Import Oddities - little known Japanese treasures

[Johnny]

Being a big importer, every so often a game will come along from Japan that just defies logic. It might be something completely different or it might take an existing genre, move it to a different format and change things for the better and/or weirder.

To celebrate these games, I've decided to make this post where I, or anyone else, can discuss games that seemingly no one else knows about.

It also has the potential to get people talking about certain games which in turn may lead to eventual US/European releases. Obviously, a handful of people on this forum aren't going to make a Western publisher sit up and take notice, but as was seen with Ouendan, if enough people online create a buzz about the game, the game can get picked up for a non-Japanese release.
When I bought Chou Shittou Caduceus when it first hit Japan, for example, I found it to be a fun game. Little did I know it would be brought to America and Europe as Trauma Centre and gain a huge following. The same can be applied to Cooking Mama, Phoenix Wright and so on.

With the current generation of consoles and portables, things have been made easier due to the fact that the DS, PSP and PS3 are region free, and the 360 has quite a few region free releases in its library. As a result, more people can check out Japanese titles who normally wouldn't bother.
This means that a lot of the games I personally will be talking about here will be on the DS (as it seems to attract all the weirdest games) and most likely the Wii as developers put the unique controller to good use.

So, if you have played any games recently that you think fits the bill for this thread, please post some impressions! :catgirl:

[jecca-neko]

I think the most unusual import I have is Kanji Sonomama DS Rakubiki Jiten, which is a kanji dictionary for the Nintendo DS. It's actually incredibly useful even though it isn't a game. It also has some hidden Game and Watch games in it.

[Johnny]

To get things started in this thread, I've decided to cover Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Hour.

Boxart (http://www.ncsxshop.com/images/products/large/1006/kirakira.jpg)
Format: DS
Release Date: 26th October 2006
Genre: Music/Rhythm Action
Official site (http://www.dmpl.co.jp/kira_mu/index.html)

Playasia link (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9g-49-en-15-kira%2Bkira-70-1g3u.html)
NCSX link (http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/DMP-DS01.html)

Pinky Street: Kira Kira Music Hour takes the Pinky Street figures and puts them into a music game.
The main aim of the game is to face off in "dance offs" again opponents to raise your reputation as the best dancer in town.

When playing a stage, you need to turn the DS on its side like a book, as has also been done in games like Brain Training.
The left (top) hand screen shows your girl and opponent dancing and the right (bottom) hand screen is split into three panels which run horizontally down the screen. As these light up, you need to give them a tap with the stylus in time to the music. On harder difficulty levels, it gets more complicated than just tapping, with scratching and sliding needed to be pulled off in order to keep the beat.

The music in the game is catchy, but fairly poor quality midi tunes which wouldn't sound out of place in a the 16-bit era.
Still, they do their job and there are various genres catered for (Eurobeat, Rock, Hip-Hop, Classical and so on) with some being more difficult/faster than others.

When you're not dancing, you'll be making your way through different spots on the map (the layout is a lot like that in Ouendan) and talking with other characters.
Also, and this is a big feature of the game, you can do a bit of shopping at each location and buy new clothes for your Pinky. What's nice is that each different location is home to a different musical style and these in turn feature completely different wardrobes. So, if you choose to replay the game a few times, you can easily build up a massive wardrobe of clothes to dress up in.
If you find a particular outfit you like, you can take advantage of the photo mode where you get to take and save, snapshots of your girl.

The difficulty is generally easy on the normal setting, with only a few of the later stages giving a bit of trouble. But these didn't take me more than 2 or 3 tries to progress past and the game never enters into the kind of insane difficulty you might find in other similar games like DDR or Beatmania.
The hard mode adds depth to the gameplay and is quite challenging.

The game is fairly import friendly. You'll be missing out on the story (which isn't Shakespeare by any stretch of the imagination) but the characters are animated well and you can get the basics of what is going on by facial expressions alone.
Aside from that, it's easy to buy clothes and to dress up your character and the gameplay emelent requires zero knowledge of Japanese to enjoy it as there is no text here whatsoever (aside from some of the song titles).

Overall, if you are already a Pinky Street fan or are looking for a cute, fun rhythm action game (especially if Ready, Steady, Go! on hard is causing you problems in Ouendan) then I would definitely recommend picking the game up.
It's worth mentioning that the Limited Edition version of the game comes with a Pinky Street figure and some other extras and is well worth the extra £6/$10 or so.

