2020 video game
Fuser
is a
rhythm game
developed by
Harmonix
and published by
NCSoft
. It was released on November 10, 2020 for
Microsoft Windows
,
Nintendo Switch
,
PlayStation 4
, and
Xbox One
.
Fuser
allows players to create
DJ mixes
from a number of licensed musical tracks, awarding the player for synchronized changes of tracks. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes as well as the means to share remixes with other users. Following the acquisition of Harmonix by
Epic Games
in 2021, Harmonix shuttered the multiplayer servers in December 2022 and removed the game and additional content from sale, while leaving the single player components playable.
Gameplay
[
edit
]
In
Fuser
, the player takes the role of a
DJ
at a large concert and make a
mashup
of different songs. They have a virtual DJ table with four record players, custom instruments, sound filters, and up to 24 records (their crate) along the top of the screen. Each record has four tracks keyed by color and related to a type of musical instrument such as drums, guitar or vocals. At any time, the player can place a record, then select a specific track from that record, and then place it on any of the record players. This adds that instrument's track to the current mix across all four records, automatically adjusting the mix's tempo and musical key. New records/tracks can be added to any record player, overriding the previous track in the mix. Additionally, each player can be cued up with a second instrument track, which can be then switched back and forth individually, or all four players can be changed to the new ones by a single drop or using a "riser" that transitions them over a short period.
Audio filters
can be used on each instrument, and the user has the ability to create various instrument loops via a multibutton synthesizer which then can be added as another instrument to the current mix. This concept is comparable to Harmonix' prior game
DropMix
, which was a physical card game incorporating
NFC
technology with an electronic game board and mobile app that was published through
Hasbro
.
[1]
[2]
The game has a single-player campaign featuring multiple sets across various venues. At each set, the player attempts to make mixes, scoring more points by adding new tracks either on the
downbeat
or at specific beats by each instrument where the track
drops
. Additionally, the virtual audience will throw out requests, such as for specific songs, songs from a specific genre, or a certain type of instrument. Completing these requests in a short amount of time scores additional points. The player is ranked on a five-star scale based on their total score during the set.
[1]
To achieve a high score, the player has the opportunity to customize the contents of the crate to be as efficient as possible in switching between tracks.
[2]
Fuser
also includes both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes that let players collaborate on creating a mix, or battle against each other.
[1]
Players can also participate in weekly mix events that tasks players with creating a mix based around a particular musical genre or instrument that is then voted on by other players. The game also features a freestyle mode that allows players to create their own mixes and share them with others over social media.
[1]
Harmonix introduced the Headliner Spotlight feature in May 2021. This presents a few "Diamond Stage" dedicated
Twitch
channel which players can perform
Fuser
mixes in front of viewers. Players can earn in-game diamonds from other game activities to reserve spots on the Diamond Stage as well as to unlock additional cosmetics, songs, and other features. While a player is performing on the stage, viewers can submit requests, fashioned similar to those in the game's campaign mode, to challenge the current player.
[3]
Development
[
edit
]
Harmonix had announced a publishing deal through NCSoft in August 2018 for a rhythm game for personal computers and consoles.
[4]
Harmonix' Dan Sussman said that NCSoft had seen the game in an early state and quickly became their publishing partner for it, including support for showcasing the game at industry events.
[5]
Fuser
was announced at the 2020
PAX East
event in February 2020, with plans for release on November 10, 2020.
[6]
Sussman said that
Fuser
was a continued evolution of their music games in how they have looked at player agency. With
Fuser
, Sussman believed that many players of their games have a wide range of musical tastes, as well wanting to have more control of how they interact with their music, thus enabling them to be creative with their tastes.
[5]
Additionally, Harmonix found that with games like
Rock Band
, which offered a large number of songs, the songs essentially became disposable as players didn't have much incentive to learn the songs in details, and wanted a game that gave the player an opportunity to get more familiar with the structure of a song.
[5]
Compared to many of Harmonix' past games,
Fuser
does not require any special peripherals. Harmonix's Dan Walsh said that accessibility and ease of bringing the game to market, both as retail and digital products, was a driver behind a peripheral-less game.
