Oratorio

Oratorio is a rhythm action rail-shooter for the NES.

It’s primarily inspired by games like Rez, Child of Eden, and Thumper.

This demo features a full stage, which consists of 10 sections, dozens of waves of melodic enemy blasting, and a boss — or two?!

As an on-rails rhythmic shooter, players create the music of the game by shooting enemies, projectiles, and powerups. Everything players do contributes to the soundscape in this innovative retro music shooting game! The game can sound as full or as empty as players want.

Players control a cursor and assume a first-person perspective on an ever-expanding digital track in cyberspace.

Buy the ROM: https://johnvanderhoef.itch.io/oratorio

Buy the physical release: https://premiumeditiongames.com/products/oratorio-original-nes-edition

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STORY

Despite our best intentions, the world did not survive us.

The coasts flooded. Mass migration displaced hundreds of millions. Food supply chains broke. People fought wars over fuel and water. Social unrest led to the collapse of most organized governments.

In the wake of this ruin, the Mega Corps and their Metaverse emerged as a beacon. Life became a luxury reserved for the wealthy. And the blueprints of life, the DNA data for all flora and fauna, became a commodity owned by the most powerful Mega Corp, Nu-Li.

As each species went extinct, Nu-Li coded and copyrighted its DNA. Its fiercely guarded data banks became a new, proprietary Digital Ark.

While most used the Metaverse to escape the desolation of everyday life, the eco-hacker group SOL (Save Organic Life) used it to fight back.

As time runs out for the world, SOL launches a desperate mission to hack Nu-Li and steal back all the copy-protected DNA data. With it, they can bring back what’s been lost.

In the hacker world, you are known only as Oratorio.

You are the world’s only chance for revival.

Note: This game acts as a side story to my cyberpunk narrative universe The Last One Horn. Check out the other games in that universe here.