{"id":59986,"date":"2018-11-05T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-05T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/taiko_no_tatsujin_drumnfun"},"modified":"2018-11-05T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T10:00:00","slug":"review-taiko-no-tatsujin-drumnfun-worth-the-wait-but-dont-forget-that-drum-controller%ef%bb%bf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2018\/11\/05\/review-taiko-no-tatsujin-drumnfun-worth-the-wait-but-dont-forget-that-drum-controller%ef%bb%bf\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum&#8217;n&#8217;Fun! &#8211; Worth The Wait, But Don&#8217;t Forget That Drum Controller\ufeff"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/taiko_no_tatsujin_drumnfun\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/reviews\/nintendo-switch\/taiko_no_tatsujin_drumnfun\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"\">\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/93439\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/93439\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>From the searing colour of the menu icon to the lively title screen, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/taiko_no_tatsujin_drum_lnr_fun\">Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum &#8216;n&#8217; Fun!<\/a><\/strong> arrives on Switch with a spring in its step. And with good reason \u2013 alongside sister title <strong>Drum Session!<\/strong> on PS4, it\u2019s the first Drum Master <em>ever<\/em> to arrive in Europe, and only the second to come to the US. In the East, though, it\u2019s been a regular fixture in arcades and on consoles since 2004. The latest edition does a decent job of showcasing the series, although it trips over its own shoelaces at times with a wealth of control options, one of which simply doesn\u2019t make the grade.<\/p>\n<p>For the uninitiated, Taiko no Tatsujin involves beating a single drum on the head (red notes) or the rim (blue notes) as they move across a stave \u2013 think <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/wii\/rock_band\">Rock Band<\/a><\/strong> with a <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/3ds\/rhythm_tengoku_the_best_plus\">Rhythm Paradise\/Heaven\/Tengoku<\/a><\/strong> (delete as appropriate) aesthetic and you\u2019re there. Nailing the beat fills a \u2018Soul Gauge\u2019 and you\u2019ll pass or fail a song depending on your performance. Yellow drumrolls, mallets and balloon notes give some room for personal flair, and new songs and characters are unlocked through high scores.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/93438\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/93438\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s rhythm game 101, then. Series mascots Don and Katsu provide the pure \u2018vanilla\u2019 experience, but a host of other playable characters offer \u2018session skills\u2019; they might fill the soul gauge at a faster rate or make the timing window for strikes more generous. There\u2019s a whole bunch of characters to unlock, and the Switch gets saviour-of-the-moment, Kirby, and a pink <strong>Splatoon<\/strong> squid, too.<\/p>\n<p>The first thing you\u2019ll notice (following, of course, Bandai Namco\u2019s comically lengthy End User License and Privacy Agreement) is the exploding fireworks of the loading screen, and they\u2019ll soon become unwelcomely familiar. Don\u2019t get us wrong; they\u2019re never on screen very long, but they pop up between almost <em>every<\/em> menu transition. Sure, we expect short pauses before a track plays, but these interstitial loads, however brief, drag down the pace.<\/p>\n<p>The meat of the game is split between two modes: the standard Taiko Mode for one or two players, where you choose from the entire list of songs, or Party Game which offers co-op and competitive multiplayer nuggets for up to four players. The tracklist is identical to the Japanese release, sorted into categories: Pop, Anime, Vocaloid, Variety, Classical, Game Music, and NAMCO Original. All tracks offer four difficulties (Extreme is suitably insane) and it\u2019s a decent list, all-told, although look no further for why Bandai Namco top brass was reluctant to bring the series to Europe. It\u2019s slim pickings if you\u2019re not into J-pop or anime, and you\u2019ll need to raid your local second-hand emporium for <strong>Rock Band<\/strong> peripherals to enact any Phil Collins\/Gorilla-based drumming fantasies. It features <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/super_mario_odyssey\">Super Mario Odyssey<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s \u2018Jump Up Super Star!\u2019, plus <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/splatoon_2\">Splatoon 2<\/a><\/strong> and Kirby medleys, and extra songs and packs are available as DLC \u2013 the Ghibli pack looks to be a winner, although making you pay for popular, non-copyrighted classical tracks feels a bit cheeky.