With Magical Mirai 2019 having come to a close, there is little to look forward to until the new Project DIVA games sees release in 2020. At the Tokyo events, fans of the series had the privilege of getting early demo play of two new games to be featured. However, the fun didn’t stop there. Exclusive ticket holders were given early demos of the new Hatsune Miku VR game set to be released this month on PlayStation VR. Fans who have a Steam VR or Oculus Headset already have access to the game and DLC on both platforms.
Note: Hatsune Miku VR is not to be confused with VR Future Live with Project DIVA that is already available for PSVR. They are two different titles.
Unfortunately, photos and video recording of gameplay weren’t allowed in the play corners. However, from first-hand experience, both are titles guaranteed to please fans as much as past ones.
Let’s start with Hatsune Miku VR. Once you’ve selected the song and difficulty level, you’ll see Miku singing and dancing as notes fly towards you from speakers in the back. Using the motion control stick, players must hit the music notes in time with the song before they fly past and break your note streak.
Confirmed song for the game include the following 19 songs, with more hopefully on the way to celebrate the PS launch:
- Stella by KotsubanP
- Ievan Polkka by Otomania
- Singularity by keisei
- Amagoi Miseinen by Wada Takeaki ‘Kurage P’
- Sharing the World by BIGHEAD
- Ghost Rule by DECO*27
- SenbonZakura by Kurousa P
- Hibikase by Giga
- SLoWMoTIoN by PinocchioP
- Alien Alien by Nayutan Seijin
- Starry Song by Colate
- Love Trial by 40mP
- Future Teleportation by RUBY-CATMAN
- Teo by Omoi
- All I Need are Things I Like by PinocchioP
- Loneliness and Real by PIPPO
- Kimagure Mercy by HachiojiP
- 2 Dimensional Dream Fever by PolyphonicBranch
- METEOR by DIVELA
Project DIVA Mega 39’s utilizes the same gameplay as past titles, resembling Project DIVA Future Tones the most. If it isn’t broken then don’t fix it, as the saying goes. In Arcade Mode, players can play the way they’re used to, with note patterns flying across the screen and having to press the corresponding buttons at the right time. The demo version of the game featured Alien Alien (Nayutan Seijin), and the yet to be formally announced inclusion of Rolling Girl (wowaka).
“WAIT! If this is on the Nintendo Switch won’t they use the ABXY characters instead of the PlayStation symbols for rhythm notes? That’s not fair. I’m used to PlayStation controls. The X button on the Switch corresponds to the triangle button on PlayStation. My instinctive muscle memory will be thrown off!”
Fear not! As shown at the demo station, it can be confirmed that players will be allowed to customize their gameplay to their preferred setting. The Switch button letters can be swapped out for the PlayStation symbols in the options menu before every song. There is also the option of using direction arrows if neither suit you. The inclusion of the arrows is particularly great if you play in a left-handed mode with the d-pad, like myself.
In Joy-Con Mix, players will get to experience a brand new style of gameplay that is a little like a Reverse-Dance Dance Revolution. Red and blue notes fall from the top of the screen. Players have to catch the notes using the motion controls of their Joy Con controllers. Red notes represent the right Joy-Con, and blue represent the left Joy-Con, respectively. The control sensitivity is smooth and utilizes some vibration functions. Due to the time restraint, players were not allowed to change any configurations in Joy-Con Mode, however it is likely that the final version will allow customization for control sensitivity and vibration settings.
Is there any other new or previously retired feature you’re hoping to see in either game? Let us know below!