I have always loved rhythm games. There’s nothing better than chilling on a Sunday afternoon to some music rhythm games and constantly improving yourself. Even if you don’t do well, practice will make improvement and eventually perfection. It’s a great way to jam to music while challenging yourself.
Now, I have tried many music games, including western ones like Just Dance, Zumba, and Guitar Hero, but I’ve always been a bigger fan of Japanese rhythm games. I enjoy the music more, and I love that they focus more heavily on the beat or the riffs, instead of the melody or vocals that are less consistent or predictable.
There are only 10 games I remember well enough to rank, so 10 will be the one I liked the least. I have touched other arcade games like Bang Dream, Guitar Freaks, and Pop n’ Music, but I don’t recall that moment well enough to rank it.
So here we go!
10. Project Diva
I’m going to be upfront with you. I don’t like Project Diva. I got to try it a few times on my friend’s PSP and PS3(?). I didn’t do too well admittedly, but as competitive as I am, I just didn’t care to try to get better.
Why? For one, I can’t really listen to Vocaloid songs for too long. They’re usually fast and high pitched, and that is highlighted in the game. Two, I can’t stand the graphics. The instructions are glowing and moving throughout, and the background graphics are also bright and distracting.
If you don’t have the best eyesight and/or you’re not familiar with the buttons (I’m a Nintendo girl), it can be too much to take in and keep up with. They use a clock timer for each button so you know when to press it, but, if I can barely see and follow the buttons to begin with, the clock is just additional input that can be hard to process.
All in all, the game is just too much to process for me to really get into it and enjoy it. It sucks if you don’t have perfect vision either. If you’re not familiar with the songs, it’s hard to predict the timing, and it just requires too much mental energy. Thus why I gave this game the lowest on this list. If you’re a Vocaloid fan though, I definitely see the appeal!
9. Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Wii)
Before you jump to conclusions, I love DDR, but only in arcades. I got to try the Wii version for a few hours at my high school friend’s house who owned it. The experience is quite different.
For one, you’re playing on a flat smooth mat. You don’t get the kind of feedback you would at the arcade where there is a height difference between the board and the buttons. I’m also so used to stomping as it can help me keep a beat (and the buttons at Yorkdale Mall sucks sometimes), but I had to be quite light footed with this game unless I wanted to hurt my foot.
Ontop of the buttons, I’m not a fan of the music. For the home version, the song mostly focuses on Western songs. As mentioned in my intro, Japanese music games tends to focus more on the beat, but I find western music games tend to focus more on the melody, and it can be less harder to find a groove in my opinion.
However, if you know the songs, it’s not too bad. I personally enjoyed the handful of Japanese songs available like Kimono Princess.
8. Taiko no Tatsujin
I got to try this game two ways. I had it on my DS and you would have to use two styluses to play it. There were quite a few songs I knew, and others that I came to enjoy through this game.
However, considering how small the screen is, it can be hard to be precise using styluses to hit the rim of the drum. And because you are using both hands to play, you would need to put your DS on a table, and thus, you can’t keep the screen as close to your face as you’d like to read the quick instructions.
The arcade version of this game is a lot more fun though. You get a big drum and two sticks that you can hold with your whole hand. It does take some getting used to, and there are things that pop up where you’re not sure what exactly you have to do, but all in all, it’s a chill game that’s easy to get into.
7. Elite Beat Agents
While this is an English game made for western markets, it is referred to as a ‘spiritual international sequel’ to the Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan series, and the directors and designers are Japanese. Thus, I am considering it a Japanese rhythm game.
An ex of mine really loved this game and borrowed it to me to try as he thought I’d like it. While the songs were mostly English, and it has a similar set up as Project Diva, I enjoyed this game a whole lot more.
First of all, the game has a storyline. It’s quite silly, but it’s fun reading through this comic and feeling like you’re a hero by nailing the songs and being a dancing agent.
Second, unlike Project Diva where you would have to click buttons, you would use your stylus for the game. The background graphics aren’t as intrusive, so the instructions stick out more. This game also uses numbers and a minimizing circle instead of a clock timer to tell you when to press what.
