Demo now playing on Steam for Blue Wednesday

Jazz-scored narrative musical adventure coming to PC in May, with early access possible beforehand

For all the fanfare visuals receive in the video game world, a memorable soundtrack is arguably just as important to a title’s impact. That's especially true in BuffStudio’s upcoming third-person narrative adventure game Blue Wednesday, which will not only feature a down-on-his-luck musician as protagonist, but music itself will be integral in shaping the story and gameplay.

Blue Wednesday is the story of Morris, a failed jazz pianist living in Evans City. Morris works as a clerk at the local market, wondering where his plans all went wrong. However, one day he notices a want ad for a piano player at a club downtown, and his life changes forever when he meets the house band sax player, Angela. From that point on, the game “challenges you to experience the success and failures of Mr. Morris” as he seeks to “exploit his talent for fame and fortune.”

Controlled via the keyboard, gameplay will include familiar adventure game fare such as walking around various locations in the city, meeting “fellow city-roaming characters” and gathering useful items. Less traditional are over 20 minigames, a few of which are on display in a short demo available, including a rather intriguing one in which huge murals, apparently indicative of Morris’s current mood, appear in the sky in conjunction with jazz music that you participate in via rhythm matching. Players will also get the chance to play Morris’s own piano and practice their rhythm skills to catchy jazz tunes.

Throughout this stylish hand-drawn game you will interact with more than ten supporting NPCs, each with their own stories to tell. Although billed as being suitable to players of all ages, the demo does feature some coarse (unvoiced) language that makes it less family friendly. Choices made during conversations will influence the story, as well as allow you to procure a variety of musically themed collectibles, such as sheet music and rare albums from diverse music genres ranging from “Tango and bossa nova, cool jazz to modern jazz,” which can then be played on Morris’s record player in his room, as well as during the rhythm games.

The complete version of Blue Wednesday is slated to be released on Steam in May for Windows PC, though it’s possible an Early Access version will launch sooner, perhaps as soon as sometime in March.

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