Astoria, if customers had purchased either the guitar or microphone bundle, could option to buy an X-Plorer guitar model at a 50% discount through Fireborn's website. These sale bundles were likely due to an excess of controller models produced which had gone unsold over the prior five years, with instances of the entire bundle from Rock Saga: Across the Globe—being the Les Paul-style guitar controller, drumkit and microphone—being repackaged and sold in cardboard boxes by some retailers in the Andes and Brazil.
Soundtrack
The game disc boasts a total of 111 songs by 101 separate artists or groups dated between 1964 and 2015, all of them being master recordings. These songs are strategically organized within both the single-player and multiplayer band Career Mode, where they are divided into various "gigs," each containing between 3 to 9 songs. Some gigs may even feature a challenging boss battle in the form of a guitar battle (exclusive to the single-player guitar career), followed by thrilling encores that unlock once all required gig songs are conquered. The arrangement of these gigs is approximately based on the difficulty level of the songs within that gig, tailored to the chosen instrument or band. This means that more challenging songs tend to appear in later gigs, ensuring players or bands must successfully tackle easier gigs before unlocking the tougher ones. Once a player or band gains access to a song through any instrument or band Career mode, that song becomes available for play in Fastplay mode or any other competitive mode in the game. After completing the career mode, the player is able to play the Full Marathon game mode, which plays the entire soundtrack of the game without cutscenes in venues of the player's choice.
The game's setlist is characterized by a remarkable selection of well-known songs from an impressive array of artists. These tracks include classics by renowned musicians ranging between The Landing, Marble Chapel Voyagers, Stereocide, and Gear, alongside a substantial number of offerings from bands foreign to the Kingdom of Sierra. Below, you'll find the year each song was recorded (as indicated in the in-game description), along with the song title, artist, its placement within the band career mode, its difficulty based on the in-game five-star rating scale, and if the game was previously featured in a prior Rock Saga title.
| Year | Song title | Artist | Tour Venue | Difficulty | Original Rock Saga feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Get Your Kicks" | The Rolling Rocks | 1. University of Sierra, Bernheim | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1967 | "High Flying Bird" | The Entourage | 1. University of Sierra, Bernheim | ★✰✰✰✰ | Rock Saga II |
| 1967 | "Come Walk Me Out" | Grateful Dead | 1. University of Sierra, Bernheim | ★✰✰✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1967 | "Superian Son" | The Birds | 1. University of Sierra, Bernheim | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1968 | "Bottom of the Sea" | Gloomy Ponds | 1. University of Sierra, Bernheim | ★✰✰✰✰ | — |
| 1968 | "Revolution" | The Landing | 1. University of Sierra, Bernheim | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1967 | "Lucifer Sam" | Living Still Lives | 2. Waikiki Shell, Honolulu | ★✰✰✰✰ | Rock Saga: Dred Tenets |
| 1969 | "Evil Ways" | Santana | 2. Waikiki Shell, Honolulu | ★✰✰✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1970 | "Woodstock" | Simon, Giles, Yorke, & Clapten | 2. Waikiki Shell, Honolulu | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga: Dred Tenets |
| 1969 | "21st Century Schizoid Man" | Queen Scarlet | 2. Waikiki Shell, Honolulu | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1969 | "Voodoo Child (Live in Maui, 1969)" | The Gypsy Experience | 2. Waikiki Shell, Honolulu | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1970 | "Riders on the Storm" | The Doors | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga: Across the Globe |
| 1971 | "It's About Time" | The Stellars | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1971 | "Die Young" | Planetaria | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1973 | "Band on the Run" | The Landing | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1974 | "Bernheim Rock" | His Majesty | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1975 | "Cause We've Ended as Lovers" | Steve Bech | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1974 | "Same Old Song and Dance" | Stratocloud | 3. Euphonia Music Festival, Temecula | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1975 | "Burn" | Leviathan | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1975 | "Crazy on You" | Liver | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1977 | "Let My Spirit Carry Me" | Techno Eagle | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1977 | "Hotel Porciúncula" | The Falcons | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock |
| 1977 | "Let There Be Rock" | A.C.E. | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga: Damage Inc. |
| 1979 | "Roxanne" | The Juno Montage | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga: Across the Globe |
| 1976 | "Fresno Rock City" | Bliss | 4. The Big Fair, Fresno | ★★★✰✰ | DLC for Rock Saga III |
