Taiko no Tatsujin

Taiko no Tatsujin
A Taiko no Tatsujin (2011) arcade cabinet
Genres	Music, Rhythm
Developers	Bandai Namco Games
Publishers	Bandai Namco Games
First release	Taiko no Tatsujin (2001 arcade game) February 21, 2001
Latest release	Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen! November 26, 2015

Taiko no Tatsujin (太鼓の達人), literally translating to English as Taiko Master, is a series of rhythm games created by Namco. In the games, players simulate playing a Taiko drum in time with music. The series has released games for the arcade and for platforms including PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U, iOS, Advanced Pico Beena, and mobile phones.

While the series is mainly designed for use within Japan, there are also specially localized releases for other regions, including English-, Chinese- and Korean-language versions.

Gameplay

Objective

The main objective of Taiko no Tatsujin games is to hit a simulated Taiko drum following a chosen piece of music, corresponding tonotes (音符 onpu) scrolling from the right.

A song is cleared when the spirit gauge (魂ゲージ tamashii geeji) is filled past the target (ノルマ noruma), by playing accurately enough.

Controls

Arcade releases are equipped with simulated Taiko, which can register hits when played with drum sticks (bachis).

Console releases mainly uses buttons to play, while certain devices can support additional methods of input:

• A virtual Taiko drum is provided on devices with touchscreens (DS, 3DS, Wii U, iPod touch, smartphone), played with either styluses or fingers.
• Dedicated peripherals simulating real drums can be purchased additionally for PS2, Wii or Wii U releases.

Notes

The variety of notes in the game consists mainly of red and blue markers. The red don (ドン) note requires a hit on the face of the drum, and the blue kat (カッ) note requires a hit on the rim.^[1]

Other notes require quick consecutive hits on the drum. Types of such notes includes the yellow bar, the balloon note and the Kusudama ball.^[1]

Difficulty

Most games in the franchise provides four difficulty levels for play, namely Easy (かんたん kantan), Normal (ふつう futsū) and Hard (むずかしい muzukashii) and the hardest Oni (おに, lit. demon).

The sequence of the notes in a level is commonly referred to as a notechart (譜面 fumen).

Inner notecharts

Certain songs also have extra inner note charts (裏譜面 ura fumen) in addition to the four standard levels. These are intended to be alternative takes on the regular set.^[2] Although not a main objective, most inner note charts are made more difficult than regular note charts.^[2]

Some inner note charts work by changing to an alternative version of the song, or, exclusively in arcades, switching to a completely different song.^[2]

Notechart branching

Some songs can feature notechart branching (譜面分岐 fumen bunki) in certain difficulty levels. According to the player's performance, the notechart changes between Normal notechart (普通譜面 futsuu fumen), Expert notechart (玄人譜面 kurōto fumen) or Master notechart (達人譜面 tatsujin fumen).

Gameplay options

Various aspects of the game can be changed to the player's liking:

• Players can choose an alternate instrument or sound to play, instead of the classic Taiko drum.
• Players can apply modifiers to change aspects of gameplay, like increased note speeds, reversed notecharts (red and blue notes interchanged) or randomized notecharts.
• In console releases, players can choose to have the notechart played automatically and correctly.
• In console releases, players can choose to have the song end early as soon as they miss one note.

Releases

Taiko: Drum Master

Taiko: Drum Master is the first and only English-language release in the franchise, first released for the PlayStation 2 on October 26, 2004 in North America and September in Japan. Instead of Japanese pop and anime music, Taiko: Drum Master uses English-language pop music by artists including Queen and Madonna, and Western animation theme songs from Dragon Ball and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Taiko no Tatsujin 13

Taiko no Tatsujin 13 (太鼓の達人 13) is the thirteenth arcade release of the series, with service commencing December 17, 2009. Taiko no Tatsujin 13 was used to hold the Japan-wide tournament Namco Presents Taiko no Tatsujin Nippon-ichi Ketteisen 2010: The Best Master is You! (ナムコPresents 太鼓の達人 日本一決定戦 2010 ～最強の達人は君だ！) in early 2010.^[3]

