The game is schedule to release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and Steam in 2025. In the meantime demo sign ups are currently available and a separate side story set in the same world is available on Steam for free.

Follow the Developers here

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Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Final Fantasy series with the latest rhythm action game: THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE. This game includes iconic songs like “One-Winged Angel,” “Torn From the Heavens” and “SUTEKI DA NE,” with more content available after the release.

Check the press release below for more info on this title.

PRESS RELEASE

THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE: Celebrate the 35^th anniversary of the FINAL FANTASY series with the latest THEATRHYTHM game! In this rhythm action game, you’ll enjoy 385 total tracks, including iconic FINAL FANTASY songs like “One-Winged Angel,” “Torn From the Heavens” and “SUTEKI DA NE,” with more content available after launch. Two players can complete stages in Pair Play locally, while up to four players*** can battle to the beat in Online Multi-Battle! THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE begins its symphony on the Nintendo Switch system on Feb. 16, 2023. Pre-orders begin today in Nintendo eShop and in the My Nintendo Store on Nintendo.com. After the game’s launch, 90 additional paid DLC**** songs from the SaGa series, NieR series, OCTOPATH TRAVELER, LIVE A LIVE and more will be released. Plus, editions containing a season pass and 27 extra songs, including “Melodies Of Life ~Final Fantasy” from FINAL FANTASY IX will be available.

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Today Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master is now out on Xbox consoles and PC. The game features more than 70 different songs. Local multiplayer along with global leaderboards will be available. You can take a look at the game’s press release below.

IRVINE, Calif., (January 27, 2022) – Leading video game publisher and developer BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. today announced Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master is now available for purchase digitally in the Americas for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PCs (supports Xbox Play Anywhere). Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master marks the first time a taiko rhythm and beat game being released on the Xbox Series X|S and supported on Xbox Game Pass.

In Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master, players can drum along and ride into the rhythm with Taiko no Tatsujin’s iconic note characters, Don-chan and Katsu-chan, lighting their drumming spirit on fire. Players will be delighted while being challenged with performing an extensive library of over 70 songs, ranging from classical to popular hits including, Homura, Into the Night, and MEGALOVANIA.

Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master supports local multiplayer matches for up to two players. Players can reach euphoric levels of rhythmic synchronicity by performing cooperatively together or compete head-to-head for the highest score in Score Battle mode. Additionally, players can compete in Ranked Matches, pitting themselves against other players in 1 vs. 1 performance battles to take their spot on the Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master online global leaderboard and see who the best Taiko no Tatsujin drummer in the world is.

Lastly, as players progress in the game, they’ll be able to acquire custom avatars and costumes for Don-chan, showing off their unique personality and accomplishments to players around the world.

“The Taiko no Tatsujin series has been a long-running and cherished franchise for BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, providing decades of fun rhythmic gameplay to millions of players around the globe,” said Lin Leng, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “Bringing Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master to the Xbox Series X|S platform, for the first time ever, delivers a family-friendly and unique gaming experience to a whole new audience who will surely enjoy the high-energy beats of taiko..”

Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master is available now for purchase digitally in the Americas for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PCs. For information on this and other products from BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., please visit www.bandainamcoent.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoUS, or join the conversation on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/BandaiNamcoUS

SOURCE: Press Release

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Hatsune Miku has now made it into Space Channel 5 VR. The Space 39 Miku Pack adds Miku, a new stage, and some new costumes. You can take a look at the press release and trailer for it below.

July 28, 2020 – Grounding Inc. (Headquarter: Minato-ku, Tokyo CEO: Mineko Okamura) is thrilled to welcome virtual idol Hatsune Miku into the world of Space Channel 5! The “Space 39 miku Pack” is available today as downloadable content (DLC) for PlayStation® VR on the PlayStationStore. The DLC is available for $4.99 USD (¥800) and requires the base game Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! to play. The DLC launch also accompanies a reduction in the base game price to $24.99.