| 1976 | "Anarchy in Sierra" | Nympho Guns | 5. Hotel Cecil, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1977 | "Holiday in Cambodia" | Nympho Guns | 5. Hotel Cecil, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1977 | "God Save The King" | Nympho Guns | 5. Hotel Cecil, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1980 | "Let the Music Speak Itself" | Jon Berry's Jam Band | 6. The Alamo, San Antonio | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga II |
| 1980 | "Ace of Spades" | Torkbrain | 6. The Alamo, San Antonio | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1981 | "Breaking the Law" | Steel Clergy | 6. The Alamo, San Antonio | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1982 | "Run for your Life" | The Beast | 6. The Alamo, San Antonio | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock |
| 1983 | "Sharp Dressed Man" | Houston Blues | 6. The Alamo, San Antonio | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1981 | "Tom Sawyer" | Hadrian | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 1982 | "Don't Stop Believin'" | Odyssey | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1983 | "Hot for Teacher" | Den Boer | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1984 | "Lay It Down" | Krane | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1985 | "Smokin' in the Boys Room" | Rock Candy | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1987 | "Pour Some Sugar on Me" | The Blind Lions | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga: Across the Globe |
| 1987 | "Driving With The Stranger" | Moe Bacciani | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★★★★ | — |
| 1987 | "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" | The Hookers | 7. Wembley Stadium, London | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga II |
| 1987 | "Dead Or Alive" | Atlantic City Expressway | 8. Aeneas Stadium, New York City | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1988 | "Welcome to the Jungle" | Bullets N' Blossoms | 8. Aeneas Stadium, New York City | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1989 | "Vulture of Misery" | Damage Inc. | 8. Aeneas Stadium, New York City | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 1988 | "Hangin' On" | The Scalers | 8. Aeneas Stadium, New York City | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga II |
| 1988 | "Set the Earth Ablaze" | Quikkill | 8. Aeneas Stadium, New York City | ★★★★★ | DLC for Rock Saga III |
| 1988 | "Amalia" | The Red Patriots | 8. Aeneas Stadium, New York City | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1993 | "I'd Do Anything for Love (No I Won't Do That)" | Sal's Berry | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1991 | "Alive" | The Mariner's Bay | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1992 | "Killing in the Name" | Stereocide | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1993 | "Aneurysm" | Nirvana | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1993 | "Shape of My Heart" | Omar Copeland | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock |
| 1994 | "Self Respect" | The Offshoots | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1994 | "Black Hole Sun" | Noiseoasis | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★✰✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1993 | "I Gotta Know (Go My Way)" | Benny Hurvitz | 9. O'Connor Coliseum, Vancouver | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1990 | "Bleed the Freak" | Sofia in Bondage | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga II |
| 1994 | "Meatplow" | Marble Chapel Voyagers | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1994 | "Sabotage" | Beastie Boys | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 1994 | "Disarm" | The Bleeding Roses | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1995 | "Just" | The Weird Fishes | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 1996 | "Step On Me" | Velvet Sweaters | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1997 | "Reject" | Plugged-In Children | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga: Plugged-In Children |
| 1998 | "Soil" | Method to the Madness | 10. Olympiapark, Berlin | ★★★★★ | — |
| 1997 | "Worms In The Walls" | Coveiro | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 1997 | "Everlong" | Sky Warriors | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1999 | "Eyeless" | Noosework | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1999 | "Say I" | Dogma | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1999 | "All Star" | Wish Bone | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1999 | "All the Small Things" | wink-273 | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 1999 | "The Day the World Went Away" | Six Inch Blades | 11. Fuji Rock Festival, Mount Naeba | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2000 | "Last Resort" | Scarab | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 2000 | "Papercut" | Xero | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2001 | "Island in the Sun" | Sheep Torture | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga: Across the Globe Rock Saga Unplugged |