[7]
Sussman also found that because
Fuser
featured new gameplay compared to any of their previous games, it was able to draw both experienced rhythm game players and new players into it.
[5]
Sussman said that as with past Harmonix games, songs from bands closely associated with Harmonix employees will likely also appear on the full setlist. Sussman also said that for music licensing purposes, they assured that the rights for these songs not only include the ability to mix with other songs, but for users to share these songs and mixes to social media.
[5]
Harmonix announced that the game's online features will shut down on December 19, 2022. The game and all DLC will be removed from sale, though players will still be able to use all content they own in the game's offline modes following this date.
[8]
However, it was announced on December 16, 2022 that the servers would stay up until early 2023, due to an unspecified issue.
[9]
Soundtrack
[
edit
]
The following songs are included with the base
Fuser
game:
[10]
[11]
Three songs were also available as pre-order bonuses. The pre-order bonuses were later released as normal DLC on January 21, 2021.
Upon release, 25 songs became available as the first batch of DLC.
[12]
On November 18, 2020, Harmonix announced the first batch of post-release DLC songs, along with the 2020 Backstage Pass which includes all songs and cosmetic packs released until the end of 2020.
Artist
|
Song
|
Genre
|
Year
|
Release Date
|
Deee-Lite
|
"
Groove Is in the Heart
"
|
Pop
|
1990
|
November 19, 2020
|
Harry Styles
|
"
Adore You
"
|
Pop
|
2019
|
November 19, 2020
|
Zedd
&
Griff
|
"
Inside Out
"
|
Dance
|
2020
|
November 19, 2020
|
Maroon 5
|
"
Maps
"
|
Pop
|
2014
|
November 24, 2020
|
Schoolboy Q
|
"
Man of the Year
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2013
|
November 24, 2020
|
Tag Team
|
"
Whoomp! (There It Is)
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
1993
|
November 24, 2020
|
Future
|
"
Mask Off
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2017
|
December 3, 2020
|
Sub Urban
|
"
Cradles
"
|
Dance
|
2019
|
December 3, 2020
|
OneRepublic
|
"
Counting Stars
"
|
Pop
|
2013
|
December 3, 2020
|
Lizzo
|
"
Juice
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2019
|
December 10, 2020
|
Rascal Flatts
|
"
Life Is a Highway
"
|
Country
|
2006
|
December 10, 2020
|
Weezer
|
"
Buddy Holly
"
|
Rock
|
1994
|
December 10, 2020
|
Mase
|
"
Feel So Good
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
1997
|
December 17, 2020
|
The Sugarhill Gang
|
"
Apache (2012)
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
1981
|
December 17, 2020
|
Wu-Tang Clan
|
"
Gravel Pit
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2000
|
December 17, 2020
|
Icona Pop
ft.
Charli XCX
|
"
I Love It
"
|
Pop
|
2012
|
December 22, 2020
|
Flo Rida
ft.
T-Pain
|
"
Low
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2007
|
December 22, 2020
|
EMF
|
"
Unbelievable
"
|
Pop
|
1990
|
December 22, 2020
|
Lil Uzi Vert
|
"
XO Tour Llif3
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2017
|
December 29, 2020
|
Jack Harlow
|
"
Whats Poppin
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2020
|
December 29, 2020
|
SAINt JHN
|
"
Roses (Imanbek Remix)
"
|
Dance
|
2019
|
December 29, 2020
|
Chumbawamba
|
"
Tubthumping
"
|
Rock
|
1997
|
January 7, 2021
|
The Clash
|
"
Should I Stay or Should I Go
"
|
Rock
|
1982
|
January 7, 2021
|
Post Malone
|
"
Circles
"
|
Pop
|
2019
|
January 7, 2021
|
Chaka Demus & Pliers
|
"
Murder She Wrote
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
1992
|
January 14, 2021
|
Kat DeLuna
ft.
Elephant Man
|
"
Whine Up
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
2007
|
January 14, 2021
|
Ricky Martin
|
"
Livin' la Vida Loca
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
1999
|
January 14, 2021
|
Jason Derulo
|
"
Take You Dancing
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
January 28, 2021
|
Marshmello
ft.