The DLC features a very special “Miku Miku Report Show”, which introduces Hatsune Miku with an original Space Channel 5 design. In a brand-new stage, players will be able to dance together with Miku and Ulala. Ulala’s wardrobe will expand with 11 new costumes, including a brand new Space 39 outfit, Hatsune Miku’s signature costume, and more. (In Japanese, 39 can be read as “mi-ku”.)

Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! was released worldwide in February 2020. It was the first standalone game from Sega’s music and dance-themed masterpiece franchise to be released in 17 years, which also celebrated its 20 year anniversary on December 16, 2019. Members of the original development team returned to usher Space Channel 5 into a new decade with new music, levels, and characters! Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! is currently available on PlayStation® VR only, with additional platforms to follow.

SOURCE: Press Release

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I love rhythm games, especially stylish ones. Between the music and getting into the groove of each song, there’s just this really great zen quality to them. That held true for the Klang 2 beta I had the chance to try on Xbox One recently, and man, I’m sad I missed the first game if it’s anywhere near as fun as its sequel.

The gameplay is pretty simple: You have three types of attacks you need to line up and hit in time with the music. There’s a basic circle attack, a directional triangle dodge, and a square hold. In order to complete the move, you also need to make sure Klang is facing in the direction of each prompt. If you miss a step, you lose a little bit of life, but when you hit you’re greeted with some flashy animations.

After the tutorial fight, the demo does something I really liked: It doesn’t waste your time. You can continue playing the campaign as designed, which opens up four new songs for you to practice on; you can jump immediately to the first boss; or you can take on hard or insane challenge stages to test your mettle. I chose to first jump into the practice levels to see what the game had on offer. In order to fight the boss, you need to collect seven tokens. The practice fights give a maximum of four tokens, depending on your ranking: S rank will earn four, A three, B two, C one. Of the four practice songs, my favorite by far was Endless and Artificial, by City Girl, an upbeat and catchy electronica piece that was easy to zone out to. The other practice songs were the funky Troopa, by Steven Silo; Sunburn, also by Steven Silo; and Limeaid, by the game’s main composer, bLiNd. After accruing enough tokens, I was able to take on the first boss and end the demo.

Once I was done doing the campaign mode, I jumped into the challenge stage, and it was incredibly fun. The pace increased and instead of needing to hit a bunch of unconnected notes, the attacks were strung together. If you didn’t flow between them in the proper order, you’d take damage. It took a little getting used to, but once I’d worked it out the fluidity was addictive. The insane stage, on the other hand, cranked everything up to 11 and was far beyond my skills, but it’s definitely something I’d love to work my way up to.

Playing through the campaign portion of the trial did tease Klang 2‘s story. From what I could piece together, you play as Klang, a young man trying to recover a lost weapon and defeat evil shadow creatures controlled by a Soundlord. Each level is another step toward obtaining that weapon. Having not played the first game, I can’t say if it’s a continuation of that story or not, but it felt self-contained enough that a newcomer to the franchise could work out what’s going on.

Developer Tinimations describe the story of Klang 2 thusly:

Imprisoned in a facility at an unknown location, Klang finds himself forced to continuously hone his rhythm-combat skills inside audiovisual simulations. As time goes on it becomes harder for Klang to distinguish what’s real, which plays into the storytelling and its theme of blindness.

The futuristic, “techno-Greek” design aesthetic of this game is beautiful, with vibrant neons and crisp, clean lines that compliment the dynamic lighting. It feels like you’re in a club, and the music fits it perfectly. Tinimations says the game takes cues not only from cult classic Tron, but also musical symbolism and Greek sculpture.

Klang 2 will release in 2020 on Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I want to go and give its predecessor a go before this one releases.

You can read oprainfall’s review of the original Klang here.

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It has been announced that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix will be coming to the Switch on May 15. The game will feature over a 100 songs and a full list can be found here. You can take a look at the press release and trailer for it below.

IRVINE, Calif., – April 20, 2020 – Get ready to Catch the Wave, because Hatsune Miku’s Nintendo Switch debut is just around the corner! Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix launches exclusively in digital format on Nintendo Switch on May 15, 2020.