| 2001 | "It Just Takes Some Time" | One Two Three Four | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 2002 | "Bring Me to Life" | Transephemera | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga: Across the Globe |
| 2003 | "Breathing" | Redflag | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 2003 | "Thousand Nation Army" | The Peppermints | 12. Capitol Studios, Porciúncula | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 2005 | "Bez Boyu" | More Laptevyh | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 2007 | "Tri Poloski" | Chaos Orkestr | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2007 | "Rock'n'Roll Vozrast Khrista" | Remington | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2007 | "Jekyll i Hyde" | Aeroxape | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 2008 | "Iz Okna (Ska-Punk Version)" | Klash MC | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2008 | "Davayte Sozvonimsya" | Brodyachiye Artisty | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2009 | "Pasport" | Fotone | 13. Red Square, Moscow | ★★★★✰ | — |
| 2005 | "Rockstar" | Village Idiot | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 2006 | "The Kill" | 60 Seconds to Mercury | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 2006 | "When You Were Young" | The Thrillers | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 2007 | "Paralyzer" | Rainbow Monkey Picnic | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2007 | "Misery Business" | Harmonova | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2007 | "Thnks fr th Mmrs" | Tumble in Blokes | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2009 | "Sex on Fire" | Queens of Mariana | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga: Across the Globe |
| 2008 | "Super Luminous Supernovae" | Inspira | 14. SunFest, Columbia City | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock |
| 2008 | "There's No Secrets This Year" | Cherryland Minivans | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2010 | "Shepherd of Fire" | Vengeance Unchained | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2011 | "ALL FOR YOU V3.1" | Driving With No Breaks | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★★✰ | — |
| 2012 | "Covet" | Cellar Door | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★✰✰✰ | — |
| 2012 | "Gauze" | The Earless Band | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2013 | "Pandora" | DiT | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★★★ | — |
| 2014 | "Eventually" | Child of the Sea | 15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★✰✰ | — |
| 2015 | "Legion of Monsters" | Brawl |
15. Oxegen, Naas |
★★★★✰ | — |
| 2001 | "Schism" | GEAR | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★✰✰ | — |
| 1985 | "Pulling Your Strings" | Damage Inc. | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga: Damage Inc. |
| 1966 | "The House of the Rising Sun" | The Ferals | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1978 | "Eruption/You Really Got Me" | Den Boer | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★★★ | Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock |
| 2004 | "Fury of the Storm" | WingedBlitz | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★★★ | — |
| 1973 | "Free Bird" | Me You and Him | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★★✰ | Rock Saga III |
| 1976 | "Achilles Last Stand" | Dred Tenets | 16. Necropolis of Memphis, Giza | ★★★★★ | Rock Saga: Dred Tenets |
| 1983 | "Howl In The Night" | Ozzy Osburn | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★★★ | Rock Saga III |
| 1991 | "Only Shallow" | Embrace of Chaos | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga |
| 2005 | "Lost With You" | Joe Petruzzi | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★★★ | — |
| 1987 | "Dying to Live" | Quikkill | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★★★ | — |
| 2015 | "Seven Headed Whore" | Scorched World | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★★★ | — |
| 1984 | "Leave Me Alone" | Elegiak | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★✰✰ | Rock Saga II |
| 1971 | "Stairway To Heaven" | Dred Tenets | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★★★ | — |
| 1986 | "We Are the Champions (Live at Wembley '86)" | His Majesty | 17. The Colosseum, Rome | ★★★✰✰ | — |
Track Packs and Definitive Edition
While the Standard Edition released on most consoles featured 111 tracks, due to the delay in porting the game to the Sega Krypton, the 15 April 2016 release saw 16 additional songs on-disc being made available through they had been released as downloadable content prior, for a total of soundtrack of 127. For the 18 November 2016 release of the Definitive Edition, Fireborn re-released the base game along with 65 songs made previously available through digital download, including the aforementioned McAteer and four Sampler packs. During the 25 October 2019 re-release for the InfiniTech 4, 88 additional songs would be added for a total of 199 tracks, while for the 12 February 2021 re-release on the Nintendo SX/Nintendo NX, Sega Hexcite and VERS Olympus, the soundtrack had totaled 203 songs, 95 of which was previously released DLC. As of September 2023, twelve total additional venues and 963 songs have been made available at some point in the form of digital downloads or micro-transactions.