Bastille
|
"
Happier
"
|
Dance
|
2018
|
January 28, 2021
|
Shaggy
|
"
Boombastic (Hot Shot 2020)
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
1995
|
January 28, 2021
|
24kGoldn
ft.
Iann Dior
|
"
Mood
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2020
|
February 4, 2021
|
Bebe Rexha
ft.
Doja Cat
|
"
Baby, I'm Jealous
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
February 4, 2021
|
Shawn Mendes
|
"
Higher
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
February 4, 2021
|
David Guetta
&
Sia
|
"
Let's Love
"
|
Dance
|
2020
|
February 11, 2021
|
Dua Lipa
&
Blackpink
|
"
Kiss and Make Up
"
|
Pop
|
2017
|
February 11, 2021
|
Surf Mesa
ft. Emilee
|
"
ILY (I Love You Baby)
"
|
Dance
|
2019
|
February 11, 2021
|
Anitta
ft.
Cardi B
and
Myke Towers
|
"
Me Gusta
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
2020
|
February 18, 2021
|
Harry Styles
|
"
Golden
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
February 18, 2021
|
Marshmello,
Imanbek
ft.
Usher
|
"
Too Much
"
|
Dance
|
2020
|
February 18, 2021
|
Bell Biv DeVoe
|
"
Poison
"
|
R&B
|
1990
|
February 25, 2021
|
DaBaby
|
"
Bop
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2019
|
February 25, 2021
|
Daddy Yankee
ft.
Snow
|
"
Con Calma
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
2019
|
February 25, 2021
|
Ava Max
|
"
My Head & My Heart
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
March 4, 2021
|
Bonnie Tyler
|
"
Holding Out for a Hero
"
|
Rock
|
1984
|
March 4, 2021
|
David Guetta
ft.
Nicki Minaj
&
Flo Rida
|
"
Where Them Girls At
"
|
Dance
|
2011
|
March 11, 2021
|
Vengaboys
|
"
We Like to Party! (The Vengabus)
"
|
Dance
|
1998
|
March 11, 2021
|
The White Stripes
|
"
Seven Nation Army
"
|
Rock
|
2003
|
March 11, 2021
|
Sean Kingston
|
"
Fire Burning
"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
2009
|
March 18, 2021
|
Tiesto
|
"
Red Lights
"
|
Dance
|
2013
|
March 18, 2021
|
Linkin Park
|
"
Numb
"
|
Rock
|
2003
|
March 25, 2021
|
Martin Garrix
|
"
Animals
"
|
Dance
|
2013
|
March 25, 2021
|
Modern English
|
"
I Melt with You
"
|
Pop
|
1982
|
March 25, 2021
|
Darude
|
"
Sandstorm
"
|
Dance
|
2000
|
April 1, 2021
|
Panic! at the Disco
|
"
Dancing's Not a Crime
"
|
Pop
|
2018
|
April 1, 2021
|
La Guerra Naranja
|
"Una Noche Mas"
|
Latin/Caribbean
|
2021
|
April 8, 2021
|
Winnage
|
"The Night Porter"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
April 8, 2021
|
Ja Rule
ft.
Ashanti
|
"
Always on Time
"
|
R&B
|
2001
|
April 15, 2021
|
Lady Gaga
&
Blackpink
|
"
Sour Candy
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
April 15, 2021
|
Free Sheets
|
"Don't You Dare"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2001
|
April 22, 2021
|
ximena
|
"pi de limon"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
April 22, 2021
|
Anthrax
|
"
Among the Living
"
|
Rock
|
1987
|
April 29, 2021
|
The Offspring
|
"
Self Esteem
"
|
Rock
|
1994
|
April 29, 2021
|
J. Cole
|
"
No Role Modelz
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2015
|
May 6, 2021
|
Some Lover
|
"Days Ahead, Days Behind"
|
Country
|
1995
|
May 6, 2021
|
Billie Eilish
|
"
Therefore I Am
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
May 13, 2021
|
Disclosure
ft.