• The secret garden by Kosaki Satoru
• Look This Way, Baby by ryo
• Sekiranun Graffiti by ryo
• Yumeyume by DECO*27

A demo of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix is now available on the Nintendo Switch eShop. In this demo, you can try out two songs, Arifureta Sekai Seifuku and Romeo and Cinderella in either the traditional button-based ‘Arcade Mode’ or the all-new motion-based ‘Mix Mode.’ You’ll also have a chance to play with the game’s customization options before the full launch on 5/15 – choose between three modules for Hatsune Miku, or change your character skin to one of your other favorite Vocaloids, including Rin, Len, Luka, KAITO, or MEIKO. Please note, these skins are a visual change only and do not change the performer for the song.

‘Mix Mode’ requires the Joy-Con controllers to be detached, and is incompatible with the Nintendo Switch’s handheld mode or the Nintendo Switch Lite console. ‘Arcade Mode’ is compatible with both handheld mode and the Nintendo Switch Lite.

About Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix:

Based on the popular Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix takes the series to a new dimension on the Nintendo Switch, giving both new fans and Project DIVA veterans ways to play at home or on the go. Rhythm game modes features both traditional button controls, as well as a new game mode exclusive to the unique functions of the Nintendo Switch!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix isn’t just Miku’s Nintendo Switch debut, it’s also a major milestone for the Project DIVA series, introducing a redesigned graphical style. Fan-favorite songs like Senbonzakura and over 100 others have been reinvigorated with anime-style graphics. On top of that, a selection of songs never-before-seen in the Project DIVA series have also been added for Mega Mix, so fans can enjoy playing along with even more of their favorite tracks!

SOURCE: Press Release

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The BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! 2nd General Election is underway and we have now reached the halfway point. Voting started on September 11 and Tokyo Otaku Mode has announced the mid-term results of the election. The rankings so far are as follows:

5th: Techno-Pop

4th: Heartwarming Part-Time Song

3rd: J-Rock

2nd: Tear-Jerking Ballad

1st: Exuberance Fun

Previously in the election, the results would be showed each day you would submit your vote. Now that the poll has reached the halfway point, the results will not be shown. The final results will be shown on September 30.

The winning band will receive a special original illustration and the members in the illustration will be given out in the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! mobile game. The release dates for the in-game member cards will be announced at a later date.

Voting in the 2nd General Election ends on September 21 at 23:59 PDT and the results will be tallied from September 22 – September 29. The final results will be announced on September 30. How is your pick doing so far?

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! is available now for Android and iOS mobile devices. You can vote for your favorite band HERE.

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The official English social media accounts for BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! have announced that the 2nd General Election will commence on September 11, 2019. In the game’s 1st General Election, fans voted on which band they would most like to play at their birthday party. Roselia ended up winning the English version’s election and received a special illustration and goods from Tokyo Otaku Mode. This time around, the theme of the election is, “Member Shuffle?! Which band would you support?” So instead of the usual groups (like Poppin’Party and Roselia), the band members are shuffled around and grouped together based on a certain theme. Fans will get to vote for their favorite shuffled group.

The themes of each group and their members are as follows:

Part Timers Anthem:

• Aya Maruyama
• Lisa Imai
• Moca Aoba
• Kanon Matsubara
• Tsugumi Hazawa

Traditional-Japanese-Infused-Rock:

• Ran Mitake
• Sayo Hikawa
• Rimi Ushigome
• Tomoe Udagawa
• Eve Wakamiya

Electro-Pop:

• Kasumi Toyama
• Tae Hanazono
• Himari Uehara
• Maya Yamato
• Michelle (Misaki Okusawa)

Heart-Wrenching Ballad:

• Yukina Minato
• Kaoru Seta
• Chisato Shirasagi
• Saaya Yamabuki
• Rinko Shirokane

HYPER-FUN-TIME:

• Kokoro Tsurumaki
• Hina Hikawa
• Hagumi Kitazawa
• Ako Udagawa
• Arisa Ichigaya

Part Timers Anthem won the election in Japan while Heart-Wrenching Ballad won in Taiwan. The BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! EN 2nd General Election begins on September 11 at 00:00 PDT and runs until September 21 at 23:59 PDT. The 2nd General Election link will be announced once the voting commences. Which band will you support this time around?