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/92175\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/92175\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>Of course, rhythm games rely on <em>watertight<\/em> controls and Drum \u2018n\u2019 Fun isn\u2019t short of options. Our editor Damien already took a look at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2018\/09\/matters_of_import_banging_the_drum_with_taiko_no_tatsujin_on_switch\">Hori\u2019s drum peripheral<\/a> \u2013 suffice to say it remains the preferred input method, albeit a hefty investment. If you\u2019re already up to your eyeballs in DK Bongos and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/wiiu\/guitar_hero_live\">Guitar Hero<\/a><\/strong> plastic, the touchscreen is a great substitute, though hampered slightly by a couple of baffling design choices. For example, you can\u2019t use it to navigate menus \u2013 it\u2019s active only for the duration of the song. Likewise, it only works with Joy-Con <em>attached<\/em>, which makes stretching your thumbs to the bottom centre of the screen needlessly awkward.<\/p>\n<p>We resorted to an odd, claw-like grip with our wrists pushed up in front of the buttons, the console pressed behind our bent knuckles and our pinkies acting as a shelf; this was the only way we could get our thumbs into position while holding the console. Resting the Switch on your lap is better, but that\u2019s not always an option and won\u2019t do your posture any favours. Button inputs can be used in conjunction with touch. Sure, there\u2019s no shortage of options, but for something that should be <em>pick-up-and-play<\/em>, there\u2019s a bit too much trial-and-error involved in achieving your perfect set-up.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"picture embed\"><a title=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" href=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/92178\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/92178\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun! Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" \/><\/a><\/aside>\n<p>But what about the \u2018arcade-style\u2019 motion controls, we hear you cry! Bearing in mind that the Joy-Con feature in Drum \u2018n\u2019 Fun\u2019s <em>logo<\/em>, it\u2019s depressing that they\u2019re so incredibly unreliable. Duped or missed inputs are frequent and the game can\u2019t consistently differentiate between horizontal\/diagonal swipes and vertical hits. We\u2019ve played enough Wii games to have very low expectations \u2013 <em>of course<\/em> it\u2019ll struggle with multiple notes in rapid succession at higher difficulties! \u2013 but you\u2019d hope that twelve years on from Wii, X-Y axis input would be a solved problem. The Joy-Con might allow very young kids or grandparents to \u2018join in\u2019 but, frankly, <em>granny deserves better.<\/em> Be prepared, also, for the return of the dreaded Wii elbow\/forearm\/torso, the \u2018Bane of Boxing Day 2006\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019ve got this far and are thinking \u2018<em>blimey<\/em> \u2013 loading screens, claw-fist, dodgy waggle\u2026 <em>Taxi!<\/em>\u2019, hold them there horses. In addition to the main game, Drum \u2018n\u2019 Fun has got a secret weapon in Party Game mode. It shamelessly apes Rhythm Paradise and, for the most part, the twenty games stand up very well by comparison. They\u2019re similarly barmy, with a mix of co-op and versus games involving bouncing beach balls, scooping fish out of a pond, ordering sushi by repeating a beat, slicing projectiles, launching fireworks \u2013 you get the idea. While the quality varies (and the precision needed sometimes seems to be overly exacting), in the absence of Rhythm Paradise on Switch, this is a surprisingly fine alternative.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"conclusion\">\n<h2 class=\"heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum \u2018n\u2019 Fun! gives Europeans a long-awaited taste of Japanese drum-fun. You\u2019ll want to consider forking out for the <em>taiko<\/em> peripheral to see the game at its best, but Switch\u2019s touchscreen makes this an easier recommendation than it would otherwise be. The motion controls should be avoided with extreme prejudice \u2013 they\u2019re simply unworkable \u2013 and a few odd design decisions, not to mention an excess of loading screens, take the shine off what is a beautifully bold and bouncy game. Fortunately, the Party Game section helps shore things up, offering short bursts of multiplayer fun as a credible stopgap until Rhythm Paradise arrives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From the searing colour of the menu icon to the lively title screen, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum &#8216;n&#8217; Fun! arrives on Switch with a spring in its step. And with good reason \u2013 alongside sister title Drum Session! on PS4, it\u2019s the first Drum Master ever to arrive in Europe, and only the second to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59986\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}