Taiko no Tatsujin 14

Taiko no Tatsujin 14 (太鼓の達人 14) is the fourteenth arcade release of the series. With more than 150 playable songs, 14 inherits many features from previous releases. For a limited time, 14 participated as part of a collaboration with McDonald's.^[4] As part of the franchise's 10th anniversary celebration, an upgrade patch was made available for 14, adding five extra songs to the track listing.^[5]

Taiko no Tatsujin Plus

Taiko no Tatsujin Plus (太鼓の達人 プラス), also stylized as Taiko no Tatsujin +, is a video game application exclusively for iOS devices, released on May 28, 2014 in Japan.^[6] Plus is free to download but charges for purchasing additional music packs.^[6] In June 2015, Plus introduces the All-you-can-take Music (楽曲取り放題) service, allowing unlimited downloads of designated songs within a set time for a fee.^[7][8] Plus is chiefly controlled with a simulated drum surface on the device's touchscreen,^[6] but also supports Roland Corporation's V-Drums electronic drum sets with subsequent updates.^[9]

In addition to typical Taiko no Tatsujin gameplay, Plus also includes the Fukubiki (福引) feature, where in-game points can be exchanged for rolls of lucky draw for randomly drawn prizes.

Taiko no Tatsujin (2011 arcade)

Taiko no Tatsujin (太鼓の達人) is the fifteenth and currently operating arcade release of the series. This release is significantly different from previous arcade releases, allowing players to store play data with Bandai Namco's Banapassport card, customizing player characters and by-player difficulty settings.^[10] The game can also receive online updates to add playable songs and features. Initially exclusively for use in Japan, the cabinet is later released to Asian regions outside Japan since January 2014, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.　^[11]

Taiko no Tatsujin underwent multiple large-scale updates, including C/N: KATSU-DON (July 2012), Sorairo ver. (ソライロ ver.) (March 2013), Momoiro ver. (モモイロ ver.) (December 2013) and Kimidori ver. (キミドリ ver.) (July 2014).^[12] A fifth large-scale update, to be named Murasaki ver. (ムラサキ ver.) is expected to be carried out in March 2015.^[13]

Taiko no Tatsujin: Wii U Version

Taiko no Tatsujin: Wii U Version (太鼓の達人 Wii Uば～じょん！) is the first Taiko no Tatsujin game exclusively for the Nintendo Wii U, released on November 21, 2013 in Japan only. The game was said to carry 70 songs, and features appearances of Golden Bomber and Super Mario Bros.,^[14] and a collaboration campaign with Japanese idol group Momoiro Clover Z.^[15]

Wii U Version features the new gameplay mode Baton Touch Play (バトンタッチ演奏), where multiple players alternately play a single song in a relay race-like fashion. The game also supports the Wii U GamePad with a touchscreen drum, and can be played with the GamePad alone without needing a television set.^[14]

Both free and paid downloadable content, including outfit items and additional playable songs, are available via the Nintendo eShop.^[16]

Taiko no Tatsujin: Don to Katsu no Jikū Daibōken

Taiko no Tatsujin: Don to Katsu no Jikū Daibōken (太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険) is the second Taiko no Tatsujin game exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS, released on June 26, 2014 in Japan only.^[17] The game includes a reported number of 60 songs, and guest appearance of Jibanyan from Yo-Kai Watch, Airou from Monster Hunter 4, Funassyi and Kumamon.^[18]

Don to Katsu no Jikū Daibōken features a main story plot in Space-time Adventure Mode (時空大冒険モード jikū daibōken mōdo), in which series protagonists Don and Katsu travel through time to different periods, encountering various friends and enemies.^[19] Players engage in random encounter drum-playing battles and gather befriended enemies as team members, similarly as in Pokemon games with added rhythm game elements.

Both free and paid downloadable content, including additional quests for Space-time Adventure Mode, outfit items and additional playable songs, are available via the Nintendo eShop.^[20][21] Additional content can also be unlocked via scanning QR codes hosted at various other media^[22] and using Spot Access functionality at specific locations.^[23]

Don to Katsu no Jikū Daibōken was later localized into a Korean-language version and was released on August 27, 2015.^[24][25]

Taiko no Tatsujin: Tokumori!