[Chacranajxy]

This is an awesome idea for a thread. I don't play much in the way of ultra bizarre games from Japan, but I am fairly confident that very few people here have heard of Dodonpachi Daioujou... which is arguably the greatest shmup of all time. Yes, it's that good. Can't wait to get my own copy in this next week.

[Johnny]

This is an awesome idea for a thread. I don't play much in the way of ultra bizarre games from Japan, but I am fairly confident that very few people here have heard of Dodonpachi Daioujou... which is arguably the greatest shmup of all time. Yes, it's that good. Can't wait to get my own copy in this next week.

I wouldn't mind a few impressions of that if you get the time, actually.
Just got Ibara yesterday which I really should've bought a long time a go and Dodonpachi is next on my list of shmups to get.

[Chacranajxy]

I'll have in-depth impressions next week since I only got to play a few minutes (that's what happens when you're playing a friend's copy.) But of all the bullet hells, this is the bulletest hell.

Oh, and I hate to say this, but Ibara is getting a Taito Best release next year... 1/17/07. $29.99.

[Johnny]

I'll have in-depth impressions next week since I only got to play a few minutes (that's what happens when you're playing a friend's copy.) But of all the bullet hells, this is the bulletest hell.

Haha, bring it on! Ibara was a lot tougher than I expected (even on the easiest setting, "ultra easy" or something it's incredibly hard) so I'm well prepared.

Oh, and I hate to say this, but Ibara is getting a Taito Best release next year... 1/17/07. $29.99.

Well $30 is like £16 or £17 and I actually got the game for £20 so it's not too bad.
I do want to track down all the figures though as they're pretty awesome.

[Chacranajxy]

Well, as long as we're talking about teh importz, are there any must haves on the Cube? All I've got is Nintendo Puzzle Collection and I don't see anything else that stands out as something that I need to own. Also, would I be better off getting Sonic Gems Collection for the Cube or the PS2? Would one have faster loading times or better audio or progressive scan or something to make it better than the other?

[distantmantra]

Playstation 2:
Simple Series 2000 vol. 81: The Earth Defense Force 2 -- Without a doubt, the greatest Simple Series title ever created.
Oz
Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War -- The best Gundam game ever made. Developed by Namco's Ace Combat team.

Gamecube:
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Ace Pilot -- Easily the second best Gundam game ever made.

[Chacranajxy]

Playstation 2:
Simple Series 2000 vol. 81: The Earth Defense Force 2
Oz
Mobile Suit Gundam: The One Year War -- The best Gundam game ever made. Developed by Namco's Ace Combat team.

Gamecube:
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Ace Pilot -- Easily the second best Gundam game ever made.

Oz was an interesting game... it was a bit too repetitive for my tastes, but the ridiculous juggling concept was pretty cool... I'd like to see a more refined version of that sometime.

Personally though, my favorite part of the game was the trailer... that song was so damn good.

For those with no idea what I'm talking about, I think this is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRy1LLdl6Hs

[Johnny]

Well, as long as we're talking about teh importz, are there any must haves on the Cube? All I've got is Nintendo Puzzle Collection and I don't see anything else that stands out as something that I need to own.

In terms of little known stuff, definitely Kururin Squash. It's a puzzle game where you take control of a little stick thing which constantly rotates and you have to guide it through the level avoiding getting hit.
There's also a GBA version which is just as good and I would consider it essential if you are looking for an addictive puzzle game that is very unique.

[BluWacky]

Guru Logic Champ!

Two small duck creatures fire blocks to build pictures and help their friends. It's an awesome puzzle game with digitised speech that makes the title sound like "Guruz Chang Poo!" which cracks me up every time...

The only other vaguely obscure import I rate is Venus and Braves; what other RPG lets your gay monks fall in love with each other, go camping in the woods and discover a massive phoenix you can summon in battle?

[DiGiKerot]

The only other vaguely obscure import I rate is Venus and Braves; what other RPG lets your gay monks fall in love with each other, go camping in the woods and discover a massive phoenix you can summon in battle?