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∀kashicforce is one of the most unique and confusing games I’ve ever played. This is a puzzle / rhythm game with some fighting game controls thrown in for good measure. I did all of the tutorial missions and read the manual and I’m still not 100% sure if I’m playing this one correctly, but I’m going do the best I can to give you some impressions on how it plays. If anyone out there can explain this one better, hit me up in the comments.

At first glance you may mistake this game for some kinda of Tetris clone with techno music. Boy would you be about as far away from what this game is as you could be. As Enemy Blocks fall you will shoot them to destroy them. If you line up 4 or more blocks of the same type they will all be destroyed at the same time. This is called a “Trash Wipeout” and you will have to think quickly to set these up cause the blocks come down fast. The other type of blocks on screen are called Hindrance Blocks. These will take more than one shot to get rid of, are resistant to the “Trash Wipeout” and will take more than one shot or a special skill to remove.

As you remove blocks on the screen your Method Gauge will fill on the left of the screen. This will allow you to do some character specific special moves. You will have to key in the correct command, these are fighting game commands, and press the method button to pull this off. These can be offensive or defensive and really turn the tide of battle.

What I found very interesting was that you could spend your time destroying blocks on your own side to try and keep them from building up too much, or you can attack blocks on your opponents side in order to stick them with a bunch of Hindrance Blocks. Then use your skills to control the buildup on your side. The character you choose and the skills they have will play a huge role in the strategy you use.

∀kashicforce features several play modes. Channeling is story mode, Mission mode will halfway teach you the basics of playing the game and some Versus mode options. These include CPU, Local Mulitplayer, and Championship, which has a special ruleset. You can choose 3 different characters and play as each of them in turn. You will need to know what skills each one has very well to win in this mode.

While I had a hard time figuring out exactly how to play ∀kashicforce it is one of the more interesting titles I’ve played. It’s very fast paced, has a fantastic OST and the visuals are quite pleasing to look at. I think casual fans of these types of games will be a bit overwhelmed, but if they find some friend to play with and learn together, I think a lot of fun could be had here at the low $12.99 asking price.

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The official English Facebook and Twitter accounts for BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! have announced that the Persona series collaboration event will come to the English server on February 17, 2019. The event will come with a special story, an Afterglow X Persona 5 gacha, and 3 different cover songs from the Persona series. The limited gacha will feature the girls from Afterglow wearing outfits inspired by the main characters of Persona 5.

The cover songs come from Persona 3, 4, and 5 and will be covered by Roselia, Afterglow and Poppin’Party respectively. You can check out short previews for each of the covers below.

“Memories of You” covered by Roselia

“Reach Out To The Truth” covered by Afterglow

“Life Will Change” covered by Poppin’Party

BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! is available now for Android and iOS devices. Are you ready to take some hearts with the girls of Afterglow in this special event?

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The opening for the upcoming Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS has been revealed. The video shows the members of μ’s, Aquors, and Nijigasaki’s Idol Appreciation Group. The members from Nijigasaki High School are a new idol group that were revealed as part of the previously announced Perfect Dream Project. The game will feature a story where the three groups will cross paths with each other.

Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS will be released for mobile devices sometime in 2019.

SOURCE

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It has been announced that music game MUSYNX will be getting eleven new songs added to the game in an upcoming update. Among them will be the opening song for NEKOPARA. A short preview of the track was released. You can check out the press release for it below.

LOS ANGELES, CA., July 31, 2018 — PM Studios and acttil are happy to announce that their latest music game, MUSYNX, will receive 11 brand-new-songs for free from different composers around the world! One of them is a special collaboration with NEKO WORKs where NEKOPARA Opening Song “Taiyou Paradaisu” will be playable in-game!

Besides the new songs, the update will also include a Jump feature in response to the community feedback, allowing players to travel through the vast amount of +90 songs easily and language support for Japanese and Chinese (Both Traditional and Simplified!)

The launch of the update for MUSYNX will be announced at a later date.