Sam Smith
|
"
Latch
"
|
Dance
|
2012
|
May 13, 2021
|
The Cure
|
"
Friday I'm in Love
"
|
Rock
|
1992
|
May 20, 2021
|
Soft Cell
|
"
Tainted Love
"
|
Pop
|
1981
|
May 20, 2021
|
Connecticut River Boys
|
"Must Be Nice"
|
Country
|
1970
|
May 25, 2021
|
Dirty Vegas
|
"
Days Go By
"
|
Dance
|
2001
|
May 27, 2021
|
Haddaway
|
"
What Is Love
"
|
Dance
|
1993
|
May 27, 2021
|
Faint Shadow
|
"Loop Pack 01"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
May 27, 2021
|
Danny Humbles
|
"Loop Pack 02"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
May 28, 2021
|
The Last Cavallard
|
"Abilene and Down"
|
Country
|
1985
|
May 28, 2021
|
Fleetwood Mac
|
"
Dreams
"
|
Rock
|
1977
|
June 3, 2021
|
Hall & Oates
|
"
Maneater
"
|
Rock
|
1982
|
June 3, 2021
|
Cap'n Spicy Dill
|
"
Soon May the Wellerman Come
"
|
Pop
|
1860
|
June 3, 2021
|
TK Sun
|
"Loop Pack 03"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
June 4, 2021
|
Zara Larsson
|
"
Look What You've Done
"
|
Pop
|
2021
|
June 10, 2021
|
Alesso
&
Armin van Buuren
|
"
Leave a Little Love
"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
June 10, 2021
|
Imagine Dragons
|
"
Follow You
"
|
Rock
|
2021
|
June 17, 2021
|
Machine Gun Kelly
&
Blackbear
|
"
My Ex's Best Friend
"
|
Rock
|
2020
|
June 17, 2021
|
Dissentor
|
"Loop Pack 12"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
June 17, 2021
|
Dissentor
|
"Loop Pack 04"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
June 18, 2021
|
Joel Corry
ft.
MNEK
|
"
Head & Heart
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
June 24, 2021
|
Masked Wolf
|
"
Astronaut in the Ocean
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2019
|
June 24, 2021
|
Blanks
|
"Hart and 12th"
|
Dance
|
2013
|
June 25, 2021
|
Lil Nas X
|
"
Montero (Call Me by Your Name)
"
|
Pop
|
2021
|
July 1, 2021
|
Tiesto
|
"
The Business
"
|
Dance
|
2020
|
July 1, 2021
|
ATB
, Topic, A7S
|
"
Your Love (9PM)
"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
July 8, 2021
|
Skrewbert
|
"The Game Got You"
|
Dance
|
2016
|
July 8, 2021
|
Warlords of the Old West
|
"Strychnine Baby"
|
Rock
|
2003
|
July 9, 2021
|
Beast Business
|
"Royce Please"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2016
|
July 15, 2021
|
Marlon Kane
|
"This is How You Left Me"
|
R&B
|
1969
|
July 15, 2021
|
Black Astrolabe
|
"Parabola"
|
Rock
|
1973
|
July 15, 2021
|
Katrina and the Waves
|
"
Walking on Sunshine
"
|
Pop
|
1983
|
July 22, 2021
|
Faint Shadow
|
"Loop Pack 07"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
July 22, 2021
|
The Lingala Sound
|
"Crystal Beach"
|
Dance
|
2016
|
July 29, 2021
|
TK Sun
|
"Loop Pack 11"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
July 29, 2021
|
Jace The Revelator ft. Info$ec
|
"Silly Bros"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2005
|
July 30, 2021
|
Righteous Palms Crew
|
"Take U 4 A Ride"
|
Dance
|
1993
|
August 5, 2021
|
Bignums
|
"Loop Pack 05"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2021
|
August 12, 2021
|
The Venona Project
|
"Fermionic"
|
Dance
|
2006
|
August 19, 2021
|
Pinhole Cage
|
"Just About to Snap"
|
Rock
|
1997
|
August 19, 2021
|
Basra Khan
|
"Loop Pack 06"
|
Dance
|
2021
|
August 26, 2021
|
Victoria Chance
|