Did you ever manage to finish this? I managed to get about half way through, but then all my best characters died of old-age and I struggled to progress somewhat :nervous:

[BluWacky]

Did you ever manage to finish this? I managed to get about half way through, but then all my best characters died of old-age and I struggled to progress somewhat :nervous:

Nope; started again about a month ago for exactly the same reason once I'd finally worked out the Gestalt system a bit better, but got sidetracked by other things. I'll probably pick it up again at some point (like so many other games...)

[Johnny]

Boxart (http://www.ncsxshop.com/images/products/large/0706/mawasunda_shop.gif)
Format: DS
Release Date: 20th July 2006
Genre: Mini game
Official site (http://www.taito.co.jp/d3/cp/mawasunda/)

Playasia Link (http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-9g-49-en-15-mawasunda-70-1da3.html)
NCSX Link (http://www.ncsxshop.com/cgi-bin/shop/NTR-P-AQQJ.html)

Mawasunda!! is a Taito release featuring 25 mini-games, all of which make great use of the touch screen and stylus, and most of the games involve rotating the stylus in a similar way to that seen in Ouendan.
Most of the games are based on old-school Taito classics which is nice for the retro factor but there is absolutely no knowledge of them needed to get the most out of the game.

You can play through each mini game one after the other or can choose to play those that focus on technique or power (both physical and mental).
There is a good variety amongst them, even though most of them come down to how fast/accurately you can spin your stylus.

There isn't a lot of replay value here and if mini-games are your thing then Warioware is the game to get, but for anyone willing to try out some pretty bizarre things (the Olympic hammer throw only with muscle-clad men, reeling in a hooker and undressing her for an old man and rotating a sushi conveyor belt to give specific meals to different people are among the 25) will certainly enjoy the game.

It's reasonably expensive considering how short and limited it is (around £25/$50) but would be well worth it if you spot it in a sale or find a preowned copy.

Pretty much all of the games menus and so on are in Japanese, with very little English, but it's very easy to identify what you're meant to be doing in each mini-game so it isn't really an issue.

[Chloe]

I know I am going to sound like a square(Enix!), but WTH is a shmup? And do I really want to know??? :blush:

[Chacranajxy]

I know I am going to sound like a square(Enix!), but WTH is a shmup? And do I really want to know??? :blush:

wtf, nub?

Kidding, kidding. Shmup is short for shoot-em-up... games formerly known as shooters before bastards started referring to FPSes as shooters. This includes games like Gradius, Ikaruga, 1941, and... I guess a basic example would be Space Invaders.

The modern shmup is something truly amazing though. Similar to what's happened with 2D fighters, shmups are now something uber hardcore which leads to some fucking incredible games.

[Chloe]

I know I am going to sound like a square(Enix!), but WTH is a shmup? And do I really want to know??? :blush:

wtf, nub?

Kidding, kidding. Shmup is short for shoot-em-up... games formerly known as shooters before bastards started referring to FPSes as shooters. This includes games like Gradius, Ikaruga, 1941, and... I guess a basic example would be Space Invaders.

The modern shmup is something truly amazing though. Similar to what's happened with 2D fighters, shmups are now something uber hardcore which leads to some fucking incredible games.

OK, I get it now, thanks. The last shmup I played was Wavy Navy though, so I would probably be way out of my league with the new ones. :roll:

[battra92]

I'm not sure if this counts but I had Densha De Go 2 for my Dreamcast. That was fun even if I had no idea what I was doing. :)

[Chacranajxy]

This is an awesome idea for a thread. I don't play much in the way of ultra bizarre games from Japan, but I am fairly confident that very few people here have heard of Dodonpachi Daioujou... which is arguably the greatest shmup of all time. Yes, it's that good. Can't wait to get my own copy in this next week.

I wouldn't mind a few impressions of that if you get the time, actually.
Just got Ibara yesterday which I really should've bought a long time a go and Dodonpachi is next on my list of shmups to get.

I have the Dodonpachi Daioujou impressions of Legend!

Behold, Gentlemen:

On the 8th day, The Lord created Dodonpachi Daioujou and He saw that it was good.

First, the graphics: Dodonpachi does look a tad bit dated, but it's understandable considering that the game came out in 2003. Still, the art direction of the game is very good... all the stages have quite a bit of personality to them. This game loves throwing bullets at you and thankfully, they're all very pretty and colorful. The bullets also stand out from the backgrounds and ships which is nice since you will definitely need that working to your advantage. The music in the game is also very good. I don't like the soundtrack as much as that of Under Defeat, but it's still fitting and well composed.