SOURCE: Press Release

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Update 31/07/2018 9:47AM GMT: Bandai Namco have confirmed to Gematsu that both Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session and Drum ‘n’ Fun will be digital only in the West.

*Update* Bandai Namco has confirmed to Gematsu that both Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! (PS4) and Drum ‘n’ Fun (Switch) will be digital-only releases in the west.

Drum Session: https://t.co/Lal3qNnBgs
Drum ‘n’ Fun: https://t.co/9gVJlJsF41 pic.twitter.com/QP1u1OkPgS

— Gematsu (@gematsucom) July 31, 2018

Original article follows.

Original 27/07/2018

Bandai Namco have announced that Taiko no Tatsujin is returning to the West with not one, but two new titles coming to North America and Europe on 2nd November 2018.

The first is Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! on PlayStation 4 that was released in Japan and Southeast Asia last year. The second title is Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum n’ Fun! on Nintendo Switch that recently came out in Japan and will release in Southeast Asia on August 9th.

Here are details on the unique features that are exclusive to each game, via Bandai Namco:

Using the Joy-Con® controllers as drumsticks, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! for Nintendo Switch® introduces motion-control play that replicates the popular arcade-style experience, enabling Nintendo Switch® players to fully take advantage of the platform’s unique capabilities. During Rhythm Mode, players will be able to use platform exclusive characters with power-ups from classic Nintendo® games such as Kirby from Kirby® and Squid from Splatoon® 2. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! also features 20 multiplayer rhythm-based mini-games that can be played by up to 4 players using additional controllers.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! for PlayStation®4 plays to the spirited competitive side of Taiko with its Ranked Mode, enabling players to connect online and test their skills against Taiko players around the world through ghost data. Players will also have the chance to unlock costumes, sound effects, and greetings for the Taiko no Tatsujin mascot, Don-chan, and can play Guest Session with popular characters such as Hatsune Miku® and Hello Kitty®.

Here is an announcement trailer for both titles.

Source: Press Release

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A rating has surfaced on the Australian Classification Board for Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun for Nintendo Switch that was issued on 15th June. This may be the localised name for Taiko no Tatsujin: Nintendo Switch Version that has been currently announced for Japan and Southeast Asia exclusively for Switch.

No localisation announcement has been made yet for Taiko no Tatsujin: Nintendo Switch Version by Bandai Namco however this would be significant if so. The only Taiko no Tatsujin to release in the West is one entry on PS2 called Taiko Drum Master in North America only (albeit with many replaced tracks). Furthermore, no Taiko no Tatsujin games have ever released officially elsewhere outside of Asia meaning this would be the first official Western release of a Taiko game for many territories.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Nintendo Switch Version will release in Japan for Switch on 19th July. Additionally a Southeast Asian version will launch on 9th August with English subtitles as a day-one patch.

SOURCE

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Developed by DigixArt Entertainment and published by Playdius, Lost in Harmony is an award winning rhythm adventure previously released on mobile devices. That may turn some of you away, and I admit I don’t normally get excited about mobile. But there’s always an exception to a rule, and Lost in Harmony looks to be one of those noteworthy titles. It tells the story of two protagonists, Kaito and Aya, who struggle to remain together as the world around them threatens to rip them apart. Better yet, this version of the game comes with extra content.

To find out more about Lost in Harmony, just read the full press release below and check out how stunning it looks in the snazzy trailer!

Critically-Acclaimed Musical Runner Lost in Harmony Now Available for Nintendo Switch and PC
Embark on a Dreamlike Musical Odyssey to Help Kaito Save Aya

Paris — June 21, 2018 — Global game publisher Playdius and independent game developer DigixArt Entertainment announced today that Lost in Harmony, the multi-award winning musical adventure previously released on mobile devices, has launched today on the Nintendo Switch and PC. The game is available for purchase on the Nintendo eShop for $6.99/€6.99 and is out now for PC on Steam.

Lost in Harmony tells two tales focusing on themes of destiny and desire. In Kaito’s Adventure, players join Kaito and Aya, two teenagers who brave many hardships to remain together despite all odds. Also included with the Nintendo Switch and PC editions of Lost in Harmony, comes the bonus companion adventure, M.I.R.A.I.’s Escape, which takes players on an unforgettable journey through the universe. In both adventures, players will travel across stunning, hand-painted landscapes, all while dodging obstacles in harmony to the game’s mesmerizing music.

