Taiko no Tatsujin

 (太鼓の達人) is a series of rhythm games created by Namco. In the games, players simulate playing a taiko drum in time with music. The series has released games for the arcade and for console and mobile platforms including PlayStation 2, Advanced Pico Beena, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android and Japanese Feature phones.
While the series is mainly designed for use within Japan, there are also localized versions for other regions, including English, Chinese and Korean-language versions.
Gameplay.
Objective.
The main objective of "Taiko no Tatsujin" games is to hit a simulated Taiko drum following a chosen piece of music, corresponding to scrolling from the right.
A song is cleared when the is filled past the by playing accurately enough.
Controls.
Arcade releases are equipped with simulated Taiko, which can register hits when played with drum sticks (bachi).
Console versions mainly uses buttons to play, while certain devices can support additional methods of input:
Notes.
The variety of notes in the game consists mainly of red and blue markers. The red note requires a hit on the face of the drum, and the blue note requires a hit on the rim.
Other notes require quick consecutive hits on the drum. Types of such notes includes the yellow bar, the balloon note (called a burst note in Taiko Drum Master) and the Kusudama ball (or the yam on older releases since PS2 Godaime, or the Mallet note in Drum Session and Drum 'n' Fun).
Unlike other rhythm games such as Guitar Hero, the drum is an addition to the songs and does not limit an instrument being played whenever the notes are not hit, nor does it simulate an off-key sound when missed as the game allows you to freely hit the drum wherever you want, so long as it isn't close to a note that could result in a penalty.
Difficulty.
Most games in the franchise provide four difficulty levels for play: and (known in English versions of Drum 'n' Fun and Drum Session as "Extreme") the highest difficulty.
The sequence of the notes in a level is commonly referred to as a .
Inner notecharts.
Certain songs also have extra in addition to the four standard levels. These are intended to be alternative takes on the regular set. Although not a main objective, most inner note charts are made more difficult than regular note charts. This later changed to being exclusive to the Oni/Extreme difficulty only.
Some inner note charts work by changing to an alternative version of the song, or, exclusively in arcades, switching to a completely different song. As of the third-generation in 2011, these became separate songs.
Notechart branching.
Some songs can feature in certain difficulty levels. According to the player's performance, the notechart changes between or On certain songs, like Hyakka Ryoran, a drumroll appears at the start to allow the player to pick any of three notecharts.
Gameplay options.
Various aspects of the game can be changed to the player's liking:
Releases.
Taiko: Drum Master.
Taiko: Drum Master is the first official North American release in the franchise, first released for the PlayStation 2 on October 26, 2004 in North America and September in Japan. Instead of Japanese pop and anime music, "Taiko: Drum Master" uses English-language pop music by artists including Queen and Madonna, and Western animation theme songs from "Dragon Ball Z" and "".
Taiko no Tatsujin 13.
 is the thirteenth arcade release of the series, with service commencing December 17, 2009. "Taiko no Tatsujin 13" was used to hold the Japan-wide tournament in early 2010.
Taiko no Tatsujin 14.
 is the fourteenth arcade release of the series. With more than 150 playable songs, "14" inherits many features from previous releases. For a limited time, "14" participated as part of a collaboration with McDonald's. As part of the franchise's 10th anniversary celebration, an upgrade patch was made available for "14", adding five extra songs to the track listing.
Taiko no Tatsujin Plus.
 also stylized as Taiko no Tatsujin +, is a video game application exclusively for iOS devices, released on May 28, 2014 in Japan. "Plus" is free to download but charges for purchasing additional music packs. In June 2015, "Plus" introduces the service, allowing unlimited downloads of designated songs within a set time for a fee. "Plus" is chiefly controlled with a simulated drum surface on the device's touchscreen, but also supports Roland Corporation's V-Drums electronic drum sets with subsequent updates.
In addition to typical "Taiko no Tatsujin" gameplay, "Plus" also includes the feature, where in-game points can be exchanged for rolls of lucky draw for randomly drawn prizes.
"Taiko no Tatsujin" (2011).
 is the fifteenth arcade release of the series. This release is significantly different from previous arcade releases, allowing players to store play data with Bandai Namco's Banapassport card, customizing player characters and by-player difficulty settings. The game can also receive online updates to add playable songs and features. Initially released exclusively in Japan, the cabinet has been released since January 2014 in Southeast Asian regions including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.　
