Kizuna AI continues to reign over the masses despite her indefinite hiatus/slumber. Her new anime series, Kizuna no Allele, is due to release soon, but before it does, her gamer fans will have something to enjoy, both with and without a VR headset. Motion controllers will still be required, however.
Kizuna AI Touch the Beat! is a rhythm game featuring the digital goddess herself, Kizuna AI, singing and dancing to her beloved songs. The game is due to release on February 22nd, 2023 for PlayStation 5 and PS VR2, and on April 27th for PlayStation 4, PS VR, Nintendo Switch, and PC. A limited edition bundle that costs ¥12,100 ($91.40 USD) for the deep-pocketed fans includes a special box, pen light, scarf towel, neck strap, card case, special staff card, silicon band, and a concert ticket which is individually numbered and cannot be used.
The PV gives a clear rundown of the different systems, one of which allows players to take center stage, almost like Kizuna AI is singing directly to them.
For comparison, a Japanese trailer was also released by the developers at Gemdrops. They also created a webpage that provides further information and a Twitter feed for eager fans to follow.
While Kizuna AI Touch the Beat! supports VR mode, allowing players to truly experience the game in first-person, there is a non-VR mode allowing any player to enjoy the game. Fifteen songs will be available at launch, including Hello, Morning, The Miracle, and Sky High, among others. More songs and costumes that Kizuna AI can wear, in addition to other unspecified content, are planned to be added as DLC later on.
Kizuna AI has the distinction of being the first breakout VTuber in history, having hit the scene in late 2016. She was also the one to coin the term ‘VTuber’, which is short for ‘virtual YouTuber’. However, she isn’t the first digital mascot. That honor belongs to Nitroplus’ Super Sonico, who first debuted back in 2010, where she would talk about herself and the company. In 2011, Ami Yamato would take things a step further, with a fully digital avatar. A few others would take the stage before Kizuna AI, but this digital idol was the first to truly own it.