Prior to the game's release, Fireborn Games stated that their mission was to offer an extensive array of music to players through additional content, envisioning Evolution as a music platform for music discovery, while Abyss Entertainment and namely VERS wanted to take advantage of their digital marketplaces afforded by the game consoles to boost sales. To achieve this, Fireborn devised a series of Track Packs containing up to twelve songs, which are made available as digital downloadable content. A bundle of these packs would later be sold as a physical release as standalone titles like prior Rock Saga titles, being intended for Rock Saga players lacking network capabilities. There would be three bundle discs made which are sold separate from the base game, with each featuring between twenty and thirty songs made previously available for digital download. Track Packs are namely genre-specific, catering from hard and classic rock to power metal to country, following a naming convention in proximity to the music offered–like "Rock The 80s", "Emo Forever", as well as releasing songs featured from the late 2000s alternative compilation, The Brink–which are offered in the form of purchasable volumes. In addition to this, musicians have also done motion-capture to be made available after the game's launch, most notably country singer Rebecca McAteer, with her being made as a purchasable character for both guitar and vocal players. Included in these various Track Packs are new venues for players to play at, which comes free with the purchase of the pack. Noteworthy venues which have been added include the Rock in Rio, Rio de Janeiro and the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain, San Francisco.
Track Pack's have also been designed around albums, though while entire albums are unavailable for play, they are referred to as "Sampler" packs. Notable sampler packs that have been released include The Landing's 1967 self-titled debut, Xero's 2003 Instauratio and The Weird Fishes' 1997 OKNOTOK; each featuring between three and ten songs. Individual song downloads are priced at the standard rate of KS$1.99 per song, with certain songs available for KS$0.99, and during promotional events, made for free. These downloads are accessible through InfinitiNetwork, Vers Live, Nintendo's Link24 and later, SegaNet. Song packs and specific singles are occassionally offered at discounted prices if the license for their usage reaches its expiration date, while Sampler pack prices varied based on the number of songs included. Music could be purchased directly from the console's online store or through Evolution via its dedicated "Tune Center," allowing users to preview music before making a purchase. Fireborn shared a list of top-selling downloadable artists on 22 September 2016, with The Landing, Painting The Garage, and His Majesty being the top three. Despite this, licensing challenges have made it significantly difficult to obtain additional songs from popular fan-requested bands like Bullets N' Blossoms and Inspira, as well as keep existing DLC already licensed.
| Year | Song title | Artist | Pack name | Venue name | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Do I Wanna Know?" | Tropical Narwhals | Modern Rock Anthems Vol. 1 | Mukden Palace, Mukden, Manchuria | 4 December 2015 |
| 2015 | "Kingdom" | No Place Like Home | |||
| 2014 | "Here We Go" | Below The Abyss | |||
| 2015 | "Daylily" | Motions | |||
| 2014 | "I Don't Want to Be Here Anymore" | Riot Reborn | |||
| 1989 | "Kickstart My Heart" | Rock Candy | Rock The 80's Vol. 1 | OUR Festival, Rancho Cucamonga, Inland Empire | 10 December 2015 |
| 1987 | "Just 'cos You Got the Power" | Torkbrain | |||
| 1980 | "Crazy Train" | Planetaria | |||
| 1983 | "Rebel Yell" | Jonny Icon | |||
| 1984 | "When Doves Cry" | The Revolution | |||
| 1997 | "Man of War" | The Weird Fishes | "OKNOTOK" Sampler Track Pack | St Catherine's Court, Bath, Somerset | 18 December 2015 |
| "Lift" | |||||
| "Karma Police" | |||||
| "Let Down" | |||||
| "Lucky" | |||||
| "Palo Alto" | |||||
| 1980 | "Four Mechanix" | Damage Inc. | Damage Inc. Track Pack | – | 8 January 2016 |
| 1982 | "Am I Evil?" | ||||
| "Blitzkrieg" | |||||
| 1967 | "Porcy Social Degree" | The Entourage | The Entourage Track Pack | – | 22 January 2016 |
| 1967 | "She's A Rainbow" | ||||
| 1967 | "Please Don't Be Long" | ||||
| 1966 | "Mr. Tambourine Man" | ||||
| 1967 | "Dandelion" | ||||
| 1982 | "Here I Go Again" | Northwinds | Rock The 80's Vol. 2 | Rock in Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 14 February 2016 |
| 1987 | "Just Like Heaven" | The Malice | |||
| 1988 | "Mother" | Verotik | |||
