While rhythm games have been around for ages, just like most genres of games, it isn't for everyone. Almost every player has put down at least one game out of frustration. With how many rhythm games either require players to follow their songs in set ways, or feature a life system that could be more brutal than helpful, the genre has become a niche of those that can handle them, rather than being open to new players. This is where SEGA's latest mobile game venture, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage, comes in with a drive to change that.
Fans of Project DIVA should feel familiar with this kind of title. This game is yet another entry to the growing games staring Hatsune Miku and the other Vocaloids that have been seen across the internet. Developed by Colorful Palette, Colorful Stage functions in a very different way from Project DIVA, but shares songs with the series through several different Vocaloid producers. Being a mobile game, however, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage needs to be accessible to everyone, and that's where the game excels the most.
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage Makes Rhythm Games Easy to Learn
Many gamers understand what it feels like to stop a song halfway through because they've messed up too many times. While rage quitting happens with every type of game, rhythm games like Fuser and Rock Band are notorious for it. Colorful Palette seems to understand this and has instead made it so Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage invites players with intuitive features like adjustable note speed, haptic feedback, and more that make it so fans can play the game without any steep learning curves.
While these features may be standard in some rhythm games today, the manner in which they're executed is what helps the game stand out. Players can adjust the note speed to the finest millisecond detail in order to make sure that it matches their own personal tempo, which assists many gamers that end up alienated by other games in the genre that have only one general speed toggle, leading to clashing song speeds.
Gentle, haptic feedback lets players know that they've hit their notes in a way that also assists with the muscle memory rhythm games live off of. While Colorful Stage still has a Life system that can result in players failing songs, they can retry upon failing for no extra cost, and the game's cards featuring Vocaloids and original characters have skills that can restore life when lost.
New Modes in Colorful Stage That Rhythm Game Fans will Love
Even though these features make it easy for players to get a grip on how the game functions, that doesn't mean it isn't challenging. Even with an adjustable note speed, Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage has five difficulty settings in the form of Easy, Normal, Hard, Expert, and Master, and each one raises the stakes just a bit higher for those willing to take them on. Many new players should find it easy to work their way up to Hard with enough practice, but Expert and Master are definitely challenges left for rhythm game veterans and are just as difficult as they sound. If one mode seems impossible, however, players can enjoy all in-game modes at all difficulties and still come back with benefits.
This is made even more prevalent with how the game features an intuitive "Co-op Show" mode that invites players to a sort of "Play Along" that sees five users playing the same song in unison to tally up their scores together for special rewards. What makes this mode stand out the most is that it doesn't at all rely on difficulty levels to calculate the final score, instead of focusing on how well players perform on their difficulty of choice. Without judgment, fans can play with other players in their specific comfort zone, even if it's Easy mode, without worrying about holding the other players back.
These features are exactly what Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage is going to need to sustain itself, and it does it well and with a welcoming, friendly atmosphere. Outside of the game's rhythm game mechanics, it even makes its gacha features and story features welcoming for all sorts of players, as well. Colorful Stage's gacha doesn't put a limit on how long cards are available, and all special events are archived so players can experience their stories whenever at their own pace. This gives all types of players a wonderful game to play, no matter how frequently they do so. Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage welcomes anyone to play it and has set new standards for the other games that follow it across the board.
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage is out now on Android and iOS devices.