You are given instructions on how to play at the very beginning, and as new things come in, they will teach you making it very easy for someone new to pick up the game and get into it. Since it has a storyline, though, once I was finished, I wasn’t as compelled to keep playing songs.
6. Drummania
I got to play this game quite a few times as the biggest asian mall, Pacific Mall, had it. There are other games I loved more, but when they renovated, they got rid of most of them…except this one. Not sure if it’s just cause it was in better condition or because it was popular, but regardless, I’m happy they did.
Drummania is as it sounds. It’s an arcade game where you get to play the drums for some really fun Japanese hits. The setup of the drum is pretty accurate and it’s full sized. I have played and owned the drums for Band Hero, but Drummania is more realistic in it’s layout.
Below is a video of someone comparing a real kit to a song and showing how precise it is. Thus, if you get good at this game, you could be a really drummer, which isn’t the same for translating Guitar Hero onto a real guitar.
It can take a few tries to figure it out since you may not always remember which colour represents each drum, and that’s still assuming you have some experience drumming before. If it’s all new to you, it’s certainly a learning curve as you’ll need to coordinate your arms and legs, and be able to hit multiple drums at the same time.
My main critique for this game is that it can be hard figuring out a good level for yourself. A medium for one song maybe kinda easy, but another song on the same level is quite difficult. Of course, since it’s based on a real kit, some songs will be faster or have more notes.
However, since it’s an arcade game, people may be scared to try new songs or harder songs because they don’t want to fail, embarrass themselves, and lose their money. It can be intimidating and I’m sure there are people who will try it twice and never touch it again as it’s certainly more difficult than it looks!
5. Mai Mai
On my trip to Japan, I was disappointed that I couldn’t find #3 anywhere, and I didn’t really care to play DDR since I could play that at home, so I was looking for another game to get into, and fell in love with this one.
Mai Mai is like DDR, but for your hands. Instead of 4 buttons, you get 8! The screen is in front of your face, and you’ll place your hands where the light goes. It was really easy to get into, and there were some popular songs that I knew, making it even more enjoyable. (I did try the Bang Dream arcade game for example, but had yet to watch the show or know any songs at that point).
Because you’re using your hands, you can play a lot faster, and you won’t get nearly as tired as you would with DDR. Thus, this is a game you can easily play for an hour. My only complaint is that there are times where you have to drag your hand across the screen, which isn’t always easy to do. That’s why pro players like the guy in the above video has a glove on.
These games were everywhere in Japan btw (onsens, amusement parks, etc), so anytime I had a little break, I was down to play some songs. I really wished we had these here, but it’s also not the most hygienic for obvious reasons.
4. Dance Dance Revolution (Arcade)
DDR is such a gem, and it doesn’t surprise me that it’s survived as long as it did. Many arcade games have come and gone at Yorkdale and Pacific Mall in Toronto, but this is the constant.
The learning curve can be a big hard if you’re not used to moving your feet to a video game, but the easy levels are easy enough that you have time to think about it. You could even learn some routines like I did in high school.
There’s a lot of fun and cool songs if you’re open to trying them. I think everyone spends a lot of time browsing through the list as these are songs you probably would never hear elsewhere. I’m sure many people who play this end up picking the same songs most of the time as they know what to expect.
Honestly, if I had the chance to play Mai Mai more, it could probably beat DDR on this list. I’m sure it’s more fun for newbies and there’s less chance of embarrassing yourself since you don’t have a crowd of pros waiting behind you half the time, but DDR has been around longer and has earned it’s place in arcades everywhere.
Definitely check out this video by Domics, as he has experience playing DDR at Pacific Mall in my city, and can share what it’s really like playing this game haha
3. Para Para Paradise
If you haven’t heard of this game, I’m not surprised in the least. It’s a very rare game to see, and it’s been out of business for quite some time now. I think I remember Yorkdale Mall having it for some time before I ever got to play in the arcade, but if it wasn’t for Pacific Mall, I wouldn’t have had the chance to try it. Sadly, when they renovated, they got rid of it.