Immerse in Lost in Harmony’s hypnotic soundtrack by combining rhythmic tapping along with choreographed running, all while making use of the Nintendo Switch’s touchscreen and Joy-Con functionality with rumble. The soundtrack for Kaito’s Adventure, imagined by famous game composers and artists including Wyclef Jean, Wyclef Jean, Roc Chen, Mark Griskey, Borislav Slavov and Xilix, is also available for purchase on iTunes, Google Play, Deezer, Amazon, and Spotify. The official soundtrack for M.I.R.A.I.’s Escape, featuring music by Onoken, Godspeed Vivix, Tadayoshi Makino, Fumitake Igarashi, Tsukasa Tawada and Xilix can also be found on iTunes, Google Play, Deezer, and Spotify. Fans can also find the official soundtrack for Lost in Harmony’s Kaito’s Adventure on YouTube here and for M.I.R.A.I.’s Escape here.

“We are delighted that Lost in Harmony is finally making its way to the Nintendo Switch and PC,” said Yoan Fanise, co-founder and President of DigixArt Entertainment. “We want new audiences to experience Kaito’s adventure all over again to discover why fate tries to tear him and Aya apart.”

Lost in Harmony Nintendo Switch and PC features include:

• Rhyme and run: Experience music in a new way with the combination of choreographed musical rhythmic tapping and running
• Strong story lore: Discover the emotional and gripping story from the co-creator of Valiant Hearts
• Musical experience: Moving and original soundtrack from well-known composers and singers
• Hand-drawn graphics: Travel through 30+ breathtaking painted environments
• Customization features: Customize your character’s clothes, hat, headphones and skateboard

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Terrorhythm is a new rhythm game developed and self-published by the indie developer, EvilCoGames. It has been released via Steam Early Access on April 6, 2018. That is a very important distinction. Because you are purchasing the game for $19.99, it might be reasonable to assume that you are getting a complete game. But you should know up front that this game is far from complete, and the Steam Page is very candid about that. That, of course, puts the developer in the difficult position of attracting enough support in the early version of the game to fund the development of the rest of the assets.

At its most basic level, this is a rhythm game. If you look at the screen above it might look a lot like a beat em up action game. But you can’t just mash the buttons to win. You have to press the direction button left or right (depending on which side the enemy is on) in time with the beat of the music. At the very top of the screen you can see an EQ representation of the current song’s structure. The song will determine when you have to hit the direction buttons and how quickly enemies appear on the screen. Unfortunately they don’t have controller support yet so you have to use the keyboard keys, but I would imagine that controller support will be forthcoming. There is a little variety in the enemies, some being elites and some having shields, but they still all look very basic so far, with very little difference between them. While writing this preview they did add a new boss type, so it does look like they are trying to correct the same enemy problem.

There were only 5 different stages in the original version, but they are adding new ones each week. So far they only really seem to be a background for you to play against. There is nothing really special about the stages and even though this mode is labeled “Story”, there is no actual story there. The only real progression in the stages is the difficulty selection, there is no real difference in difficulty between Hard on Stage 1 and Hard on Stage 5. There are more enemies and slightly more difficult enemies when you choose a higher difficulty, but I never really had any problems at any difficulty level. I only ever died once and it had more to do with the song selection than the difficulty level.

Overall my experience with this game was pretty disappointing, particularly because there were only 2 songs initially. They’ve already added some more, but that is not the long term appeal for me. The long term appeal and redeeming factor, is that you can upload your own songs to play in the stages. However there are some pretty serious limitations with this. The first limitation, which probably won’t be felt by anyone but me, is that there is a pretty tight limit on how long your song can be before the game bugs out. As someone who loves progressive metal and progressive rock that can be a serious restriction, but for others it won’t be as much of an issue. Whats worse for any real fan of music is that so far you can only upload mp3 music files. I tried 4 other music file types and none of them would work. That is a serious problem because this is supposed to be a game that appeals to music fans. But any serious music fan knows that mp3 is pretty much the worst format to save your music in (it reduces the quality of the track quite a bit in order to compress the file down to as small of a size as possible). I may have over 2000 songs on my computer, but less than 50 of them are in mp3 format. That is something that will need to be fixed very quickly.