Taiko no Tatsujin: Tokumori! (太鼓の達人 特盛り！) is the second Taiko no Tatsujin game exclusively for the Nintendo Wii U, released on November 20, 2014 in Japan only.^[26] The game boasts a collection of 100 playable songs, and features appearances of guest characters such as Funassyi, Kumamon and Hatsune Miku.

Tokumori features two new modes: Mekadon Gasha (メカドンガシャ), a capsule toy set-up for unlocking unlockable content, and Intro-don (イントロどん♪), an intro quiz mini-game. Baton Touch Play Mode returns from Wii U Version.

Both free and paid downloadable content, including outfit items and additional playable songs, are available via the Nintendo eShop.^[27][28]

Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version

Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version (太鼓の達人 Vバージョン) is a Taiko no Tatsujin game exclusively for the PlayStation Vita, released on July 9, 2015. The game includes more than 80 playable songs, with a focus on anime, Vocaloid and video game music.^[29][30]

V Version features a main story plot in Donder Quest (ドンだークエスト dondā kuesuto), in which protagonist Don adventures with a young female named Maple to defeat Noise and the ancient dragon Revolution.^[29][30][31] The game also features the practice mode Taiko Training (太鼓トレーニング taiko toreiningu) that can fast forward, rewind and change speed.^[29]

A traditional Chinese version, with translated Chinese menu and dialogue text but retaining Japanese voice acting, will be released on the same release date in Taiwan and Hong Kong.^[32] This version is expected to feature Asia-exclusive playable songs, to be continually made available after release.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen!

Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen! (太鼓の達人 あつめて★ともだち大作戦！) is the third Taiko no Tatsujin game exclusively for the Nintendo Wii U, released on November 26, 2015 in Japan.^[33][34][35] The game is first announced in an official livestream program by the series development team on August 21, 2015.^[33] Coinciding with the series' 15th Anniversary, the game includes an original 15th Anniversary short animation produced in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, and the first printing of the bundle version that includes additional 15th Anniversary branded goods.^[33]

The game features the brand new Tomodachi Daisakusen! (ともだち大作戦！) mode, with Kat-chan befriending animals to become the most popular person in the neighborhood. Other modes from past Wii U titles also make a return.^[35]

In other media

Collaborations

Taiko no Tatsujin frequently hosts collaboration campaigns with other video game franchises and companies. Collaboration efforts include porting signature songs into Taiko no Tatsujin games, sometimes with special dancers and background designs. In return Taiko no Tatsujin elements are shown as guest appearances in other media. Notable entities collaborated with the series include:

• Assassination Classroom ^[36]
• Chain Chronicle ^[37]
• Groove Coaster ^[38]
• Hatsune Miku ^[39]
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel ^[40]
• Mario Kart Arcade GP DX ^[41][42][43]
• maimai ^[38]
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate ^[44]
• Puzzle & Dragons ^[45][46]
• Sachiko Kobayashi ^[47]
• Ultraman X ^[48]
• Ys I & II Chronicles ^[40]
• The Idolmaster Must Songs

Spin-offs

From 2005, Kids Station broadcast 26 3-minute shorts of the Taiko no Tatsujin characters in clay anime. A manga version of the series was also serialized in Comic Bom Bom.

Mini versions of the game appear in the Namco game Tales of the World:Narikiri Dungeon 3 when the main characters is equipped with a costume resembling a drum, and in the Nintendo DS game Nodame Cantabile.

Playable Taiko no Tatsujin machines also appear in Yakuza 5.

