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Management sims have taken on many guises over the years – Two Point has placed us in hospitals and college campuses, Tropico has whisked us away to exotic islands, and Rimworld tests our skills on distant planets. But I can’t recall there ever being a management sim based around a heavy music festival. Well, that’s going to change with Lord of Metal, which not only lets you manage your own traveling festival, but has Guitar Hero-style minigames too.
Lord of Metal has only just been announced, but the desire to oversee and grow your own Glastonbury is clearly widespread. The Kickstarter for the management game has surpassed its first fundraising goal in less than 24 hours, although to fully realize the ambition of developer Horn Up Games it’s got a way to go until it reaches its top goal of $500,000.
So what’s all the excitement about? Well, the general premise is that you’re on a mission to revive a once-great rock festival in an oppressive, dystopian world that has all but killed off any form of creativity and expression. You slowly rebuild the festival from underground meets and roadside gigs to enormous concerts hosted in wild locations like canyons, snowy mountains, and even an Arctic research ship.
As your festival grows and more rockers rock up, you need to make sure there’s enough space and sustenance for your revelers and that you can turn a profit from each gig. That management sim core is very reminiscent of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon and Jurassic World Evolution.
However, there is a bit more depth to it than that. You’ll meet a cast of characters along the way that you will need to interact with and convince to join your cause. They can be assigned to put out fires (both metaphorical and, perhaps, literal as well if the pyro machine malfunctions) throughout your festival.
Once your bands are booked and it’s showtime, you’ll also get to be part of their performances with a Guitar Hero-style minigame. The songs you’ll be performing are all originally created, rather than existing licensed classics, but who doesn’t love nailing the perfect riff?
Oh, and if you’re worried about Lord of Metal lacking authenticity, just know that the CEO of Horns Up Games is a chap called Pär Sundström, the bassist from Swedish power metal band Sabaton.
Currently, Lord of Metal is estimating a release date window of late 2026 to early 2027. You can help back the game and find out more details on Kickstarter here.
For more games that’ll get your management mind working overtime, check out the best city building games and the best strategy games on PC right now.
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