Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival Review - Xbox Tavern (2024)

As someone who considers themselves to be a pro at this type of genre, when it comes to Xbox as a platform there are few rhythm games on the system that come to mind. Other than Just Dance I actually can’t think of anything but the Rock Band Series, however, that’s back in the old days on the Xbox 360. I’ve played Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival on the Nintendo Switch, but that was only on a friend’s console. So you can imagine my excitement seeing an Xbox port of the well-known Bandai Namco rhythm game. This review will only be discussing the Xbox Series X/S versions of the title and I have to say it satiates the musical itch I get every now and again that only rhythm games can scratch.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival released back in September 2022. The rhythm title received pretty moderate reviews with outlets praising the song variety and gameplay mechanics, but most importantly the praise came from the song selection, which we’ll get into shortly. The Taiko no Tatsujin franchise has been following the same method for years. The best comparison I can make is how Just Dance adds new songs every year. Much like that, Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is overall just mashing buttons to the beat with a new coat of songs when looking at the previous iterations in the franchise. The harder the difficulty the harder it gets to match the notes together. I always play hard since I find rhythm games to be too easy a majority of the time and I think the difficulty spacing in Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is just right.

There is a plot to the story, but to be honest, it’s’ not that interesting to focus on. In summary, Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival takes place in the city of Omiko, where you are trying to become a Taiko Master. Along the way, you’ll have the cute Taiko no Tatsujin mascots teach you how to play and hold your hand for a bit as you play. You’ll mostly find yourself at the ‘Thunderclap Shrine’, where you’ll find the ‘Taiko Mode’, which offers up 76 songs for you to take on in whichever order you see fit. More songs can be accessed through DLC or the Taiko Music Pass which plans to add over 500+ throughout the seasons. If you find yourself addicted to the gameplay it might be something to consider picking up. Some of the genres in-game include anime music, J-Pop, Rap, Classical, and so much more. From the difficulty ranging from easy to extreme, you’ll have your work cut out for you.

Going back to the gameplay aspect, as I previously stated the title was initially on the Nintendo Switch which had motion controls. Unlike its competitors, Xbox doesn’t have this so you’ll strictly find yourself mashing your “A B X Y” buttons a lot. Most of the time the only variation with this is how long you’ll hold the button, how fast you need to press it, etc. It’s pretty fun all around and you get to listen to some good music. ‘Great Toy Drum War’ and ‘Don-chan Band’ shake up the gameplay as well as in Drum War you can compete head-to-head to see who’s the better drummer. As for Don-chan Band it’s similar to Guitar Hero as you’ll be playing for a select instrument.

In terms of customization, you can unlock different and iconic outfits for Don-chan, name tags, and online greetings. That’s about it though. Some fits are more iconic than others so feel free to pick whatever the beat of your heart chooses.

Conclusion

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival is a game that I enjoy playing for a few hours at a time. While I do enjoy the game for what it offers, it can get tiring at certain points and put a strain on your hands and fingers. I’ve been playing rhythm games for years so for beginners it may be a bit daunting and irritating at first. It sucks that 500+ songs are behind DLC and you shouldn’t get it unless you’re absolutely sure that this is something you want to sink your time in. Given that Xbox doesn’t have that many rhythm game options I would recommend Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival as a perfect jumping-off point for those looking to get the beat moving.

Summary

I would recommend Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival as a perfect jumping-off point for those looking to get the beat moving.

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