Dream Theater Release “The Astonishing” Game for iPhone / Android

Dream Theater’s sprawling, two-disc rock opera The Astonishing just turned one year old. 365 days into its lifespan… what do we think? Has it held up?

Though I was really hyped on the idea and the band’s ambition leading into the album’s release, I feel it ultimately ended up falling a bit short. It has a few fantastic songs, but the album is way too long (like, REALLY long) and a lot of the tracks seem to blend together. I applaud DT for trying, but I can’t imagine this is an album I’ll go back to in the future when I need a fix of Dream Theater. It’s just too much, which, as a DT fanboy, pains me to admit.

ANYWAY, the band celebrated the album’s one-year anniversary (and the upcoming 25th anniversary edition of Images & Words) by releasing a video game themed around the concepts of the album, a turn-based tactical digital board game developed in conjunction with Turbo Tape Games. Here’s some copy from the press release:

The game recites the original story from the album tuned to unique tactical gameplay pitching rebels against oppressors, artists against totalitarians in epic battles to influence the minds and sway the will of the people in The Great Northern Empire of the Americas.

…

The Astonishing Game is the only place fans and audiences can hear the instrumental music from the album, as well as enjoy video material otherwise only available during concert shows by the band. In The Astonishing Game players unfold and untangle the original story as seen from the sides of both the Ravenskill Rebel Militia and the Great Northern Empire of the Americas. The whole picture is not complete before the game campaigns are completed through the eyes of both sides of the conflict, battling for influence and control over the will of the people.

The Astonishing Game offers both single-player mode and competition between friends using the same device, and in-game competitions for exclusive Dream Theater prizes.

The game is out now in the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android. Check out the trailer and some game screen shots below.

Anyone who’s downloaded this bad boy yet wanna tell us how it is?