| 1982 | "Hungry Like the Wolf" | The New Romantics | |||
| 1981 | "Working for the Weekend" | Covergirl | |||
| 2003 | "Faint" | Xero | "Instauratio" Sampler Track Pack | – | 17 February 2016 |
| "Somewhere I Belong" | |||||
| "Lost" | |||||
| "Fighting Myself" | |||||
| 2003 | "So Long & Goodnight" | The Train Spotters | Emo Forever Vol. 1 | – | 22 February 2016 |
| 2007 | "Jersey" | Kid Named Rue | |||
| 2004 | "The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows" | Fight Off Your Demons | |||
| 2003 | "Until the Day I Die" | 18+ Youth Club | |||
| 2015 | "7:77" | The Uncanny | Modern Rock Anthems Vol. 2 | – | 22 February 2016 |
| 2014 | "Remember Me" | Tumble in Blokes | |||
| 2013 | "CAN U FEEL MY HEART" | Driving With No Brakes | |||
| 2011 | "Satellite" | The Honest Workers | |||
| 1967 | "With a Little Help from My Friends" | The Landing | "The Landing" Sampler Track Pack | Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain, Marin County, San Francisco | 4 March 2016 |
| "White Rabbit" | |||||
| "I Feel Free" | |||||
| "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" | |||||
| "Interstellar Overdrive" | |||||
| "A Day in the Life" | |||||
| 2001 | "Alive" | Eschatos | The Brink Vol. 1 | – | 23 March 2016 |
| 1999 | "Freak on a Leash" | Triple X | |||
| 2002 | "Headstrong" | Crackd | |||
| 2002 | "She Hates Me" | Pile of Trash | |||
| 1999 | "The Bad Touch" | The Labradors | |||
| 1991 | "Fancy" | Rebecca McAteer | Rebecca McAteer Track Pack | – | 15 April 2016 |
| 1991 | "The Night the Lights Went Out in Maricopa" | ||||
| 1995 | "And Still" | ||||
| 1993 | "Does He Love You" | Rebecca McAteer and Corinna Mavis | |||
| 2016 | "Going Out Like That" | Rebecca McAteer | |||
| 1976 | "Smokin'" | The Red Patriots | 70's Rock and Roll Vol. 1 | – | 25 April 2016 |
| 1978 | "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love" | Den Boer | |||
| 1970 | "Okaloosa Queen" | Summit | |||
| 1979 | "Highway to Hell" | A.C.E. | |||
| 1976 | "Cry for the Bad Man" | Me You and Him | |||
| 1975 | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | Bliss | |||
| 1976 | "The Boys Are Back in Town" | Shades of Vertigo | |||
| 1978 | "Hold the Line" | Rural Still Life |
Release
Sales
Despite a late October 2015 for Rock Saga Evolution making it the ninth best-selling video game of the month, in the following month of November, Evolution for VERS 720 was the third best-selling video game of the month, selling 786,700 units, which were a third of sales compared to Rock Saga III and were similar to sales Rock Saga 5: Gods of Rock and Rock Saga: Dred Tenets, which were 811,928 and 769,291 units respectively. It was outsold by Modern Combat: Cold War 2 and Slayer: Remastered for the VERS 720 specifically, which had sold 808,000 and 817,192 units respectively. By June 2016, it was reported that more than 1.3 million copies units had been sold. Total sales of the game during 2015 and 2016 range between $300 and $400 million.
On 9 January 2017, Angie Taylor of Fireborn stated that there have been over 400,000 downloads of the music packs until that point and that the prices were "highly attractive and very desirable for consumers." In December 2017, Abyss Entertainment reported that with over 700,000 downloads, the music packs they had released collectively qualified as "Platinum" based on the Recording Industry Association of America's definitions. It would be reported by the Porciúncula Times in 2022 that Abyss had internally reported more than 3 million downloads and sales of 9 million units combined across all consoles.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | VERS 720: 92/100 IT3: 93/100 N-REV: 90/100 S-HEX: 93/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| GameListings | 
|
| ThePushStart | 94/100 |
| Porciúncula Times | 9.0/10 |
| DGN | 9.5/10 |
| Official Edge | 9.1/10 |
| Gamer Central | 
|
| TheGameInsider | A- |
| Dollar Arcade | 891/1000 |
| Joystick Magazine | 
|
| Euro-Gamer |
|
Critics widely commended solo or group gameplay, the soundtrack, the Career mode, and the balance of difficulty in the VERS 720, InfiniTech 3, and Nintendo Revolution versions of Rock Saga Evolution, with certain critiques expressing frustration toward the feel of the packaged Stratocaster controller and the lack of Career mode-focus on band modes rather than the solo guitarist offerings. However, other critics felt it to be amongst one of the best party games due to its library consisting of "well-recognized classics, ballads, solos, and anthems". The game would be featured by both review aggregators Metacritic and GameListings as one of their highest-rated video games for 2015.