In terms of actual gameplay... this game is fast. Bullets fly at you from everywhere and you need to be damn quick to navigate through them. In fact, I've never seen so many damn bullets onscreen at once. As a result of this insanity, it's extremely satisfying to successfully navigate through the mazes of bullets the game throws at you. The way the ships actually function is pretty interesting too... you tap the fire button to shoot a burst that hits a wide area and you hold that button down to start shooting a very narrow laser that does a lot more damage. Using the laser slows down the movement of your ship though, so you can't abuse it and expect to live for more than a couple seconds. There's also something called hyper mode which basically makes your ship crazy powerful for a limited time and you can obliterate pretty much everything onscreen without too much of a problem... this is particularly nice if you're trying to get a high score since being in this mode lets you rack up crazy chain combos. I guess if I have to find a problem with the gameplay, it's that you start out with unlimited credits which lowers the incentive for playing through the game multiple times... though really, the game's so much fun that I can't imagine not playing through it more than once and it's not an issue if you use a little discretion with your continues. There's some bonus modes in the game as well, but I haven't had a chance to check them out yet.

Overall, I'm thoroughly impressed with the game. This is potentially the best shooter I've played.

I also got Mushihime-Sama... so I'll try that pretty soon as well.

[Johnny]

Overall, I'm thoroughly impressed with the game. This is potentially the best shooter I've played.

I also got Mushihime-Sama... so I'll try that pretty soon as well.

Thanks for the impressions, sounding very promising so far.
I picked up Dodonpachi for the Saturn for a great price the other day (hasn't arrived yet). What are the main differences between it and this version?

Oh and Mushi is great too. It was my favourite shmup until I played ESPgaluda, which is the true king of the genre in my eyes.

[Johnny]

Haven't updated this post in months, but for those interested, here are some of the more unusual DS games coming to Japan in the coming months:

Mamegoma Honobo no Nikki. Dengeki link (http://www.dengekionline.com/data/news/2007/5/16/7baca2db4aa5d49ca1ef65e8352cdfc7.html). Announced a while back, this 'Tamagotchi with Seals' game is coming out on the 28th July.
Apparently you will need to feed your seal, clean its tank, teach it words and, most bizarrely, take it for walks.

Kabu Trader Shuu. Official site (http://www.capcom.co.jp/shun/). Not all that obscure, this is also known as Stock Trader Shu. Kind of a Phoenix Wright of the stocks world.

Ontama Onpu Shimahen. Official site (http://www.noise.co.jp/game/ontama/). Sort of a Pokemon-lite/rhythm action game where you need to capture Ontamas by touching them and following the d-pad commands that follow.

Inishie no Kioku. Famitsu link (http://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/2007/05/07/104,1178523760,71261,0,0.html). Latest in the Tantei Jinguji Saburo series. Apparently the detective you play has become a murder suspect and you have to clear him. One for the Hotel Dusk/Phoenix Wright fans.

Days of Memories. SNKs second most talked about upcoming DS release in which you get the chance to date various SNK gals.

DokiDoki Majou Saiban. Recently got a slight name change which I can't quite remember, but this is the 'witch hunting game' which everyone is going to be sorely disappointed with when they import and realise it isn't an XXX Hentai dating sim...

Anyone else picking these up? I have Mamegoma Honobo no Nikki, Ontama Onpu Shimahen, DokiDoki and Days of Memories preordered. Might do for the other two but they seem likely to be very text intensive. At least Kabu Trader Shuu has a better than normal chance of a US release. Hopefully the same applies to Inishie no Kioku too.

[DiGiKerot]

Anyone else picking these up?

I might get DokiDoki just for a laugh...

[Johnny]

just for a laugh...

That's what they all say Digi, that's what they all say :D

[pete5883]

Inishie no Kioku. Famitsu link (http://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/2007/05/07/104,1178523760,71261,0,0.html). Latest in the Tantei Jinguji Saburo series. Apparently the detective you play has become a murder suspect and you have to clear him. One for the Hotel Dusk/Phoenix Wright fans.
I really like the look of this one. Too bad localization is unlikely.

