'Cello Fortress.' Experimental Shooter Game Controlled With A Real Cello

Game designer Joost van Dongen has created a new experimental game called Cello Fortress, in which he has managed to combine a multiplayer-based shooter with musical instrumentation.  Simply put, it is played by playing music on a Cello.

Currently touring in the Netherlands, the gameplay is a unique combination between a top-down shooter and Tower Defence.  Four players with standard Xbox controllers fight their way through a vast number of guns, which are controlled by the cellist's notation and tempo.  Low notes place landmines, dischords shoot flamethrowers, and simple gunfire occurs by playing notes quickly.  It's an interesting concept.

"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?"

Don't expect to see it on store shelves, as it is just an experimental title; but it shows how far musical instruments can be implemented into gameplay beyond the run-of-the-mill button coloured plastic controller.

Source: Cello Fortress

Jason England