Yellow Lab Games has announced Astrolabe Games will be the publisher for Metavoidal, their heavy metal-themed roguelite game.

Metavoidal will be published by Astrolabe when it launches for PC via Steam early access later in 2023, followed by a full release on PC and unannounced consoles sometime later.

Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new trailer:

The story begins in a rather unfortunate way: You, a drummer, just failed your audition with a metal band. After coming to your senses, you realize that everything around you is being controlled and twisted by this band. What’s worse, they’ve got a countless army of corrupted fans… and now you must defeat all the band members to end this evil curse for good.

If at first you don’t succeed, the only thing to do is to die try again. Use your drumsticks to show them you ARE a good drummer!

• Play as a drummer who sees through the facade of an ominous metal band.
• Navigate the dilapidated church overrun with unimaginable horrors as you level-up your drumming skills and build your repertoire of metal music that grants you mysterious powers.
• Build your playlist, grow more skillful and beat your way through the corrupted hordes
• Use your newfound abilities to defeat the hideous, eldritch band members, one-by-one.

Gameplay: Collect records, draw power, and beat back evil!

Pour some gasoline, light a fire, power up your drumming, and bring the mayhem!

Use the metal band’s own music against them by collecting the lost music records found in every level. Place them in the record player at the end of the level and you’ll be able to absorb the musical powers they contain. Choose one of a dark trinity of tracks to add to your playlist!

These tracks will imbue you & your drumsticks with different corrupted powers. Oil or fire? Lightning or holy light?

Build a playlist as you run to grow skillful enough to beat your way through the hordes of corrupted using only your drumsticks. Combine different track elements during each run to create mayhem in the most offbeat ways!

Gameplay experience

Armed with your playlist, you will slay your way through corrupted catacombs, abandoned graveyards, and harrowed church halls to collect cursed records. Don’t be fooled by the drumsticks! This is not a rhythm game and death will be punished. The drummer is always replaceable in this band…

Battle of the Bosses

No one likes being rejected, but it seems like this motley crew of musicians like it even less and they aren’t taking “no” for an answer. At the end of each level, the metal band that underestimated your skills will send one of its members to fight you in a blistering solo battle. You must defeat every one of them to earn your freedom. Each member has unique and over-the-top abilities with their own fighting style. To fight a physical duel using your drumsticks against the keyboardist, the strings section, and the rest of the band! Iit every drummer’s dream to have a Battle of the Band!

BingBong’s Bodega

Everybody carries guitar picks with them. Just don’t ask why.

Your only companion in this hellscape is BingBong, a seemingly friendly voidling, who helps you along your quest by advancing your drumming skills… for a price. His booth is open to trade in guitar picks for something a bit more useful on a run.

BingBong’s upgrades will let you carry a lot more drumsticks, so now you can smash even more enemy’s faces! They keep you trained up, as well, and make sure that you don’t skip Leg Days so that you can master those Double Bass pedals.