this is, full stop, one of the better rhythm games i've ever played. i have minimal complaints about the charting, how good the inputs feel, and the overall quality of the music and aesthetics. i come back to it very often for an example of "a good ass rhythm game, doesn't rely on a single gimmick to stand out".

achieving "progression" in it can be pretty grueling, though. more accessible rhythm games will allow you to get by with a number of mistakes, or expect you to be making about as many mistakes as you would make correct note hits (ala more recent & popular titles, like Friday Night Funkin).

SCGMD4 will pretty brute-force tell you "hit 1000 notes in a row on this song before you're able to progress more." or "beat this boss which makes the chart play 20% faster than the song and can only have their health bar damaged if you're at a perfect (10x) combo modifier (meaning no mistakes)". it's got that flash game roughness, but is all the more beautiful for it.