Reception

Consumer Taiko no Tatsujin games generally receive favourable reviews from critics. Most published console and handheld releases receive Famitsu Review Scores of over 30, out of a total of 40. Taiko: Drum Master attained a 77-point Metacritic score from 35 reviews.^[49]

List of Taiko no Tatsujin Famitsu Review Scores

Release	Score
Wii Minna de Party Sandaime (Wii)	32/40 (9/8/7/8)
Wii Kettei-Ban (Wii)	31/40 (8/8/7/8)[50]
Wii Chogōka-Ban (Wii)	32/40 (8/8/8/8)[51]
Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb (3DS)	31/40 (8/8/8/7)[52]
Wii U Version (Wii U)	32/40 (9/8/7/8)[53]
Don to Katsu no Jikū Daibōken (3DS)	33/40 (8/9/8/8)[54]
Tokumori (Wii U)	32/40 (9/8/7/8)
V Version (PlayStation Vita)	30/40 (7/8/8/7)[55]

References

1. "太鼓の達人とは". Taiko no Tatsujin official site. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
2. "「裏譜面」のおはなし". Taiko no Tatsujin Development Blog. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
3. "ナムコ、AC用「太鼓の達人」シリーズ初の全国大会を開催 「ナムコPresents 太鼓の達人 日本一決定戦 2010 ～最強の達人は君だ！」". GAME Watch. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
4. "ハッピーセットに「太鼓の達人」が初登場、DS向けソフトとの連動も。". Narinari.com. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
5. "おや、太鼓の達人１４のようすが・・・！？". 太鼓の達人 開発日記. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
6. "Taiko no Tatsujin Hits Up The iPad". Siliconera. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
7. "「太鼓の達人 プラス」に楽曲取り放題サービスが登場". 4Gamer. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
8. "バンナム、iOS向け『太鼓の達人プラス』で楽曲取り放題サービスを追加　1ヵ月500円で100曲遊べるなど". Social Game Info. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
9. "Play "Taiko no Tatsuin" on your Roland electronic drumset". Akibahara News. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
10. "［AMショー2011］「太鼓の達人」「湾岸ミッドナイト マキシマムチューン 4」など，人気シリーズ最新作の筐体がずらり。バンダイナムコゲームスブースレポート". 4Gamer.net. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
11. "現在、台湾の他に香港、タイ、マレーシアの一部店舗で稼動中のモモイロVer.、見かけましたら今のうちに「PaPaPa Love」遊んでみてくださいね♪(タケモト)". Twitter. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
12. "AC太鼓の達人 キミドリVer.稼働日発表＆生放送決定！". 太鼓の達人 開発日記. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
13. "『太鼓の達人ムラサキVer.』が2015年3月より稼働開始！　新情報も飛び出した『太鼓の達人』公開生放送【闘会議2015】". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
14. "「太鼓の達人　Wii Uば～じょん！」が11月21日に発売決定。Wii U GamePad単体でのプレイに対応し，最大4人で演奏を楽しめる". 4Gamer.net. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
15. "［TGS2013］「太鼓の達人 Wii U　ば～じょん！」の詳細も明らかにされた，「太鼓の達人×ももいろクローバーZ コラボ紹介ステージ」の模様をレポート". 4Gamer.net. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
16. "「太鼓の達人　Wii Uば～じょん！」，発売日当日から配信される楽曲情報が公開に。Miiverseとの連動機能も用意". 4Gamer.net. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
17. "シリーズ最新作となる3DS『太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険』が6月26日に発売決定". インサイド. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
18. "3DS「太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険」ふなっしーや「妖怪ウォッチ」などコラボレーションが続々と決定！体験版も配信中". Gamer. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
19. "ゲームステージやボスキャラクターをチェック！　『太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険』の最新情報をご紹介". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
20. "『太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険』に『アナと雪の女王』主題歌が期間限定で無料配信決定". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
21. "『太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険』"人気曲＋追加クエストパック（6）"が配信スタート　『粉雪』『モンキーマジック』などが演奏ゲームに登場". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
22. "『太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険』冒険モードでてきがアイテムを落としやすくなる"サンタクロース"のきせかえを入手できるキャンペーンが実施". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
23. "『太鼓の達人 どんとかつの時空大冒険』全国のセブン-イレブンで"きせかえ"や"なかまモンスター"の限定配信が決定". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
24. "「太鼓の達人 ドドンと15周年! 」発表会が開催". GAME Watch. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
