I’m an advocate for any game that successfully manages to make the player feel like he’s having fun, so I was excited when I got a first look over Muse Dash release for PC
Of course, the first thought that went through my mind was that such a game should only be played on a mobile device, or best case scenario on a tablet or on a Switch, but then again I enjoyed it so much i just didn’t care anymore.
Anime from A to Z
You don’t have to be an Otaku to appreciate good anime, and Muse Dash has enough anime elements in it to make you go all Pop-idol or K-Pop mode after just a few songs. I adored the art style and the interaction you could have with the characters within the main menu, and the occasional fan service was also a welcome addition.
The gameplay
Muse Dash is played like a dance and rhythm game, where you have to press certain buttons the moment a target arrives in the corresponding location, and precisely timing each move is key to getting a better score. Unlike a lot of other similar games, Muse Dash only needs you to press two buttons, or both of them at the same time, with the occasional QTE during boss encounters for some sweet extra score points.
Songs that are to die for
There are a lot of games that usually end up offering you the ability to download their OST separately (due to popular demand), and once you listen to a few of the songs on Muse Dash, you’ll be wondering where you can get your hands on their official OST as well. The music is entertaining, high-paced, and the songs are short enough not to make runs feel like a drag in any way. As expected, most songs are full of life, have a pronounced “anime” feel to them, and you might end up nodding your head and mumbling pseudo-Japanese in no time, since a lot of them are catchy.
The story (or lack thereof)
The game itself does not have a story at all but, then again, how could you justify the existence of a girl that randomly hits flying cats and candy corn with her electric guitar without being committed or at least be given an awkward look? The game is here to provide you with gratuitous entertainment in the form of short matches that are rarely ever over 2 minutes long, so you can squeeze a songs within a break at work.
Incentives, incentives everywhere
The game doesn’t just reward you by showing you your highscore, as it also provides long-term rewards that come in the form of a leveling system. Better performance and harder songs will translate into more and more experience points, allowing you to level up faster and faster. Levels don’t actually improve your performance at all, but instead unlock new features for you to test out, such as new song albums, skins for your characters, achievements, trophies and more.
Be the best at every song
I loved the way the game provides you with detailed Leaderboards for each song, allowing you to see who got the best score on each difficulty. As far as I’m concerned, given the game’s overall glamorous atmosphere, wanting to see your name on the Leaderborads among the greatest players that exist is nothing more than a welcome addition that completes the game’s atmosphere.
The Good
- The music
- The simple controls
- The visuals
- The glamorous atmosphere
- The song-based Leaderboards
The Bad
- High-level songs are impossible to finish for beginners, let alone get a decent score