# Playing the riff from Smoke on the Water on a cat piano may be possible in composer sim Offbeat, if you’ve got more musical talent than me

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/playing-the-riff-from-smoke-on-the-water-on-a-cat-piano-may-be-possible-in-composer-sim-offbeat-if-youve-got-more-musical-talent-than-me/
- Published: 2026-07-22T11:04:31+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-22T12:23:10+00:00
- Original publisher: Rock Paper Shotgun
- Original article: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/playing-the-riff-from-smoke-on-the-water-on-a-cat-piano-may-be-possible-in-composer-sim-offbeat-if-youve-got-more-musical-talent-than-me
- Topics: Business, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Composer sim Offbeat launched into Steam early access on 22nd July.
- Writer tried recreating Deep Purple and Ozzy Osbourne riffs, without full success.
- Game lets players compose quirky tunes for in-game phone commissions.

## Summary

Rock Paper Shotgun's early access preview of Offbeat, a jobbing composer simulator from Whetstone Games, sees the writer attempt to recreate famous guitar riffs—including Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train"—using the game's cat-shaped piano and singing gnome instruments. The piece highlights the game's appeal as a creative sandbox where players compose music for quirky in-game clients, even if replicating real-world rock riffs proves more difficult than expected.

Offbeat launched into early access on Steam on 22nd July. Players take commissions from customers phoning in via an in-game desk, composing everything from corporate fanfares to wedding songs for a "spooky spirit wedding," using instruments like a cymbal-clashing monkey and a purring cat piano, with the promise of more instruments to be added as development continues.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.