Rhythm shooter Retro/Grade rocks out on PSN next month

Rhythm-based shmup Retro/Grade is coming to PSN on 21st August in the US and the following day in Europe, developer 24 Caret Games has confirmed to us.

Retro/Grade puts players in control of a spaceship travelling back through the fourth dimension after the space/time continuum gets thrown all out of whack at the climax of an epic space battle. Now you must undo the battle in a rhythm game by retracing your steps and unshooting your previously fired projectiles by hitting what essentially amounts to notes on an intergalactic guitar tab while dodging enemy fire.

The game can be played with a guitar controller or the DualShock 3. 24 Caret noted that the peripheral is hardly a prerequisite to enjoying the game. "In our focus tests, it seems like people's preference is split down the middle when it comes to controlling the game," said the FAQ at the official site.

Due to popular demand, the Retro/Grade soundtrack will be available as a separate purchase with a discounted bundle available. Unfortunately no price has been announced for the bundle - or game for that matter. 24 Caret's Matt Gilgenbach said "This may sound a bit silly, but it hasn't been quite finalized yet even this close to release. I just got some e-mails this morning about it, so we will be announcing it very soon."

Gilgenbach also confirmed that a demo is on its way, though no date was given for this. "We will definitely make a demo available. Retro/Grade is a hard game to wrap your head around until you've played it.," he said on the US PlayStation Blog.

Retro/Grade is a rather heady concept to grasp, but the new trailer below does a superb job of summing it up.