In review of Rock Saga Evolution by ThePushStart, Daniel Eduard awarded the VERS 720 and Nintendo Revolution versions an impressive 94/100, lauding Revolution as "gaming's most intensely rewarding co-op experience," emphasizing that its "transcending mere technicality". DGN echoed the sentiment with a notable 9.5/10 score and an Editor's Choice Award for both the VERS 720 and InfiniTech 3 versions, affirming that Rock Saga was "one of the must-have games of the year" and possibly "among the best party games ever released." Quentin Young of Joystick Magazine highlighted the potential for Rock Saga Evolution to have been a quick cash grab, given the numerous Rock Saga and The Jam titles released over the past decade by that point. However, Young commended the design team's evident passion for "pure rock", attributing the game's overall quality to their adoration of music itself. Dollar Arcade 's Theodore Owens went a step further, asserting that Rock Saga Evolution had "set the benchmark" for future band-specific games within the Rock Saga and The Jam franchises.
The VERS 360 and InfiniTech 2 renditions of the game garnered positive reviews overall but faced critiques for the absence of character customization features, "watered-down" group play, and less overall features. Gamer Central, for instance, rated it 8.2/10, acknowledging the enduring fun of Rock Saga on the IT2 while deeming it a departure from the ideal experience. Meanwhile, DGN rated it 7.8/10, acknowledging the loss of features but emphasizing the game's enduring appeal for group play. On the other hand, reviews for the Sega Hexcite version of the game by Porciúncula Times's journalist Michael O'Cohen were positive, being given a score of 9.0/10, while in his review he highlighted its updated soundtrack, stating "The game truly captures the essence of performing live with friends. The diverse setlist and dynamic gameplay make each jam session an unforgettable, adrenaline-fueled experience."
World Records
"Fury of the Storm"
Having been previously featured in 2008 for "Free Bird" by Me You and Him in Rock Saga III, Jameson World Records established a distinct category in its 2016 Gamer's Edition for the Highest Score achieved on a Single Song in Rock Saga Evolution, with this achievement specifically revolving around the base game's most challenging track, "Fury of the Storm" by WingedBlitz. Another of the band's song, "Through the Fire and Flames", had been previously featured as the most difficult song available in Rock Saga II. The record for this has been the subject of intense competition in the professional eSports scene, with the record changing hands between multiple players since the game's initial release. Notably, Henry Mitchell, who clinched victory at the 2016 All Day Play National Tournament in Grands Ballons, initially held the record in time for the 2016 Gamer's Edition with 977,291 points, however, by the time of the book's publishing, it had been taken twice by Ben Collins, who ended with 1,006,900 points, while currently the record belongs to Alex Kennedy, who scored 1,028,491 points in June 2020, which was only 3,800 points short of a theoretical-limit performance by a Tool-assisted bot game from earlier that year. Remarkably, all three players accomplished the feat by completing the song flawlessly without missing a single note, which they each documented and shared through their respective VidStream accounts.
"Endless Eternity 6"
With the release of Rock Saga Online in July 2016 and its accompanying Music Studio mode which allowed players to create their own song charts, Fireborn would announce on 11 October 2016 that they would be selecting the "community's most beloved charts" they had created in the game to be ported over onto Evolution as free downloads, due to Online being exclusive to Direct Edge X and tOS. These would be released as the Community Track Pack, of which twenty volumes have since been made available on consoles.
Featured in the Community Track Pack Vol. 11, "Endless Eternity 6" by Zaida has become regarded amongst hardcore enthusiasts as the hardest track that can be downloaded either for free or by purchase. Released on 4 January 2020, the song is 17 minutes long and features 10,739 notes. According to the database platform Two Suns, the song has been officially completed with 100% note accuracy by only two players, and with 95%+ by eleven, as of September 2023, with the highest score being set by Clif with 3,729,817 points on 9 January 2021.
