Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan review

Whenever you hear a good song, you instinctively tap along to it... foot, fingers, hand, whatever. Taking this inclination a step further, iNiS (the company behind Gitaroo Man) have conjured up Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, a lively rhythm-action game in which tapping along to the music is not only encouraged, it's essential. This simple formula makes Ouendan one of the most satisfying music games around (and not a word of English is required!). Indeed, it speaks volumes for the game's accessibility that you can understand exactly what to do without ever being told. Music is universally understood - and the use of vibrant comic-book style intros and cut-scenes (ideally suited to the vertical orientation of the twin screens) makes the story crystal-clear, in spite of the language barrier. Loosely translated, Ouendan means "cheer squad" - and is amply demonstrated by your trio of male dancers, whose mission is to assist people around town by cheering them on; boosting their confidence to overcome whatever problems they're having. Ouendan's unique advantage is having the controls become part of the game itself. Unlike other rhythm-action titles, the buttons you press (circles that appear on the touch screen) are labelled, colour-coded, numerically-sequenced - and logically make sense. Rings surround your buttons, and you tap them just as the ring reaches the centre (coinciding with the beat of the song): more accuracy means higher points and, if you are consistently accurate, you can earn massive combos. Keeping time with the music raises your 'cheer meter' - essential for clearing the levels - if it drops too low, you'll fail. Naturally, a music game lives or dies by its soundtrack. While there's no accounting for taste, Gamestyle is almost certain there isn't a person alive who could play Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan without grinning like a Cheshire cat after hearing the first song. And it doesn't let up for a minute. Unlike Gitaroo Man's more varied selection of music styles, Ouendan adheres to a thoroughly engaging selection of J-Pop: catchy, high-tempo tunes that don't stop throughout the fifteen levels. The aforementioned colour-coding is applied to different elements of the song, so if you're following one beat, you can quickly switch to the next without your timing being thrown off. Similarly, the fact that buttons are numbered means you don't have to search the screen for the next beat; an easy path is already laid out before you - with gaps between buttons signalling delays and sustainable notes. When you're keeping up with the music, tapping in time and pulling off what seems like superhuman feats, it's the best feeling in the world. It gets hard - very hard - but Ouendan's learning curve is perfectly-pitched. For one thing, it has numerous levels of difficulty; the beginners' mode eases you in, whilst normal takes longer to master (indeed the final level is excruciatingly tough). Hard mode adds even more 'active' notes to each song, followed by a bonus difficulty - but we'll leave that surprise to players. Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan also trains you to become better: whereas the hard mode is initially baffling and near-impossible to tame, it soon becomes the preferred choice for maximum enjoyment. And if one track has you stumped, you can usually choose another of the same difficulty (via a map screen representing the town). However, Ouendan is so hopelessly addictive that you won't be stumped for long - it's never unfair, and it's far from dull. The only criticism comes from the fact that your hand may occasionally cover the screen - obscuring your view of the next beat - which sometimes forces you to rely on memory rather than quick-thinking. You also need a good, solid hold of the stylus, as things can get a tad sweaty. The need for accuracy also makes this a difficult game to play whilst travelling (and the ranking is a little biased towards 'B' grades unless you significantly falter or excel). But these are minor nitpicks and hardly matter. In fact, when you're 'in the zone', nothing matters: not even the stares of people around you when you're tapping your feet with abandon (and smiling like a loon). All that matters is hitting the next beat and going with the flow - truly, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan offers so much more than a preselection of music; it's like you're living it, playing it - anticipating each new beat and leading it upon a rhythmic cruise; conducting the entire piece fluidly with a few flicks of your baton. (And you can share this euphoria via wireless multiplayer - either working against each other, or co-operatively - albeit this requires two copies of the game; for technical reasons, single-card play only allows for demo mode.) Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan oozes style, energy and vibrancy every second that it's switched on. Every frame of animation, every beat of every tune of every level is bristling with life and charm. But more than that, it brings out these qualities in everyone who plays it: from the upbeat vibe to the cheers of the protagonists, if you have even the slightest interest in music, the remotest leaning to skill-based games, or even the tiniest sliver of 'soul' in your body - get this game. It's absolutely essential, and absolutely joyous.