Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix Review
Release Date: May 15, 2020
Publisher/Developer: Sega
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $39.39
Hatsune Miku is a strange journey from simple vocal avatar to electronic megastar, as discussed in my article on Project Diva X in 2016. While most of the series has been on Sony systems, an offshoot series spent a short time on the 3DS. Project DIVA Mega Mix represents the first time the main series jumps ship and comes exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. With over 100 songs and over 300 costumes, the Nintendo Switch brings special features such as a new motion-controlled Mix Mode and the ability to design your own T-Shirts that the vocaloid characters can wear. While there are collections with more songs and options, these little unique extras make for a wonderful package, especially for anyone who doesn’t have access to a PlayStation 4.
A huge selection of songs is available from the get-go, and success nets you VP to spend on new “modules,” outfits, accessories, hairstyles and the works to edit Miku and her friends. Any of them can be placed in different roles within each and every song on the setlist, meaning you can craft the visuals to your liking more and more as you unlock more goodies. Add in the exclusive T-Shirt editor and you can put a lot of personal touches on your characters. The editor is nothing to write home about, it’s basically oldschool Microsoft Paint with a zoom feature. I’m sure that someone with patience can tweak the color wheel and use the three size brushes to create a masterpiece, but without a way to share online it’s a personal experience.
Gameplay is exactly as you would expect in the main arcade game if you’ve played any game in the series before. Greyed icons representing face buttons appear on the screen while colored buttons arc in from the edges. Time their cross correctly to the beat keep rolling. As the round moves on, the icons move around the screen, which is a bit chaotic for people more used to a standard rhythm game. Interestingly enough, in this Switch exclusive you can change the icons to the standard PlayStation fare if you are used to previous games in the series. You can make playlists or simply go into arcade mode for constant play. You can swap your customized “teams” of vocaloids on the fly before you go into songs, and there are several difficulty levels, but by and large there tend to be big leaps of skill between them. It works best if you master the songs on one difficulty as they ramp up, then jump to the next skill set.
“Mix Mode” is the exclusive motion-controlled Switch edition. Players hold their Joy-Con “thumbs up” style, much like the ARMS motion control scheme. Tilting the ‘cons left and right slides a bar across the bottom of the screen. Matching it up with bars coming from the top and clicking ZL or ZR keeps the beat going, and harder difficulties have smaller bars for you to move, like shrinking the paddle in Pong for harder difficulty. It is definitely less difficult than the original mode, but still poses it’s own challenges. I do like the Mix Mode for the fact that the bars are a set place to watch as opposed to the traditional arcade mode that you have to follow around the screen.
Most every gameplay mode is unlocked from the start, so if you aren’t into hitting high scores or acquiring new outfits you won’t have much past simple gameplay. If you like to hit leaderboards or fine tune the Vocaloids to your whims, it’ll be perfect. My biggest gripe is the audio feedback for hitting the buttons. At default, the snare and crash you get for hitting buttons is set at 10, just like the music, meaning you hear them loud and clear. For me, this inhibited my ability to play. With the feedback audio set at one and the vibration on, I had plenty of haptic feedback and it allowed me to enjoy the music and better hear the rhythm of the song. Like any other Hatsune Miku game, the beats you follow bounce back and forth between the rhythm itself and the vocals, which are naturally more varied and random than you would find in traditional American music. Most fans of Japanese culture are used to this, but it takes some practice of each individual song to get a feel for what it expects of you.
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA MegaMix is another great entry in the series for fans. Diehards may have a good deal of these songs playable on Sony systems (with a DLC pack on the way for some of the new songs), but anyone with a Switch as their only source of gaming, players who want to take a full Miku experience on the go, or would get a kick out of using the new and fun motion controls can’t go wrong with the $39.39 price tag. I don’t know enough Japanese to understand what any of these songs are about, but every single one is catchy and fun. Miku continues to shine by showing that you don’t need to know the lyrics to a song to appreciate it’s heart.
Pros:
-Full Miku experience in a portable form
-New “Mix Mode” adds a different way to play
-Supports traditional PlayStation buttons for a classic experience for longtime fans
Cons:
-No online sharing of custom outfits, no way to appreciate your creations other than on your own
-Default button feedback far to loud
Special thanks to Sega for providing a code for review!