Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX Review

If you're already invested in the series, and are fortunate to have either played the PS3 or Vita versions, and you also happen to have a 3DS, then by all means, this is certainly the definitive edition. With 48 awesome songs to jam out to, that also happen to be full-length, it'll take some time to play through them all, not to mention giving you twice as much gameplay thanks to the two control schemes.

I'm really glad that SEGA has finally made this Japanese diva sensation readily available here in the US, and recognized that there are certainly hardcore fans here as well. Regardless of its popularity, it won't break any barriers in the rhythm-game market, as it's still a little too niche for the average gamer.

However, looking past its niche appeal, the ability to customize and tailor the gameplay to your specifications, down to nearly any small detail, make it one of the best and most accessible titles in the Hatsune Miku franchise.

The Positives

• The soundtrack is absolutely amazing. Granted, this is very subjective. If you're not keen on digital voices singing Japanese pop music, you probably won't have a good time here, but for those familiar with Miku songs, rest assured that there are some very recognizable tunes in the game. There are over 40 to unlock.

• The most customizable Hatsune Miku game to date. Whether it's something trivial like changing your character's appearance, or even changing out the look of your button layout, to something completely game altering like being able to pick between the touch or button control scheme, you can make this game completely your own. For instance, I had trouble remembering that Nintendo's button layouts for A and B / X and Y are switched from the Xbox controller, so I simply made the button prompts appear as arrows instead. I could still use the face buttons, but now my prompts would appear as arrows. You can even control the speed of button prompts as well as toggle various on-screen information. Needless to say I was really impressed

• Both control schemes are totally viable and actually change up the way you play the game. Touch relies on either two or three pads on the bottom screen, corresponding to one color each. You then have to tap or hold the correct color as displayed on the top screen. Button controls are more standard, as they rely on both the directional buttons and face buttons, sometimes both.

• The gameplay seems more streamlined, with buttons no longer appearing all across the screen, but instead now appear on a constantly flowing line. This makes it much easier to follow.

• There is a ton of replay value when considering the three difficulties as well as the two control schemes, essentially giving each song six different variants.

• The chibi look for the characters is absolutely adorable, and somehow makes it look like it fits better on a Nintendo platform.

• Hatsune Tamagotchi, as I like to call it, is back. Choose your Vocaloid and interact with them. Buy them clothes, accessories, food and drinks to keep them happy. Even chip in some spending allowance so they can occasionally buy themselves something nice. You can even play mini-games with them, such as Reversi, as well as Puyo Puyo against other Vocaloids. If you're the type who dislikes being able to directly interact with in-game characters via touch, this game doesn't have any of that.

• A very easy to use choreography editor. The previous games had a daunting dance editor, which I barely ever touched, simply because it seemed way too hard to ever produce something that looked remotely good. This version simplifies that by separating dance routines into categories, and then allowing you to drag and drop them into any part of the song. It's really great, and super easy.

The Negatives

• It's still very much a niche title. Since the songs are all original, it means the game lacks any sort of recognizable tunes that might entice a non-Hatsune Miku fan to consider a purchase.

• It's certainly less challenging than previous entries. While the Hard mode is definitely nothing to scoff at, especially if you're not a rhythm game player, I found the songs to be much more manageable in Project Mirai DX than any other previous entry. Granted, perfecting a song is still very challenging.

• No Ievan Polkka…

Hatsune Miku has been slowly creeping her way into my heart with her releases on the PS3 and Vita, finally letting me experience the rhythm based challenging gameplay that Japanese players have been playing for years prior. Up until now though, at least in the US, Miku was only available on Sony consoles, though with her latest release, Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX, she finally makes her debut on Nintendo's handheld, the 3DS.

For those that never experienced the greatness of the Miku series, it's a rhythm game filled with original songs featuring various Vocaloids including Hatsune Miku and others, which tasks players to press buttons corresponding with the button prompts on screen.

The 3DS version is, for the most part, similar to Sony's counterpart, although now all the Vocaloids have been Chibi-fied to look like Nendoroids, so they're all stubby and adorable. However, there is a ton more to do in Project Mirai DX outside of performing some awesome Japanese songs. It's once again a Tamagotchi of sorts which has you picking a girl and checking up on her, buying her things to keep her happy, playing games with her and even giving her some spending allowance. You can also play some games of Puyo Puyo, and Reversi. There are also numerous shops to buy items and accessories, as well as furniture for your Vocaloid's apartment. And a Miku game would be incomplete without a dance studio which lets you create and customize dance routines.

It's surprisingly brimming with content that will more or less keep you engaged even outside of the 40+ songs.

So how does it compare to the original Hatsune Miku games? Is it better? Should you buy into it? Check out what's good, what's not, and our final verdict.

The Positives / The Negatives

The Verdict