seen from Bangladesh
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Kuwait
seen from Czechia
seen from Czechia
seen from Germany
seen from Belgium
seen from Italy
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Czechia
Round 10 (Week 3)
Which character is better?
Diggers (Reverse: 1999)
Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
I*CHU: Chibi Edition (アイ★チュウ)
Release dates Japanese (Original Android version): June 26th, 2015 English (Nintendo Switch): October 3rd, 2024
"Your time as a producer has come! Aspiring idols need guidance on their journey to fame and only you can provide it. Created by a renowned talent agency, Etoile Vie School is a special academy designed to teach and train idols to be. 32 idols-in-training, also known as “I-Chu” have been chosen to attend this academy and are all working hard towards their major debut. Separated into stylistically different groups, each idol has their own individual aspirations and unique personality, but with challenging hurdles ahead they must find the right way to understand and get along with each other. Enter you! It's your job as their teacher and producer, to guide these unique characters, through their struggles and stresses, helping them make music and resolve issues, to become the ultimate idols in the music industry!"
This is a rhythm-action visual novel joseimuke game released by PQube! It is not focused on romance. You can buy the physical version here, or the digital version here.
Jack Jeanne (ジャックジャンヌ)
Release dates (Nintendo Switch) Japanese: March 18th, 2021 English: June 15th, 2023
"Kisa is about to abandon her dream of becoming an actor when she is given the opportunity to enroll at the prestigious Univeil Drama School. She is granted admission with two conditions: be chosen as the lead in the final performance and hide her identity as a girl! Competition at the school is fierce and the rivalry is real!
Will Kisa be able to forge powerful bonds with her all-male classmates while competing against them for key roles?
Will she be cast in the lead role in the final performance at the end of the year all while keeping her secret?"
This is a game for the Nintendo Switch translated by Aksys Games! You can buy the physical version from Amazon.com here, or digitally from the Nintendo store.
DNF: Hi-Fi RUSH (Project NoBa24)
Every time I try a rhythm-action game, I think "Perhaps this will be the one" and every time I stop playing the game and concede "Perhaps not".
In a world... where robotics and humanity are crossing over, a young wannabe rockstar named Chai goes to get one of his arms replaced with a robotic version, but his music player getting mixed in with his body results in him gaining beat-based superpowers, the company hunting him down as a defect, and a corporate conspiracy that is being slowly uncovered. But it's not the kind of game to take any of that too seriously, and just focuses on the fun.
I've never quite seen a game so purpose-built to introduce and guide new players into the rhythm gameplay. The world around Chai will fluctuate, bounce or move to the beat of the music, he has a little robot cat sphere companion who flashes to the beat, and even Chai will keep time, snapping his fingers when standing still or stomping his feet when moving. And the music are all excellent choices and never overstay their welcome, at least for the two levels I played.
I really wanted to like this game. I didn't play it for very long but the process of dodging, attacking and laying down combos on-beat is addicting, and I thought about it when I wasn't playing. If ever there were a game that got me to love this genre of game it would be Hi-Fi RUSH, and yet...
At the end of the day, I just can't jive with it. This might explain why I'm not keen on Dark Souls either, but keeping time with the music takes me out of the game and reminds me I'm playing a game in a way that God of War (2018) and similar games don't. And it's difficult because I like this world, I like these characters, and even if the main character Chai is very stupid and annoying at times, I still want to follow him on this journey. But no matter the accessibility settings I turned on to make things easier, I just couldn't grok enjoyment of this game.
It's undoubtedly a good game, and it's a damned shame it led to the (albeit temporary) shuttering of its studio because a lot of hard work was put into it. I can see why people still talk about it, and I wish I could enjoy it as they do.
Time played: 92 minutes
Next game: Ghost of a Tale
Hi-Fi Rush blasts onto PS5 today
From Bethesda Softworks and Tango Gameworks, 2023’s hit rhythm-action game Hi-Fi Rush is now available on the PS5.
Headbangers Rhythm Royale
A Highland Song
Samba de Amigo: Party Central
