osu! - rhythm is just a click away

Alright since HoshikunV2 introduced you with a good rhythm game now I would like to share a popular game played by mostly Japanese media fans. The title explains the name and a catchy phrase but none of them gonna change your mind unless you try it yourself.

Lets check out the main page itself of what this game is all about;

osu! is primarily played using a mouse to click 'beats' displayed on-screen in time with the music. This is analogous to tapping the beats on the Nintendo DS screen with a stylus. At the top of the screen, a health bar is present, which is constantly drained. If the player hits or clears a beat, the health meter at the top of the screen fills slightly. If he misses a beat, a large part of the meter is drained, and if it gets completely empty, he fails the song. There are three types of beats in the game: Hit circles, sliders and spinners. Every time the player hits a hit circle or an end circle, touch a slider tick, or clear a spinner, the combo is raised by 1. If he misses any of the above, the combo is reset back to 0.

Basically, this rhythm game require you to click on their 'beats' using your mouse before the meter drained. The hardest part is to maintain the faster beats that constantly appeared plus the moment while you are sliding the spinners, a part that total beginners would gave up and throw up the game in the dustbin straight away. Put that aside, this game is totally enjoyable with the good interface and you may use them as your personal MP3 player if you are tired of playing.



Multiplayer mode was added to the public release on June 2008, consists of a central lobby displaying available rooms, and current online players. You can play with your friends and strangers as an individual challenge, or tag team in which you need to pair up with your friend and work together to beat another partner.

There are two additional special mode available besides of this basic gameplay style. Taiko is a variant of the game that requires players to hit one or both keys together as circle move from the right to the left of the screen, while Catch The Beat is the familiar 'Catch the Fruit' style where fruit fall from the sky according to the selected beatmap's music. Players are require to catch them all in their basket.

To play this game, download the game first and then you need to download additional beatmaps available on their main site. Beatmaps are divided by level of difficulties, from easy to insane, and various Beats per Minutes (BPM) for all levels. The flame effect on the bottom of the screen after you reach certain combos are attractive and realistic. There are version for iPhone and iPod available too.

How about the pricing? Why you need to pay when you can get it for no cost. This game is absolutely FREE!

[caption id="attachment_491" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The main page of osu!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_492" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="List of menu after you shake (or hit the big button)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_493" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Another menu inside the menu"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_494" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The page where you can choose the beatmaps you have uploaded"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_495" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Bring it on!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_496" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Rank and analysis after you finish played certain beatmaps"][/caption]

the moment this article is written, Bancho server (the server osu! used to create multiplayer games and display ranking) is currently down. Here are the status' tweet.



Well images aren't just enough, so lets take a look at video I ripped last year.



Slightly stuck in the middle of this video due to rendering problem but it won't affect much. As for the rating, I gave it 9 over 10. Enjoy your rhythm game.