Tapsonic Bold – Review

Let me just say that Rhythm games have come a long way from just being a fun game you see people expertly play in arcades. It has evolved into quite a popular genre, especially for this one series you may or may not have heard before called DJMAX.

For them, spinning off their series might have been quite a task, considering how popular their series is already when they first release TAPSONIC TOP on mobile but it was a surprising hit. Gaining kudos from new and old fans alike, giving them the confidence to announce a PC release of a spin-off to a mega-hit series.

Which is where we come in. Though I haven’t been “in the know” for this genre, I have heard great things about this game and I’m pleased to say that it is.

Presentation

When you boot up the game, the first thing you’ll notice is perhaps the good looking and very intuitive UI. From the nice usages of asymmetrical shapes and the smoothness of the menus on even the lowest of screen resolutions, the dev team has made snapping from menus-to-gameplay quick and snappy. Perfect for those wanting to play in quick bursts.

And if you head straight into the game, you’ll be greeted with a selection of songs from DJMAX and the mobile TAPSONIC and even a few new original songs from various creators. All of them are pretty nice to listen to. In fact, there is an Original Soundtrack that’s coming at the time of writing, so that just shows how the fans enjoy listening to the game’s music whilst pushing 200 beats per minute. It’s that good.

Gameplay

The foundation of a rhythm game is of course, how it’s played and how well the button presses connect to what you see on-screen. Well, I can say that all of the notes charts are crafted and tuned towards each BPM setting, which could help players learn or master a song quite well. Though I had few difficulties in some patterns on the slower beats, it’s probably on my part not being able to calibrate my settings. The game is hard but quite fair is what I’m getting while playing this game.

Key button presses are also rebindable to your liking, making it easier for those want to edit their key steps to further enhance their enjoyment in playing but, I did experience some keys not responding to my inputs during some instances but again, it’s probably on my part.

For playing the game itself, there’s a lot of modes that could tickle your needs. Besides Solo Play and Arcade mode, where you can play a song and compare your scores with the rest of the world, there’s also Mission mode where you could be playing two to four songs continuously while trying to meet criteria like having a FULL COMBO or not breaking the chain for a certain amount of time. These missions will test even the veterans of the game and it’s quite a fundamental add for those wanting to enjoy the game. All in all, Tapsonic Bold is quite solid on the gameplay front.

Content

In of itself, Tapsonic Bold is quite a good spin-off of DJMAX Respect (which just had a console version released in 2017!) and it’s nice of the guys at Neowiz to bring that experience onto the PC scene. And it seems as though they are going to be constantly updating this game with more songs in the near future, so it will continue to bring in new updates for the time being.

Although, I reckon that after completing all songs and mission modes, there’s isn’t much for the casual players to play on beyond that point due to how easily everything could be played but harder to master. Perhaps the constant updates the devs have planned would elevate this issue in the long run but for now, there isn’t a lot going for after “Completing” the game.

Personal Enjoyment

I actually quite enjoy playing this title for the sole reason of taking me back to the olden days of playing Osu! 1.0 with the keypad notes. And boy am I not as fast as I were in high school. Probably all those years finally catching up to me but it’s actually thrilling to get an S+ rank after panic tapping for 3 minutes each time (which feels longer while playing, I kid you not).

Also here’s in-text how a session of playing would usually go: *PANIC Takakaka INTENSIFIES*

Conclusion

Tapsonic Bold is a pretty good rhythm game in the current indie game market. With its fair shares of quirks and features, it’s a perfect way to enter the genre that is known for quick wits and constant need for replaying to be the best.

Could it be more casual friendly? Perhaps. But for myself, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  It is a spin-off DJMAX after all.

Review copy provided by the publisher.