So what is Para Para Paradise? Consider it a mix between Just Dance and DDR, but with a focus on Eurobeat songs. It uses downward lasers instead of buttons, and your hands are supposed to hit these lasers as instructed. Now, a lot of people who do try this will just hit the lights, but that’s because they don’t know that the game was designed after Para Para dancing.
Para Para dances are pretty simple. Usually you’ll just move side to side and your arms are doing all the dancing. You can consider it like the line dancing or disco dance of Japan in the past. The routines were always the same, and they were easy for anyone to get into. There are only so many moves you can do with just your arms, so a lot of the dances would incorporate the same moves.
But anyways, once I found out about this game, I spent a lot of time learning the routines at home and then I would play them in person, and it’s a lot of fun. The character on the screen does show you what to do, and the point is, if you do the dance, you don’t even have to think much about the buttons as you are hitting them naturally.
However, if you don’t know the dances nor care to know them, it’s probably not as enjoyable. Yeah, you can swat some lights and look silly doing it, but it’s a lot more fun when you’re hitting em naturally when dancing. It’s my favourite arcade game on this list, and I miss it dearly. I can’t tell you how many dreams I had finding this game in an arcade LOL
2. Rhythm Heaven
If you haven’t played Rhythm Heaven, you are missing out! I had the DS version, and my lil sis liked it enough that she got the Wii version as a gift later, so I have experience with both versions.
This is a game full of mini games all centered around rhythm. They all have a different song and different things you need to do to a variety of genres and music styles. They also all have their own graphics and story, making it super cute…until SOME characters give you dirty looks every time you miss or mess up in some kinda way (it’s hilarious though).
Sometimes you just have to stomp to a beat. Sometimes you have to play your part as a group. Sometimes you’re switching between on-beats and off-beats. Sometimes you’re doing bossa nova rhythms. Sometimes you’re using your sword to kill monsters or you’re a karate master hitting buckets…but if you’re not on time, you won’t complete your mission.
Even if you pass one game, you’ll still be encouraged to practice them until you get the ‘perfect’ seal of approval. And then you got mashups which combine these mini games together in a new song. The instructions for each game are simply enough that anyone can join in and it’s fun to challenge your family and see who has better rhythm. Or work together to sail the seas or make mochi!
This game has so many different ways to practice and develop your rhythm skills, and compared to every other game on this list, it has variety. DDR, Para Para, DrumMania, you are doing the same thing, just to different songs. On this game though, you got over 50 minigames that change things up. You may not like a few mini games, and there will be some you struggle with, but there’s going to be others you really love replaying.
1. stepmania
While I haven’t played Stepmania in ages (and I do mean ages, like more than 12+ years ages), I have to give it the respect it needs. Before I played any other games on this list, Stepmania was my formal introduction to music and rhythm games. While in middle school, some other girls were playing it on their computer, and they allowed me to make a copy on my own USB drive.
I remember seeing DDR in arcades, but I had yet to break off from my parents or have the money to try it. But by playing this first, I was able to practice hand-eye coordination in a musical context.
The songs were all Japanese. And compared to Project Diva and DDR, I would hear the sample of these songs, and actually looked forward to trying it out. Adding on, you are using your fingers on a keyboard, something everyone is used to doing, so it’s a lot easier for someone new to get into it. And while you can fail, it’s a free game! You can try again all you like.
If you’ve never played a Japanese rhythm game, this is definitely the best place to start. Rhythm heaven is great too, but if you don’t have much sense of rhythm now and lack hand-eye coordination, it may be more frustrating for a newbie, even if the games are simple.
Stepmania is different. The controls are consistent. And because it is designed like DDR, you’ll only have to press two notes at most at any given time. So definitely go for it! It’s still available for download, they just aren’t updating it anymore.
Conclusion
So that’s my list of my least favourite to favourite Japanese rhythm games. What about you?
Do you agree with this list? Are there any games not here that you think would have gotten a high spot? Any games on here that are new to you that you would love to try? Let me know in the comments!
And if you’re interested in learning more vocabulary and kanji so you can watch anime and dramas, read manga, sing J-pop at karaoke, or play raw Japanese video games, check out my 250+ Kanji for Japanese Media (+Sentences) article and my Japanese Study Guide!