Kind of bizarre for a taiko game, especially since it felt like it was kind of shadow dropped out of the blue.
Unlike every other taiko game, this uses a vertical aspect ratio instead of a horizontal one. I definitely thought at first that it would limit visibility but the note charts are still quite readable. The UI and overall game aesthetic is very tiktokcore, with the extra vertical space being used to play videos and whatnot, which is eh. They gave every song in the game a bespoke album cover which has never been done before in taiko and the art for the covers is super cool, i honestly hope that they get implemented in the arcade and console taikos from here on out.
As for the gameplay, holding a phone vertically and using two thumbs as drumsticks works quite well, though this certainly feels like it was designed to not be taken so seriously. Not only is muzu the default difficulty with oni being locked behind a muzu clear, but also scoring in general is very P2W locked behind season passes and cosmetic unlocks and what have you. So while its definitely not comfortable to do really intense songs, I don't think thats the intention here.
Being an F2P mobile game, there are the caviats of there being ads that inconsistently bombard you with crap that you'd have to buy the season pass to remove. I thought that it'd be really bad and limit your every move, but honestly the game is incredibly generous with plays, as in my time playing so far I have never run out of limited play tickets and theres a rotating free song list that always has something interesting in it.
Honestly it's an upper-echelon home taiko game, as surprising as it is to say. It pretty much offers the entire breadth of content contained in the premium taiko pass on console for free, provided you dont mind watching a handful of cringe mobile ads from time to time. Considering the fact this has 800+ songs, a solid control scheme, and even mfin english support in the settings, there's probably not a better taiko game for newcomers. If this game came out when I was first getting into taiko, it'd have been all that I would have needed. Definitely keepin this on my phone to get a taiko fix whenever i want.
Unlike every other taiko game, this uses a vertical aspect ratio instead of a horizontal one. I definitely thought at first that it would limit visibility but the note charts are still quite readable. The UI and overall game aesthetic is very tiktokcore, with the extra vertical space being used to play videos and whatnot, which is eh. They gave every song in the game a bespoke album cover which has never been done before in taiko and the art for the covers is super cool, i honestly hope that they get implemented in the arcade and console taikos from here on out.
As for the gameplay, holding a phone vertically and using two thumbs as drumsticks works quite well, though this certainly feels like it was designed to not be taken so seriously. Not only is muzu the default difficulty with oni being locked behind a muzu clear, but also scoring in general is very P2W locked behind season passes and cosmetic unlocks and what have you. So while its definitely not comfortable to do really intense songs, I don't think thats the intention here.
Being an F2P mobile game, there are the caviats of there being ads that inconsistently bombard you with crap that you'd have to buy the season pass to remove. I thought that it'd be really bad and limit your every move, but honestly the game is incredibly generous with plays, as in my time playing so far I have never run out of limited play tickets and theres a rotating free song list that always has something interesting in it.
Honestly it's an upper-echelon home taiko game, as surprising as it is to say. It pretty much offers the entire breadth of content contained in the premium taiko pass on console for free, provided you dont mind watching a handful of cringe mobile ads from time to time. Considering the fact this has 800+ songs, a solid control scheme, and even mfin english support in the settings, there's probably not a better taiko game for newcomers. If this game came out when I was first getting into taiko, it'd have been all that I would have needed. Definitely keepin this on my phone to get a taiko fix whenever i want.