Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat! Review

VTuber Kizuna AI is back on the beat with the release of Gemdrops’ rhythm game Kizuna AI – Touch the Beat! Should players say “Hello, Morning” to this internet legend, or does Vocaloid Hatsune Miku still rule the rhythm game roost?

Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat! Review

For the uninitiated, Kizuna AI is a Japanese virtual YouTuber that paved the way for the Hololive sensation we have today. Not only has she built a following through her antics, but people also flock to her for her musical performances as an idol sensation.

As it turns out, her antics have made their way to the world of rhythm games with the release of Touch the Beat. 15 of her songs can be played in a typical rhythm game format, adjustable by difficulty level and note speed. There’s some wrinkles to the game in the form of its note placements and on-screen actions at specific points, but pressing the buttons at the right times is something fans of the genre have done countless times before. Timing is segmented into factors like slow, fast, or perfect designations, but things work as they should – even if they are a little too by the books.

However, despite the music selection featuring some nice bops, Touch the Beat does not offer too much to make a compelling case. The world of SEGA’s stellar Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix+ absolutely eclipses the paltry 15 song selection here with hundreds of tracks and additional difficulty settings. Even the most diehard Kizuna AI content will have been there and done that before too long – especially since the more mainstream songs are present and accounted for.

The same goes with the visual effects of each stage. Titles like Harmonix’s Rock Band and Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution series have ways to liven up the action and generate attention as players are rocking out, but the world of Touch the Beat is far too one-note for its own good…so to speak. For a mega-popular idol that brings in the views, seeing her in this light is an absolute disservice to the pop idol legend. While Kizuna AI herself is modeled quite well, the rest of the world lacks any sort of personality.

While we did not play Touch the Beat via its VR mode, we can imagine the same can be said of its mode. There is the ability to “explore” each world and view videos when one feels like, but there’s just not enough options to encourage repeat playthroughs. It’s a novelty at best, and a time-waster at worst.

Kizuna AI: Touch the Beat! is a disservice to the VTuber sensation. There’s not enough content to justify a repeat performance, and what is here makes for an underwhelming show.

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