DJMAX Respect is the bullet hell of rhythm games
by Amr (@siegarettes)
- DJMAX Respect
- Neowiz
- Arc System Works
- PS4
“The Dark Souls of x” is a phrase so ubiquitous now that you’ll probably hear it used to refer to any difficult game. obviously the creators of DJMAX have gotten wise to this, as all the press copy for DJMAX Respect, the latest in the notoriously demanding rhythm series, includes the phrase. But is it true? Is this really the Dark Souls of Rhythm Games?
No. What? That doesn’t make sense.
In fact, that whole ~Dark Souls of~ thing is seriously just… useless for describing…anything.
Let me offer a better comparison: DJMAX Respect is the bullet hell for rhythm games.
I’ve suffered at the hands of several of the previous DJMAX games, but all of them left me discouraged. The patterns were too fast, too complex, and I couldn’t understand how anyone could find them playable. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’ve finally started to crack it after getting into the bullet hell genre.
Approaching a song in DJMAX feels like playing a shooter for the first time. i jump in, enjoy the vibe, get a glimpse of something cool–then proceed to be obliterated by the waves of death bringing patterns blotting out the screen. from there i push a little further each time until i can survive the whole run, before returning to slowly improve my score over time. It’s the same process for DJMAX Respect. Songs go through a progression of survival, aiming for the full combo, then sharpening my timing until I can finally get a respectable rank. Maybe some day I’ll even be able to move up from 4 button mode.
It helps that the scoring system in DJMAX Respect has mellowed out a bit this time. Where in DJMAX Trilogy you could pull off a full combo and still get an F rank if you didn’t nail the timing, Respect’s a more lenient critic. The lowest grade you can get for surviving is a C, with a full combo almost guaranteeing a B. Apparently if you absolutely crush it you can get an S, but I wouldn’t know because hours in and I’ve never seen it for even the easiest songs.
The score and combo multiplying Fever mode is now automatic by default, keeping you from dropping a combo while attempting to activate it. In response to these changes the RPG style equipment and avatars that provided boosts have been removed, replaced with an achievement system that unlocks new galleries and alternative visual styles as you hit certain milestones and level up. I personally preferred this, as it gave me a concrete objective to aim for, rather than feeling like I had to aimlessly grind. It also provides incentive to try other modes and difficulties. Which might end up biting me when I go for those tougher challenges and find them completely impossible.
That’s alright because this time around there’s so many songs that even when I can’t hack it in harder songs there’s still plenty for me to play. Trilogy, and even some of the Portable entries, often ended with me playing the same five or six low difficulty songs just to survive the arcade mode, with most of the tracklist being way beyond me. This time there’s a much wider range of challenge levels, even within the lowest complexity 4 button mode. There’s also HARD and MAXIMUM variants for some of the songs, and as I learned the game I found myself bumping up the difficulty on familiar songs. I found satisfaction in just surviving these songs, and pulling off the rare full combo or A rank has been triumphant.
Of course none of this would matter if the music and beats weren’t good and thankfully Respect has one of the most diverse music collections, as well as spot on feedback for every move. Songs are mostly Korean, but have plenty of genres represented.
It’s also one of the few games that can get me really excited about a UI. Menus are slick and well presented, with lots of smart functionality that surfaces relevant info and remembers settings on a per song basis. The act of hitting the beats themselves is a joy. There’s plenty of skins for both notes and interface, each with their unique charms. Notes can burst into light, or take the form of cats who leap toward the screen.
Each note is tied to an aspect of the song, so not only can you see how well you timed a note, but you’ll also hear it. The only problem here is that the tracks the beats match up with aren’t always consistent. Sometimes you might be playing the main melody or vocals, then switch to a drum track or synth during certain sections. One song was particularly confusing, having me play the main beat on 3 notes, with the last one on drum flourishes. It was more confusing than it needed to be, but for the most part I was able to tune into which parts of the song it wanted me to play after a few tries.
All in all DJMAX Respect is a triumph. There are plenty of rhythm games that can bring the same amount of intensity, but few of them are so richly presented that they make me want to keep improving in the same way that Respect does. And while it’s sure to keep infuriating me in the future, Neowiz have finally found a structure and balance that keeps DJMAX from feeling like a hopeless grind. There’s a really rewarding game here, and for anyone willing to tune in for the long road, DJMAX Respect will continue to keep giving.
Read RJ’s review here.