Taiko no Tatsujin: V Short Review
By: RJ (@rga_02)
- Taiko no Tatsujin: V
- Developer - Bandai Namco
- Publisher - Bandai Namco
- PlayStation Vita
- Rating - CERO A
This review was made possible through the support of our Patreon.
As I finished hogging up the Taiko machine at Round One, it was time to go back home. What game do I play on my commute back? Taiko of course.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Vor Taiko Drum Master is one of the latest entries to Namco’s beloved rhythm game. Addicting yet frustrating, Taiko has it all. One moment you could be humming to the tune of A Cruel Angel’s Thesis to throwing your Vita out the window because you missed that last note in Gimmie Choco!!
This game wasn’t localized for the West so you will hit a language barrier. However the menus are clean and laid out simply that you will get a feel out of the game within a couple of gameplay sessions. The main mode is your standard free play mode. You chose a difficulty level (there are four of them), a song and drum your life away to the beat of the music. The tracks selection range from J-POP, Anime OSTs, to tracks from various Namco IPs such as Tales of and Ridge Racer. I personally found the selection of tracks to be very weak compared to past iterations.
(Editor’s Note: Cell Phone shots had to be used because Namco does not allow screenshots to be taken while in game.)
Gameplay is very simple. You just hit the corresponding buttons as the notes roll by. So for example, you hit the d-pad or Triangle/Circle/X/Square when a red note passes by, or you hit the LR triggers when a blue note passes by. You can change this setup to whatever preference you’d like, but I personally found it to be the most comfortable out there.
The biggest attraction to this game isn’t the standard rhythm mode, but the musical RPG adventure. It’s sort of like Final Fantasy Theatrhythm. You go out on an RPG quest and you fight baddies using the power of music. Like any RPGs out there, it contains elemental properties and you can equip certain items so Don-chan (That’s the name of your drum) will have a successful journey.
It’s not a “pure” music game experience though. You can’t just hit all the moving notes throughout a battle. If you see a bomb the obviously you shouldn’t hit it otherwise you will lose HP.
If you do end up not defeating a boss, it will actually reduce the health of said boss. Depending on your preference, that could be a blessing or not.
The game also offers some modes of customization such as dressing up Don-Chan. Want them to look like Miku? Well you can dress them up in a Miku garb if you desire. I preferred dressing them up as Haruka from THE iDOLM@STER.
If you like simple rhythm games or don’t have access to a Taiko arcade cab in your area then I highly recommend this game. It’s fun and cute yet at the same time very frustrating on the higher difficulties. But I guarantee that you will have a smile at the end of the song when you hear, “MAXU COMBO!”
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Want to read more about Taiko? Read Omar’s experience with the game here.