Yesterday I watched the selected games on the Steam Rhythm Fest. I’m interested in some games and at least two were already on my wishlist, mostly indie titles. Suddenly I saw a game I didn’t know existed for PC. Frederic: Resurrection of Music is a music game I’ve played on my now deceased iPhone around its release date in 2012 or 2014. I don’t remember exactly, but I saw it on the App Store and decided to buy it. It was such a joy to play! The touch screen made it very easy to tap the notes at the right moment. There was a little story about Chopin’s ascension to rock-stardom and the levels worked like battles against several cool opponents (like bosses) that Chopin met along the way. I’m writing this from memory, so please exercise caution. The art was stylized and the music included in the game was remixed with rock, pop and hip-hop elements but still retaining the original melodies in a recognizable state. 

The classical pianist Maria João Pires, who now has the beautiful age of 80, came to mind when I installed the game. When she released her Nocturnes in 1996 she already enjoyed international recognition for her solid career. However, the Nocturnes, released by Deutsche Grammophon, was the album that propelled her out of classical music circles. My mother bought the CD and we listened to the beautiful opera together. Before I started the game, I tried to channel a tiny little bit of Maria João Pires into the tip of my fingers. It didn’t go well at first, but with some practice and perseverance I got good at the game. I just had to wait for the moment the little music notes reached my digital keyboard and tap them at that exact instant. My sense of rhythm was nonexistent but the melodies I was very familiar with. 

I don’t remember if the Revolutionary Étude, op. 10, nr. 12, was included in the game but I’m almost sure it was one of the last bosses. Oh man, I nailed it like Seiros nailed the skies! If it wasn’t the Étude it was something else super hard to play and I got it anyway because I remember having finished the game with great scores and then I played it all over again. My favorite interpretation of the Revolutionary Étude is from Vladimir Horowitz and fortunately it’s on YouTube. I love how the right hand notes softly hang in a bliss while the left hand flies in a pattern of hasteful perfection. It’s like if we’re running away from oppression and still singing. We can still sing. 

Which platform should I choose to play Frederic again? I don’t think I can see myself playing on my laptop keyboard but I may try. I already mess up when I’m writing text and to play games with combat I prefer to use a controller, so I barely use mouse and keyboard outside of visual novels anyway. My younger self is telling me I’m the untrvest person in existence. I resurrected my Nintendo Switch and there it is! Frederic: Resurrection of Music and Frederic 2: Evil Strikes Back! And I can play with the touch screen on the Switch. Also, the game is so cheap and it offers simple fun so I think I’ll add it to my Steam library as a record of my weird game choices.

https://swordofseiros.wordpress.com/2024/08/20/the-resurrection-of-frederic/

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