eSports
| Game | Rock Saga (series) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 28 December 2017 |
| Inaugural season | 2018–2019 |
| Owner(s) | Abyss Entertainment, Fireborn Games |
| Commissioner | ProArena Major League |
| Divisions |
|
| Competitors |
~2,000 (Qualifying) 32 (Main) |
| Countries | Conference of American States, European Community, China, Japan |
| Headquarters | Porciúncula, Gold Coast |
| Venue(s) | VidStream Theater, Las Vegas, Clark |
| Most recent champion(s) |
 Savelii Dugin |
| Most titles |
 Trevor Thomas (2) |
| Qualification | ProArena Organized Play |
Since its original iteration, Rock Saga as a game has been featured as an eSports competitive event in both localized and professional scenes. While official tournaments supervised by SummerDream took place sporadically during the 2000s, on 28 December 2017, Abyss and Fireborn would announce the launch of the Rock Saga World Championship (RSWC) as a video game competition series hosted by the invite-only ProArena Major League, which had previously hosted live tournaments for previous Rock Saga games dating as far back as 2008. Players register through the ProArena Organized Play online directory and compete in a regular schedule of tournaments local to their area or province for "Rock Points". After a predetermined threshold of points are accrued, players receive the invitation to the Championship at the end of each season. Each season begins on 1 September and lasts until 31 March, and despite nearly 40,000 Rock Saga players have registered to compete at various local ProArena tournaments, only roughly 2,000 competitors each season reach the point threshold to qualify.
Dates for the series occur between 12-16 April–the second Friday of the month–usually beginning at 12:00pm and lasting until 9:00pm. The competition is routinely hosted at the VidStream Theater in Las Vegas, Clark. The contestants play a modified version of Revolution on VERS 720 consoles, with each game of each round featuring seven songs and a tie-breaker if one occurs. The Semifinal and final rounds are streamed online with live-edited screens and a heads-up display of the player's controllers to improve viewer experience.
The competition takes place over two days, with the qualifying round on the first day and the main event on the second. Contestants are allowed to bring their own controller, but it must be either an unmodified guitar controller from previous Rock Saga games or an aftermarket unit that is deemed a faithful enough reproduction of one. At the conclusion of the competition, the champion and 2nd-place finisher are awarded prize money of $250,000 and $150,000 respectively, with the champion receiving a gold trophy in the shape of a Gibson Les Paul guitar and the runner-up receiving a silver trophy in the form of a bass guitar. After the sudden death of back-to-back inaugural world champion Trevor Thomas in December 2020 due to complications with COVID-19 at the age of 23, the tournament's gold trophy awarded to the winner was renamed to the Trevor Thomas Trophy in memoriam.
The Main Event is a single-elimination tournament consisting of five rounds of head-to-head matches, with the bracket itself being seedless. The set list featured for the main event is not announced until the three days prior of the tournament's hosting, and consists of the most challenging songs featured in the base game of Evolution as well as those released later in the form of downloadable content.
Set list featured in 15 April 2023 Main Event
- Den Boer : "Hot For Teacher"
- The Unfourgiven : "Hardwired"
- Method To The Madness : "B.Y.O.B."
- Quikkill : "Set the Earth Ablaze"
- Trashcankid : "Jordan"
- Karl Ouimet : "We Three Kings"
- WingedBlitz : "Through The Fire And Flames"
- Me You and Him : "Free Bird" (Tiebreaker)
| Year | 
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Trevor Thomas
|
 Ige Ichirou
|
Ali Ahmed
|
| 2020 | Trevor Thomas
|
 Anne Hughes
|
 Genrikh Pogorelov
|
| 2021 |  Frank Page
|
 Luigi Giordano
|
 Xu Yin
|
| 2022 | Genrikh Pogorelov
|
 Patrick Sinclair
|
Matsumura Kazumi
|
| 2023 | Savelii Dugin
|
Jackson Barrett
|
Matvei Khudyakov
|
Console achievements
There are 42 unlockable achievements featured in Rock Saga Evolution (see below). This allows for a total of 1345✪ VERS Pointscore; 19 bronze, 10 silver, and 12 gold medals are available for InfiniTech players before being awarded the Gold Trophy for completing all achievements.