That’s all that there is to this game. Continuing on the negative side, the game is very buggy and crashed back to the desktop many times while I was playing or trying to upload songs. There is no multiplayer, and no story, and very limited variety in every facet. If I was to actually score this game, it would score very low. But that is the issue with Early Access games. They do charge you money, but many of them (this game as a great example) are still very early in development. There is potential here, particularly if you are a serious music nut. But this game has a ways to go before it will feel like that $19.99 is money well spent. You are really paying for the potential of the game more than what you are getting now. Because of that, I would recommend you support it, if the final product is something you are interested in. Without the early adopters, it may never reach the final state. Such is the inherent risk in being a very small developer without a publisher. But there are some good ideas here, so I do hope this small team can see their vision through to the end.

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I love when video games emulate things from real life in clever ways. For example, in Infamous Second Son, there’s a mini-game in which you have to hold the controller backwards to emulate a spray paint can and draw graffiti on a wall. In Sleeping Dogs, for one of the minigames you have to rotate the analog stick, emulating the dial of a safe to open it. In Rhythm games, however, these gimmicks are usually delegated to a unique controller. For example, the Rock Band guitar, or the drums for Taiko no Tatsujin. So I was really happy to discover DJMax, a game in which the PS4 controller emulates a keyboard or synthesizer in which you have to play the buttons on the screen to simulate an instrument. Now let me walk you through all you need to know about DJMax Respect.

To start, this is a Rhythm game through and through. There is no story mode or any semblance of a campaign in the traditional way. There is an Arcade mode in which you will play three different songs for your best score, Freestyle, where you can play any song on any mode solo or with a friend, Online, to play against others players online, and Missions, which I will talk about later. And this is pretty much everything that the game offers. However, for a Rhythm game the fun comes from playing all the songs in all the styles until perfection, and that’s where DJMax shines.

Gameplay-wise DJMax is pretty basic. The notes of the song will fall from the top of the screen to the bottom and you have to press the corresponding button when it reaches the line at the bottom. There are four different styles of play that will alter the gameplay.

4-Button will use Left, Up, Triangle and Circle only for the notes. 5-Button will use those four and add a fifth button that can be either Square or Right. 6-Button will differentiate between square and right as separate buttons in addition to the other four. And finally 8-Button will add R1 and L1 as additional buttons. All different styles will also use the left or right analog stick in any direction as additional notes, and pressing X or Down will activate the Fever which will increase the points earned on each note.

While hitting the notes is relatively easy (at least while playing on the normal difficulty) the game will also evaluate how accurately you do it by giving more points to notes that were hit at 100% accuracy, while barely hitting a note at 10% will give less points. And as you can imagine, if you want to get an S ranking on all the songs you will need to be as precise as possible. You can hit all the notes but if your accuracy is off you will earn a C score.

But what would be of a Rhythm game without music? DJMax comes with 140 tracks: 40 are new songs, and the rest are returning tracks from previous games. But you won’t start with all the songs available, unfortunately. The game has a rewards system based on playing songs, and playing them well. By just playing a song you will get experience which will grant you something when you level up. And while levels are symbolic with no impact on gameplay, the rewards that you get by leveling up could be a new song, an art piece for the game’s Art Gallery, or a Banner to represent yourself online. In addition there are rewards based on getting a full combo on a song, or getting several A scores. There’s basically a reward linked to anything that you can do in the game, so by just playing any song on any mode you will start unlocking things.

Another way to unlock more songs, banners and even cosmetic changes to the notes in-game is in the Missions Mode. Here you will have to play several songs with a particular goal in mind. It goes from reaching a certain score, to keeping the accuracy of notes hit above 93%. But simply playing the songs as usual is not enough. Sometimes you are forced to play with notes that change speed midway, or fall down slower than usual. There are so many different visual obstacles to make each challenge harder that this mode is considered for experienced players only. I completed around 18 of these out of the 60 that are in the game, and I can’t move forward at this point. I have to simply get better.