[Chacranajxy]

Still not that sure if shmups count as little known oddities, but Ibara... yeah. That thing is apparently a treasure now, because there's a single copy up on Ebay and it's $160. That's a fuckin' lot. I'm glad I got it when I had the chance. People's best bet now is probably hypergameaction.com

[Johnny]

Still not that sure if shmups count as little known oddities, but Ibara... yeah. That thing is apparently a treasure now, because there's a single copy up on Ebay and it's $160. That's a fuckin' lot. I'm glad I got it when I had the chance. People's best bet now is probably hypergameaction.com

Ibara has gotten like gold dust recently. The Cave PS2 trio (Ibara, Mushihime, ESPgaluda and to a lesser extent, Dodonpachi) hit some crazy prices on eBay. Then there's the little flyer sized posters - you seen how much they sell for? Twice the price of the game in some cases.

Having said that, all those games are definitely worth the price for sure.

[boogiecat]

Days Of Memories looks great...

[hub]

Curious, but has anyone tried out Kengo Zero for the Xbox360? Because the trailer available on Marketplace makes it look pretty cool, though I'm not sure how it actually plays...is it like a next-gen version of Bushido Blade?

[Chacranajxy]

If it's the same Kengo that Spike developed back for the PS2, then it's trash.

[Johnny]

If it's the same Kengo that Spike developed back for the PS2, then it's trash.

It's from that series, yeah. I haven't actually played it but it looks kinda cool.

[Johnny]

Here's another DS game which was released today - Kurikin: Nano Island Story (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/a2kj/index.html).

Basically involves sending little lifeforms known as kins into battle against enemies. Weird, cute and hopefully essential.

There are a couple of videos here (http://touch-ds.jp/mediagallery/st67.html).

[Johnny]

Gamebrink have some pics of the upcoming Simple Series vol. 18 for the DS and it's looking pretty cool at this point (http://www.gamebrink.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15236).

[DiGiKerot]

Gamebrink have some pics of the upcoming Simple Series vol. 18 for the DS and it's looking pretty cool at this point (http://www.gamebrink.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15236).

Hmmmm, who's developing this one? It looks an awful lot like Assault Suits Valken/Cybernator (oh, why isn't this on Virtual Console yet?)...

[Johnny]

Gamebrink have some pics of the upcoming Simple Series vol. 18 for the DS and it's looking pretty cool at this point (http://www.gamebrink.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15236).

Hmmmm, who's developing this one? It looks an awful lot like Assault Suits Valken/Cybernator (oh, why isn't this on Virtual Console yet?)...

Rideon Inc as far as I can tell (they did the Gunslinger Girl and Maid & Machineguns PS2 games among others).

[Johnny]

I have mentioned this game in the past but it's nice to see it getting some attention outside of the usual import-only places - Go! Go! Minon (http://kotaku.com/gaming/domino-dancing/gallery-go-go-263553.php) which is coming to the Wii on the 21st June (this is the 'domino game' that was shown in some of the early Wii/Revolution teaser vids).

I have the game preordered so should be posting impressions when it comes out in just under a months time.

[Johnny]

Boxart (http://image1.play-asia.com/640/51/pa.90628.1.jpg)
Format: DS
Release Date: 14th June 2007
Genre: Music/Rhythm Action
Official site (http://www.noise.co.jp/game/ontama/)

Been talking about this game a bit in the past couple of weeks but I got it yesterday and started into it last night.

It's a rhythm action game with a twist. Basically on the main play screen (the touch screen), you have a meter at the top which shows d-pad directions (up, down, left, right. No diagonals).
Each direction has a colour assigned to it and little creatures (the Ontama of the title) appear matching these colours.
The basic idea is to capture them by tapping them or drawing a circle around them, which highlights the d-pad arrow which needs to be pressed as it enters the circle at the end of the meter.

That's the basic idea but later levels include bigger Ontama which need to be tapped multiple times, dark Ontama which need to be tapped to get rid of or they eat the other ones and so on.

Musically it's no Ouendan or anything, just fairly basic tunes but they suit the tone of the game well.

It's fairly easy to begin with but by the later stages, there's a lot of Ontama on screen at once and it gets tricky trying to capture them and remember to push the d-pad as well.