| VERS Pointscore | InfiniTech Medal | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5✪ | 🥉 | Only this Many to Go | Complete a tutorial. |
| 5✪ | 🥉 | 5 Minutes of Fame | Complete a song (solo or band). |
| 5✪ | 🥉 | Where's my snare? | Complete a song on any difficulty with the games sound options turned down to zero. |
| 5✪ | 🥉 | Fretboard Explorer | Play every fret on the guitar in a single song. |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | Shredder's Apprentice | Complete a career on novice (solo). |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | Perfect Performance | Achieve 100% note accuracy in a song (solo). |
| 15✪ | 🥉 | Power Unleashed | Activate High Gear in a song three times (solo or band). |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | Duel of the Fates | Challenge another player to a guitar duel (online). |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | I Have The High Ground | Win a guitar duel against another player (online). |
| 5✪ | 🥉 | It's Not So Bad Down Here | Lose a guitar duel against another player (online). |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | Collector of Strings | Buy all guitars from the shop. |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | Got 'em All | Buy all characters from the shop. |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | A One-Time Performance | Achieve 100% note accuracy in a song on Advanced or Advanced+ difficulty (solo). |
| 25✪ | 🥈 | Near Perfectionist | Achieve 100% note accuracy in 40 songs on Advanced or Advanced+ difficulty (solo). |
| 50✪ | 🥇 | Perfectionist | Achieve 100% note accuracy in 80 songs on Advanced or Advanced+ difficulty (solo). |
| 15✪ | 🥉 | Check This Out | Hit a 200-note streak in any song (solo). |
| 30✪ | 🥈 | Furious Fingers | Hit a 500-note streak in any song (solo). |
| 60✪ | 🥇 | Broken Fingers | Hit a 1000-note streak in any song (solo). |
| 20✪ | 🥈 | Four-String Champion | Complete a career on Intermediate (solo or band). |
| 30✪ | 🥈 | Forged in Rock | Complete a career on Skilled (solo or band). |
| 50✪ | 🥇 | Okay That's Impressive | Complete a career on Advanced (solo or band). |
| 75✪ | 🥇 | Legend of Rock | Complete a career on Advanced+ (solo or band). |
| 15✪ | 🥉 | Eat the Rich | Earn $250,000 in career lifetime earnings (solo or band). |
| 30✪ | 🥈 | Gold-plated Toilets | Earn $500,000 in career lifetime earnings (solo or band). |
| 50✪ | 🥇 | Wealthy | Earn $1,000,000 in career lifetime earnings (solo or band). |
| 100✪ | 🥇 | Rock Saga | Complete a Full Marathon without pausing the game on at least Skilled difficulty (solo or band). |
| 150✪ | 🏆 | We Promise The Grass Is Still Green | Complete all achievements in Rock Saga Evolution. |
| 15✪ | 🥉 | Nice Catch | Score 300,000 on a song (solo). |
| 25✪ | 🥈 | Legend in the Making | Score 500,000 on a song (solo). |
| 50✪ | 🥇 | Better Than Most | Score 750,000 on a song (solo). |
| 75✪ | 🥇 | Score Shredder | Score 1,000,000 on a song (solo). |
| 25✪ | 🥈 | Friends Til The End | Score 500,000 on a song (band). |
| 50✪ | 🥇 | Not Your Average Band | Score 1,000,000 on a song (band). |
| 75✪ | 🥇 | Certified Rock Band | Score 2,000,000 on a song (band). |
| 75✪ | 🥇 | Living Legends | Achieve 100% note accuracy in 80 songs on Advanced or Advanced+ difficulty (band). |
| 10✪ | 🥉 | Certified Enthusiast | Buy all instrument finishes from the store. |
| 25✪ | 🥈 | Method to the Madness | Defeat Derron Podanian in a guitar battle on Advanced or Advanced+. |
| 15✪ | 🥉 | Going Gold | Complete 50 of songs challenges achieving Gold or better. |
| 30✪ | 🥈 | Going Platinum | Complete 50 of songs challenges achieving Platinum or better. |
| 50✪ | 🥇 | Going Diamond | Complete 50 of songs challenges achieving Diamond or better. |
| 15✪ | 🥉 | What is an LP? | Complete 15 songs in Quickplay. |
| 25✪ | 🥈 | Voice of the People | Play every encore in the career. |
See also
| Main series |
|
|---|---|
| Band-centric titles |
|
| Expansions and spinoffs |
|
| Related articles | |
- Music (Altverse II)
- A-class articles
- Altverse II
- Paracosmic Awards winners
- 2015 video games
- Abyss Entertainment games
- Cooperative video games
- Direct Edge X games
- Drumming video games
- Guitar video games
- InfiniTech 2 games
- InfiniTech 3 games
- InfiniTech 4 games
- Karaoke video games
- Multiplayer and single-player video games
- Music video games
- Nintendo Revolution games
- Nintendo Revolution NEXT games
- Nintendo SX/NX games
- Rock music mass media
- Rock Saga
- Sega Hexcite games
- Sega Krypton games
- TOS games
- VERS 360 games
- VERS 720 games
- VERS Olympus games
- Video games based on musicians
- Video games developed in the Kingdom of Sierra