THIS IS AN IN DEPTH REVIEW. IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO READ IT SCROLL PAST. also, apparently the game has received updates from the original version adding some things and MOST IMPORTANTLY FIXING THE ISSUE WITH THE NOTE COLORS. so ignore the old reviews talking about those i have also made a list of some tips and tricks to people having skill issues with this game. please scroll down to the bottom to see it :3 i love rhythm games. they have been a big part of my life, i have spent a frankly ridiculous amount of money on them despite only recently becoming an adult. i have both experience with home releases and arcade games (more of an arcade guy though). i am also NOT very good at 5k and 7k and despite what the people with skill issues in the other reviews would like you to believe as long as you dont immediately give up that is not an issue . in case you want some signifier of experience i have platinum rating in chunithm, and i have also full combod all the songs on hard (working on pro but its hard lol) i am also a big fan of vocaloid (vocal synths in general, japan basically groups it all into ボカロ), it was what actually originally got me into rhythm games in the first place. i have ALSO spent a ridiculous amount of money on it. i have been to miku concerts, i have various niche doujin albums, merch, etc. so safe to say i am fairly "qualified" to make this review so to speak. i would say this is genuinely one of the best rhythm games you can get on steam in terms of both value for money and just in general. 5$ for a songlist this good with gameplay that is actually interesting is pretty rare nowadays. of course the dlc is expensive but considering it is just songs you can honestly skip it unless theres a song you SPECIFICALLY love and just get that pack for it. anyway people love bulleted lists so heres a list of my pros and cons the pros: [*] again, price to value ratio is very good. 50 great songs for 5 bucks is an insane deal and frankly feels like a robbery. [*] a lot of customization features, like being able to switch between a 2d lane and 2 types of 3d lanes, changing note color, note size, fast/late indicators, alerts for lane changes, etc. there is also a mirror mode and ability to add blinds from either the top or the indicator your notes go to. [*] everything feels nice and clicky and responsive, i am autistic and play rhythm games for the "stimming" aspect so to say and this is really good for that. [*] i would say the charts are good, not crazy overcharted, everything feels right and satisfying on all difficulties. [*] there is a working setting for offset and changing your key configuration. [*] there is no hold release timing, i believe releasing "on time" gets you a higher score but there is no penalty for not doing so. the "it depends on what you like": [*] THIS IS NOT A GAME FOR 4K PLAYERS. IF ANYTHING OTHER THAN 4K DISGUSTS YOU GO AWAY. but if you are someone that enjoys both 4k, 5k, 6k and 7k this is like a delicious feast considering most charts switch between them. [*] if you are here for the kind of music they play on the radio in america this is not for you. the song selection is varied... in terms of genres and artists. but they are all in japanese and either utilize vocal synth technology or have japanese vocalists singing. in japanese of course. so if you are a vocaloid fan this is again, a delicious gourmet meal... but if you hate vocaloid you are going to hate this. [*] the ui is also divisive. a lot of people in the other reviews are saying its too bright and looks bad, personally i love it so im adding it to the mixed list. but yeah i guess it could hurt a bit if you are playing late at night. [*] the story is great if you are willing to get past all the unknown terms being thrown at you and the fact it is serialized (it might be best to just skip everything and read it in one go if you really hate the format). also keep in mind i read it in japanese so i have no idea how the english or other localizations fare. the cons: [*] unfortunately no 1440p. personally i havent noticed too many issues with 1080p on a 1440p display but it is a bummer. [*] there is a daily quest mechanic. however you get all the rewards for it for basically doing it a week straight, so not too much of an issue for achievement hunters. [*] the season pass unfortunately has exclusive songs which is kind of a bummer. i hope they can be released separately at some point in the future. [*] this was definitely designed as a mobile game and it shows. it is personally not a big issue for me but the "gacha game" like ui layout and big buttons can definitely throw some people off. [*] the PC mode layout kind of sucks, you cannot really see much incoming notes, switching to the 3d layouts makes playing much more convenient now for my tips for anyone getting into this game! [*] CHANGE YOUR SPEED SETTINGS GOD PLEASE. i am playing on 12 or so but i am invested in rhythm games, however you should definitely get it ABOVE the default as it is easier to read the notes when they come faster (which a lot of newbies actually dont realize) [*] if you are struggling with the middle key and are not interested in getting an expensive iidx or djmax controller (which, fair enough lol please dont do that just for this game) consider changing your key configuration to more accurately reflect how those controllers are designed, because they are that way for a reason. here are some links to what those look like! [url=https://megami.starcreator.com/museon/IMG_1058.jpg] DJ MAX muse-on controller, is 8k so you could set up 2 keybinds for the "middle" button , [url=https://iidx.org/assets/img/cons/pwplmt.png] phoenixwan, 7k controller [*] overall mess with your settings, if you are getting distracted disable video/make the overlay darker, if the notes are too small for you... make them bigger, change the lane type (i am personally on pattern A since i am used to chunithm), and having the combo in the middle makes it easier to see what it is. [*] do not start with hard difficulties if you are struggling but also do not stick to the easy songs if you are doing great. its good to challenge yourself but also keep it reasonable. also, even if two different difficulties have the same number rating, the higher difficulty WILL be harder. keep that in mind! [*] try being consistent! playing a bit each day will be better for you in the long run than doing a long session once in a while. obviously time is hard to find nowadays but you get the point. TLDR : this is absolute peak for its target audience, i personally really enjoyed it. however, if you are not the target audience (rhythm game enthusiasts and/or vocaloid fans) and are not willing to engage with something that doesnt cater to you, you should probably just skip out on this one. but if you are willing to try it out, there is a great game here waiting for you!
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