What’s better than shooting a high quality music video for local bands? How about taking it to the next level and designing a mobile video game, set to your songs? That’s what local band Chemistry Club is about to do!

Their upcoming show with Post Paradise will aptly be held at the 1upColfax, and will be where they are releasing the video game, Navigator.

After meeting Chemistry Club at Big Gig, I knew I had to learn more about them and what inspired them to create and release a video game. Yesterday I had lunch with Jeff Wiencrot and we had a long discussion about everything from their inspiration, what’s next, to branding and marketing for bands.

Navigator

Of course we started with chatting about the video game. Jeff sent me the link to download the game (available on iOS and Android), and I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve already played. This addictive game follows 2 robots who run away from their lives in a factory, jump into a balloon and navigate the rocky terrain to a better life.

The game is perfectly set to the song, also called Navigator. I asked where the inspiration for the song came from and Jeff admitted that is was a combination of a nerdy conversation about a Dr. Who episode and his printer. When testing his printer for ink, it shoots off this image filled with colorful dots, a balloon, robots and more, which helped form the idea for the song and eventually the game.

Twelve Months in the Making

I asked how long Chemistry Club and Offbeat Entertainment have been working on this game, and it has been in the works for over a year! Chemistry Club sat down with them and they all agreed that this would be a great experiment for both sides. Offbeat came up with the idea and would meet with Chemistry Club every so often to talk about ideas and show their progress.

While a year may seem like a long time investment, I can say that it paid off. As I said earlier, the game is very addictive and fits so well with the music, you can tell a lot of time and effort went into the making of this game.

While the game is set to the song, Navigator, you can also listen to Chemistry Club’s ENTIRE catalog of music directly from the app. Want to buy an EP or single? Just click buy and it goes directly to iTunes where you can purchase.

Highest Score?

When I asked Jeff who had the highest score in the game out of the 4 band members, he said it was their bassist Micah Daby, without a doubt. Which is a bit unfair as Micah helped develop the game! Jeff also told me that there IS a way to get a perfect score and gave me a hint on a secret passage. Maybe if you go to their video game release show at 1upColfax he will share that same secret with the crowd (if you’re lucky).

Unlocking Hidden Features

The game is free to download and play on iOS

and Android devices, but as you are selecting which balloon to fly, you’ll notice that some are locked. There are also 3 versions of Navigator you can listen to while you’re playing, however 2 of them are locked initially. How do you unlock? Give a donation to Chemistry Club! Give them $1, $5, or $10 dollars and you’ll get access to all of the balloons and can play to any of the three available songs. I recommend donating something as the acoustic version is my current favorite variation to play the game.

Plus, there are some fun hidden videos after you donate. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so you’ll have to donate to find out.

Why a Video Game?

Talking to Jeff it is apparent that not only is HE very passionate about this game and the band, but all of the band members are as well. They created this game because it embodies who they all are. They are geeky, sci-fi loving, gamer musicians, and Navigator the game embodies their brand as a band.

Release Party

So join me at their Navigator release party at the 1upColfax on Saturday, August 2nd to celebrate Chemistry Club’s achievement. Plus you’ll get to hear some great pop music – for science, and opening are Instant Empires and Post Paradise, another favorite band of mine. Tickets are only $10 and the band has plenty of pre-sales! Hit them up on Twitter or Facebook and they will bring the tickets to you!