Overall though this is definitely one of the most fun games on the DS. With the right marketing, this could rival Ouendan as it's easy to get into and very addictive.
So if you liked Ouendan/EBA or just fancy something different, definitely check the game out!

Here's hoping for a sequel or Wii version...

[Johnny]

Boxart (http://image1.play-asia.com/640/55/pa.92538.1.jpg)
Format: Wii
Release Date: 21st June 2007
Genre: Puzzle/Other
Official site (http://www.success-corp.co.jp/software/wii/minon/index.html)

This arrived yesterday and I got to play it for a bit last night.

First off, if anyone remembers the early Revolution trailer reels, this is the game that looked like it was about dominos, with buildings and so on being used to that effect.
But it's not a domino sim or anything like that. Basically, gameplay wise it's hard to explain.

You play as a superhero, whose job it seems is to help people out. For example, on the first level you need to get a little girls balloon back. You start the level following a predetermined route, jumping along trees and benches etc (which is done automatically). At certain points, you will stop and need to choose which route to follow next. This is done by first balancing your character where he has stopped using the remote, and pointing at the path you want to follow next and clicking B. If the path shows up as white then it can be followed, but it sometimes appears as red and so can't, but I think there is a way of replaying the levels after completion to unlock these.

At certain points, you will come across interactive objects such as power lines, moles in the ground, wind turbines etc which take you to different parts of the level and are activated with a remote gesture like spinning round or moving up and down.

Whilst on the predetermined path, if you move the remote up and down in time to your character jumping on stuff, you build up a meter which allows you more 'moves' (you start each level with a goal, a time limit and a certain amount of moves you can make, which decreases each time you choose a path with B, but moving along a predetermined path doesn't use up any credit).

That probably doesn't make much sense as it really needs to be seen to be understood.
The presentation is fantastic though and literally 10 seconds after firing it up I thought that this was instantly comparible to Katamari, not in gameplay but the way the cutscenes are done (very odd but great looking), the music (which is amazing!) and how much of a cult title this is.

It has a working title of Mr D Goes to Town for its US release, but no release date as yet. If/when it does get a release, this is definitely one worth looking into if you appreciate the weird and wonderful.
My decision to buy a Japanese Wii as well as an American one was to get games early, but also to play gems like this. This is just the sort of thing I was waiting for on the Wii as the DS by now has its fair share of quirky Japanese titles.

[DiGiKerot]

My decision to buy a Japanese Wii as well as an American one was to get games early, but also to play gems like this. This is just the sort of thing I was waiting for on the Wii as the DS by now has its fair share of quirky Japanese titles.

And if anyone is confused as I was about what game he was actually talking about there, it's Go! Go! Minon :sd:

[Johnny]

My decision to buy a Japanese Wii as well as an American one was to get games early, but also to play gems like this. This is just the sort of thing I was waiting for on the Wii as the DS by now has its fair share of quirky Japanese titles.

And if anyone is confused as I was about what game he was actually talking about there, it's Go! Go! Minon :sd:

Was it that confusing? :sd:

[Johnny]

Nodame Cantabile
Boxart (http://image1.play-asia.com/640/4u/pa.87070.1.jpg)
Format: DS
Release Date: 19th April 2007
Genre: Music/Rhythm Action
Official site (http://www.nodame-ds.com/)

Been out for a while but I got this the other day and have been playing it since last night.

First off, I've read there's a manga, anime and live-action version of this but I'm not familiar with any of them.
Like most anime based properties, fans will likely get the most out of this, being able to recognise characters and so on.

The one downside for those of us not familiar with the other versions is that the game is all about the gameplay and not the fanservice, and the game is admittedly on the easy side.
It's a rhythm action game where you need to 'conduct' classical music.
Basically, notes scroll along the touch screen from right to left and also from the top of the screen down. When the notes meet, you need to touch them with the stylus to keep the flow of the song. Messing up or missing notes results in the song becoming distorted.
That's basically all the gameplay there is to it, although there are coloured notes with a trail that appear from time to time and instead of just touching them, you need to touch and follow the trail coming from them.

Overall it's a nice enough, chilled out rhythm action game with some nice Namco bonus games (which take the form of Taiko no Tatsujin), although fans of the anime, manga or LA versions will likely get much more out of this.