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To coincide with the release of their latest studio album The Book of Souls, which is available now, heavy metal legends Iron Maiden have launched a new browser-based video game.
In the new game, entitled Speed of Light, players control Eddie, the band’s zombie mascot, through an 8-bit Donkey Kong arcade inspired platformer. Similar to Donkey Kong the main goal is to use different projectiles in order to defeat the main boss and rescue a damsel in distress. Eddie is rewarded with a heart after each stage completion.
Levels become increasingly large and difficult as the game progresses. If the player is defeated the game resets to stage one encouraging a sense of frustration, longevity and a personal challenge to beat the previous score. The arcade style is not only evident within the gameplay but also via entering a personal score onto a leader board which can then be uploaded onto the player’s various social media accounts. Resultantly this mechanic furthers competition amongst friends as well as promotion for album.
Essentially Speed of Light is a fun way to spend some time and a fine utilisation of nostalgia. A full review will be published on here Purple Revolver but for those who wish to play now can do so by visiting: http://speedoflight.ironmaiden.com/
Speed of Light game is based on the music video for the single of the same name. In it Eddie is transported into an arcade machine, evoking the tone of Tron, and travels through a brief history of video game genres including; arcade platformers, side scrolling beat ‘em ups, first-person shooters and adventure quests.
In an interview with Metal Hammer, Llexi Leon, director at Phantom management, stated:
“It seemed a perfect fit – 40 years of metal explored alongside four decades of video games […] I pitched this idea to Rod Smallwood and the guys in the band. They loved the concept and asked if I could pull it off. I figured it was Iron Maiden so I had to pull it off – and it had to be the best thing I’ve ever done.”
The music video can be viewed via the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F7A24f6gNc
The Book Of Souls was recorded in Paris in collaboration with their producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley in late 2014, though final touches were implemented earlier this year. Iron Maiden is due to tour the new album however has decided to delay proceedings to allow vocalist Bruce Dickson sufficient recovery time following the all-clear from a tumour.