And this is definitely the only complaint I have with this game. It’s hard, really hard. I’ve been playing Rock Band on guitar for a couple of years now, and I have no problem playing expert on any of the included songs (let’s leave DLC out of the discussion). But I can play mostly only songs on Normal difficulty in DJMax. This is a game created for its fan base, the people who have been playing this since the PSP, and it’s not really interested in bringing new players into it. Now, I’m not saying it’s impossible, as this is my first time with DJMax and I’m really enjoying it, but be aware that this is not a game to play for two weeks and be done with it. It’s going to take its time to really feel good in it.

Visually the game’s graphics are quite good. The menus are simple, intuitive, and have all the information that you need. I love the animations of the main menu in particular, which make the whole game feel vibrant. In addition each song has a video that plays in the background. While some are from the previous games, these have been updated to be full HD and in general are really well made. Some have the vibe of an anime opening, while others have full 3D graphics that look like they’ve been taken from an existing video game. But in general these are amazing and I really want to stop playing to simply watch them sometimes.

The soundtrack covers several genres including Hip-Hop, Rap, Drum and Bass, K-Pop, Rock, Heavy Metal, Trash, Caribbean Music, Classical Music, and possibly more. These are just what I can think of from the songs I have played. And so far I haven’t really found a song that I hate. I’m more into Rock and Heavy Metal, and Drum and Bass from the electronic side, but I have enjoyed the Hip-Hop and Rap songs just as well. Since the game is Korean don’t expect to find famous songs from Western media like on Rock Band or Just Dance, but the songs that are included are quite enjoyable even for a metal head like myself.

In conclusion, I love everything about this game. The songs are fun, the animations are interesting, and the gameplay is hard but rewarding. The game is out for $50 as a digital download only, and while you could technically beat Arcade on each of the four different styles in less than an hour, the real amount of time that this game will bring you will depend on your enjoyment and desire to be better at it. I’m probably 25 or 30 hours in and there are a lot of things for me to unlock.

For me DJMax Respect feels like the elite club that’s always full on Friday night with a long line at the entrance. If you’re dedicated to improving yourself and work hard and diligently you can finally get in and enjoy it with the elite, but the road to get there is just as fun, so it’s worth taking the challenge if Rhythm games are your thing.

Review Score
Overall

Review copy provided by the publisher. 

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Some new details have been revealed for Taiko Drum Master for the Switch. It probably shouldn’t be surprising but, the Joy-Cons can be used like drumsticks and it will support HD rumble. Local multiplayer will be supported with up to four consoles. Another addition will be the inclusion of performance characters which have their own different skills. It’s been announced that the game will have over 70 songs. Lastly, a number of party games will also be included.

Some of the songs that have been announced include:

“Be the One” – Kamen Rider Build

“Splatoon 2 Medly” – Splatoon 2

“Itsumo Nando Demo” – Spirited Away

“Howling” – The Seven Deadly Sins: Revival of the Commandments 

“Cha-La Head-Cha-La” – Dragon Ball Z

Taiko Drum Master is set to be released on the Switch in Japan sometime this Summer.

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Atlus have announced (via Weekly Famitsu) that Elizabeth from Persona 3 and Caroline and Justine from Persona 5 will be playable in Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night respectively. Some screenshots were also included which you can view below.

Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5: Dancing Star Night will release in Japan on 24th May for PS4 and PS Vita. No word on a Western release.

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UPDATE:

A little more information has been revealed about this new entry in the Taiko no Tatsujin series. In Taiko no Tatsujin: Nintendo Switch Version, the Joy-Cons can act as drumsticks that support HD Rumble. The tracklist for this title includes songs from Super Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2.

ORIGINAL:

Bandai Namco have announced Taiko no Tatsujin: Nintendo Switch Version on the Japanese Nintendo Direct broadcast today exclusively for the Switch. It will launch in Japan in Summer 2018.

The first footage of the new game can be viewed below.

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