![]() It’s actually developed in Australia, and Japan is only the sixth-most popular country for “Osu” players - America holds the number-one spot. Some might guess that “Osu” is a Japanese game marketed in its own country, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. So how did “Osu” end up becoming a haven for anime music? There’s nothing stopping the community from making beatmaps for American pop music, or any other genre of music that lends itself to a rhythm game. It actually takes a closer look to see that “Osu” has no features limiting it to anime music. The game’s ties to anime culture are so strong that it almost seems like they’re inseparable - like “Osu” could not be played over a song that wasn’t at least tangentially connected to anime culture. The default songs have since changed to be more culturally-neutral electronic cuts, but the vast majority of ranked, playable beatmaps are anime music. For a time, one of the default beatmaps was “ Tear Rain” by cYsmix, an electro-pop song with Japanese vocals that comes from “Touhou Project,” a Japanese bullet-hell shoot-em-up game. The game has a pink-haired anime girl for a mascot. The name itself is a Japanese word, “押す” (pronounced like “oss”), an expression tied to Japanese martial arts (i.e. The game is deeply entrenched in anime culture and it wants you to know it. ![]() ![]() I want to write that “at first glance, ‘Osu’ seems like a normal rhythm game,” but it’s crystal clear right away that it’s not an ordinary rhythm game. I never got sick of those songs, spending countless hours mastering beatmaps deep into the night, thrilled to finally find a rhythm game I was good at. I myself found “Osu” at the tail end of my middle school anime phase, attracted to both the challenge and the cute, enigmatic vocals - enigmatic for an English speaker, at least. The “Osu” competitive community is built on thousands of beatmaps to songs that I collectively call “anime music.” Anime music consists of opening and ending themes to popular anime series, visual novels, JRPGs and other media connected to anime. It’s not so obscure anymore, but still nowhere close to the popularity of “Just Dance.” Part of that is the challenge - it has an enormously high skill ceiling - but much of that might be attributed to the “Osu” community’s music of choice. “Osu” is still affectionately called an “obscure rhythm game” by its community, but has grown to 14 million registered players in its 12-year lifespan. Each track you play is called a “beatmap.” Talented beatmappers and other dedicated community members work to provide quality beatmaps that rhythm masters play to perfection, competing for points and a higher position on the leaderboards. That’s the essence of “ Osu,” a game that challenges your rhythm and hand-eye coordination. Delicious.Imagine “Guitar Hero” but on the computer, and you had to click notes that showed up on the screen. And still, it retains the crunch of the bass and the seedy vibe of the city. What a treat.Īnd in keeping with Kyd's ability to match his sound on this game to anything, he adds more techno to this one to match the final showdown against a high-tech detective vs. Not often, cause this game is harder than a horny diamond's nipples, but still. I cannot believe I heard this from my TV as a child. It's absurdly fast-paced, and yet it retains that dark, moody sound. Speaking of journeys, Psycho Section goes places. This is the first boss theme, facing off against Harley Quinn in a giant robot (yeah, that's how we start.) It's got the heavy synth but a little faster-paced to match the intensity of a boss fight. The intro in particular is such a journey. I implore you to listen to the whole OST, but I'll stick to a couple choices to entice you. Kyd used the grit and crunch that the Genesis sound setup could pump out to his advantage and it is phenomenal.ĭoes the game need a nine and a half minute intro theme? No. the gutter-level makeup of Gotham City's underworld. It's a filthy, dark techno-noir sound that fits the theme of a high-tech vigilante detective vs. even without using any themes from the show, he made a soundscape that truly emphasizes the grimy back alleys of Gotham better than almost anyone else. Can I just post the entire OST for The Adventures of Batman & Robin, specifically the Genesis version? It was one of legendary composer Jesper Kyd's first works, and man.
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