"Love Theme from The Invisible Jury"
|
Pop
|
2014
|
September 2, 2021
|
Spectral Interference
|
"Slackjaw"
|
Dance
|
1986
|
September 9, 2021
|
The Proclaimers
|
"
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
"
|
Rock
|
1988
|
September 23, 2021
|
Fine Young Cannibals
|
"
She Drives Me Crazy
"
|
Rock
|
1988
|
September 23, 2021
|
Freda Turner
|
"Hard Light"
|
Dance
|
1978
|
September 30, 2021
|
Ellie Goulding
|
"
Lights
"
|
Pop
|
2010
|
October 7, 2021
|
X Ambassadors
|
"
Renegades
"
|
Rock
|
2015
|
October 7, 2021
|
Deep Purple
|
"
Smoke on the Water
"
|
Rock
|
1972
|
October 7, 2021
|
Talking Heads
|
"
Burning Down the House
"
|
Rock
|
1983
|
October 7, 2021
|
Lossage
|
"Moon Lab"
|
Dance
|
2013
|
October 14, 2021
|
Pseudoprime
|
"Laser Dome"
|
Dance
|
2014
|
October 21, 2021
|
Bignums
|
"Larry's Place (Part II)"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2019
|
October 28, 2021
|
Naughty by Nature
|
"
Hip Hop Hooray
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
1993
|
November 4, 2021
|
Mobb Deep
|
"
Shook Ones (Part II)
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
1995
|
November 4, 2021
|
Rick James
|
"
Super Freak
"
|
R&B
|
1981
|
November 4, 2021
|
War
|
"
Low Rider
"
|
Rock
|
1975
|
November 4, 2021
|
Jackson Oak
|
"Submerged"
|
Rock
|
1995
|
November 4, 2021
|
Macrotape
|
"Barcoded"
|
Dance
|
1990
|
November 18, 2021
|
Tiny Taps
|
"Dead Metrocard"
|
Dance
|
2006
|
November 25, 2021
|
Megan Thee Stallion
|
"
Savage
"
|
Rap/Hip-Hop
|
2020
|
December 9, 2021
|
Dua Lipa
|
"
Levitating
"
|
Pop
|
2020
|
December 9, 2021
|
Lizzo ft.
Cardi B
|
"
Rumors
"
|
Pop
|
2021
|
December 9, 2021
|
The Kid LAROI
|
"
Stay
"
|
Pop
|
2021
|
December 9, 2021
|
CrackCase
|
"Somatic"
|
Dance
|
2015
|
December 9, 2021
|
The Flashpaper Kingdom
|
"Watch Your Step"
|
Dance
|
2012
|
December 16, 2021
|
Marlon Kane
|
"Parlayed"
|
R&B
|
1969
|
January 6, 2022
|
Candy Kettles
|
"Dexting"
|
Dance
|
2015
|
January 20, 2022
|
Nightfeels
|
"Find You"
|
Rock
|
2005
|
February 10, 2022
|
5 Bladed
|
"GrimeTime"
|
Dance
|
2015
|
February 17, 2022
|
Son Horizon
|
"That Unbearable Lightness"
|
Dance
|
2010
|
April 14, 2022
|
On February 10, 2022, it was announced that after the release of individual singles from the 2021 Mixtape pack in March, paid DLC releases for the game would cease, while music inside of the Diamond Shop will continue to be released.
[13]
Reception
[
edit
]
| This section
needs expansion
. You can help by
adding to it
.
(
June 2023
)
|
Fuser
received a generally positive reception from critics.
[14]
[16]
[17]
The PC release received "mixed or average reviews".
[15]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
McWhertor, Michael (February 26, 2020).
"Harmonix unveils Fuser, a music-mixing game where you play as a festival DJ"
.
Polygon
. Retrieved
February 26,
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Mejia, Ozzie (October 22, 2020).
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.
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"FUSER 2022 Update"
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.
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.
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External links
[
edit
]