Gitaroo Man seems like a simple rhythm game, but it has a surprising amount of story for the time and genre, rivalled by games like Parappa the Rapper, Space Channel 5, and iNiS's later works, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and Elite Beat Agents. While Gitaroo Man lacks some of the polish of those games, it makes up for it with heart and soul. It delves into teen angst, overcoming the odds, and finding the courage to embrace your individuality, in the messy and chaotic ways that a shonen writer would. It helps that its eclectic soundtrack is full of bangers, and to this day, The Legendary Theme is one of my favorite themes ever used in a video game.
Koei did an okay job at localizing the game in English, but its quality is still questionable. Part of me wishes there were subtitles as the audio balancing is all over the place, and some dialogue is near impossible to make out during levels. The game can also be chaotic during the actual rhythm sections, with way too much going on in the background while you're trying to focus on hitting notes. If you plan on playing this, I would also add a photosensitivity warning as the game regularly employs flashing lights that can worsen depending on the in-game camera.
Koei did an okay job at localizing the game in English, but its quality is still questionable. Part of me wishes there were subtitles as the audio balancing is all over the place, and some dialogue is near impossible to make out during levels. The game can also be chaotic during the actual rhythm sections, with way too much going on in the background while you're trying to focus on hitting notes. If you plan on playing this, I would also add a photosensitivity warning as the game regularly employs flashing lights that can worsen depending on the in-game camera.