25. "태고의 달인 쿵딱쿵딱 시공 대모험 | NINTENDO 3DS". Retrieved 28 August 2015.
26. "『太鼓の達人 特盛り！』Wii Uで発売決定！　収録楽曲の一部やイントロクイズなどの新モードが明らかに". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
27. "Wii U「太鼓の達人 特盛り！」「太鼓とバチ同梱版」に早期購入特典追加！「雪だるまつくろう」を期間限定配信！". Game Watch. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
28. "『太鼓の達人 特盛り！』追加楽曲2曲が配信開始、この季節にピッタリなカワイイ"きせかえ"も登場". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
29. "シリーズ最新作「太鼓の達人 Vバージョン」がPS Vitaで発売決定。ストーリーが楽しめる「ドンだークエスト」など新要素が盛りだくさん". 4Gamer. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
30. "First look at Taiko Drum Master: V Version". Gematsu. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
31. "Taiko: Drum Master V Version’s New RPG Mode Revealed". Siliconera. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
32. "《太鼓之達人 V version》中文版 7 月同步登場 預定提供亞洲專屬樂曲". 巴哈姆特電玩資訊站. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
33. "Wii U『太鼓の達人 あつめて★ともだち大作戦！』が発売決定　スペシャルグッズをドーンと詰め込んだ初回生産スペシャルボックスも登場". Famitsu. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
34. "15周年を迎えるシリーズ最新作「太鼓の達人 あつめて★ともだち大作戦！」がWii Uで発売決定。スタジオジブリのオリジナルアニメも収録". 4Gamer. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
35. "Taiko Drum Master: Atsumete Tomodachi Daisakusen new mode, song list announced". Gematsu. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
36. "スマートフォン版「太鼓の達人」と「暗殺教室」のコラボレーション第1弾がスタート！きせかえや壁紙などのコンテンツが目白押し". Gamer. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
37. "「太鼓の達人 プラス」＆「★新曲取り放題！」が「チェンクロ」とコラボ". 4Gamer. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
38. "『グルーヴコースター』×『maimai』×『太鼓の達人』夢の音楽ゲームコラボ"ゲーム ミュージック トライアングル"の第2弾企画が本日5月8日より開始". Famitsu.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
39. "バンダイナムコ、『太鼓の達人プラス』にて「初音ミクぱっく」配信開始 「初音ミク」仕様のきせかえ衣装や、壁紙も福引にて登場". Social Game Info. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
40. "「太鼓の達人」シリーズにて「イースI＆IIクロニルズ」＆「英雄伝説 閃の軌跡」コラがスタート". Gamer. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
41. "「マリオカート アーケードグランプリDX」の稼働が本日より順次開始に。「太鼓の達人」シリーズのどんちゃんが参戦するほか，新モードを2つ追加". 4Gamer. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
42. "AC「マリオカート アーケードグランプリDX」と「太鼓の達人」のコラボキャンペーンが3月26日よりスタート―「太鼓の達人 モモイロVer.」を先に遊んで景品をゲット！". Gamer. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
43. "Arcade Heroes Namco Formally Announces Mario Kart Arcade Grand Prix DX - Arcade Heroes". Arcade Heroes.
44. "「モンスターハンター4G」，「太鼓の達人」とのコラボクエストが本日配信。音符までオリジナルデザインになる狩猟笛"狩猟の達人"を手に入れよう". 4Gamer. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
45. "『太鼓の達人プラス』で『パズドラ』とのコラボキャンペーンが開催中だドン！". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
46. "『パズドラ』×『太鼓の達人プラス』コラボ　9月21日までキャンペーン実施中". ファミ通.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
47. "『太鼓の達人』に"ラスボス"小林幸子が降臨！　2015年春より順次『さちさちにしてあげる♪』収録決定". Famitsu.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
48. "「太鼓の達人 プラス」と「太鼓の達人★新曲取り放題！」がウルトラマンＸとコラボ". 4Gamer. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
49. "Taiko Drum Master for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
50. "Zelda: Skyward Sword scored perfect in Famitsu". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
51. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1250". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
52. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1231". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
53. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1302". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
54. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1332". Gematsu. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
55. "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1387". Gematsu. Retrieved 28 August 2015.

External links

• Official Website (Japanese)
• Table of music tracks by version of the game (in Japanese)
• Official Site Taiko no Tatsujin 3DS (in Japanese)
• Taiko no Tatsujin Asian Version (in Chinese)