Since its initial release in 2011, the game has received one or two major upgrades each year. Each release usually adds many new songs at once, implements modes exclusive to that release, as well as introduce new costume options and challenges in Ranking Dojo Mode.
"Wadaiko Master".
In May 2014, a number of "Taiko no Tatsujin" cabinets seemingly based on "Momoiro Ver." were found in arcades in Brazil under the name of "Wadaiko Master" . These cabinets were translated into Portuguese and featured a significantly reduced song list, only containing 32 tracks including three Brazilian Music tracks exclusive to this edition. "Wadaiko Master" is offline-only, lacking network features such as Banapassport support and software updates present in other releases.
"Wadaiko Master" is the only instance of "Taiko no Tatsujin" being officially released in arcades outside of Asia.
"Taiko no Tatsujin: Nijiiro Ver.".
 known officially as the released in Japanese arcades on 24 March 2020 and started the fourth generation of "Taiko no Tatsujin" arcade cabinets. Arcade operators will be able to upgrade to this title from the 2011 game by purchasing a hardware renovation kit, which includes a brand new arcade board based on System BNA1, a 120 Hz monitor, and a QR code reader.
"Nijiiro Ver." features new elements such as the obtained by clearing a song with the highest possible level of accuracy. The song settings menu has been updated to allow for more options, including more control over the notes' playback speed. The default scoring system has been changed significantly, as it no longer awards bonuses for long combos and instead focused on accuracy. The "Classical" and "Variety" song genres have been removed, with their songs being assigned to other categories. There is also a vast amount of graphical updates, notably with the inclusion of horizontal text on the song select menu, similar to "". On a livestream at JAEPO 2020, Etou, the game's director, said that this is to prepare the game for "overseas players".
An international version of "Nijiiro Ver." is set to be released for Asia and Oceania in Spring 2021. This version will be multilingual and be playable in English, Traditional Chinese or Korean. Special, regional songs exclusive to the international version are also set to be included upon release.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Wii U Version.
 is the first "Taiko no Tatsujin" game exclusively for the Wii U, released on November 21, 2013 in Japan only. The game was said to carry 70 songs, and features appearances of Golden Bomber and Super Mario Bros., and a collaboration campaign with Japanese idol group Momoiro Clover Z.
"Wii U Version" features the new gameplay mode where multiple players alternately play a single song in a relay race-like fashion. The game also supports the Wii U GamePad with a touchscreen drum, and can be played with the GamePad alone without needing a television set.
Both free and paid downloadable content, including outfit items and additional playable songs, are available via the Nintendo eShop.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure.
Taiko no Tatsijin: Rhythmic Adventre, also known as , is the second "Taiko no Tatsujin" game exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS, released on June 26, 2014 in Japan only. The game includes a reported number of 60 songs, and guest appearance of Jibanyan from "Yo-kai Watch", Airou from "Monster Hunter 4", Funassyi and Kumamon.
"Rhythmic Adventure" features a main story plot in in which series protagonists Don and Katsu travel through time to different periods, encountering various friends and enemies. Players engage in random encounter drum-playing battles and gather befriended enemies as team members, similarly as in Pokémon games with added rhythm game elements.
Both free and paid downloadable content, including additional quests for Space-time Adventure Mode, outfit items and additional playable songs, are available via the Nintendo eShop. Additional content can also be unlocked via scanning QR codes hosted at various other media and using Spot Access functionality at specific locations.
"Rhythmic Adventure" was later localized into a Korean-language version and was released on August 27, 2015.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Tokumori!
 is the second "Taiko no Tatsujin" game exclusively for the Wii U, released on November 20, 2014 in Japan only. The game boasts a collection of 100 playable songs, and features appearances of guest characters such as Funassyi, Kumamon and Hatsune Miku.
"Tokumori" features two new modes: a capsule toy set-up for unlocking unlockable content, and an intro quiz mini-game. Baton Touch Play Mode returns from "Wii U Version".
Both free and paid downloadable content, including outfit items and additional playable songs, are available via the Nintendo eShop.
The game was removed from the Nintendo eshop.
Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version.
 is a "Taiko no Tatsujin" game exclusively for the PlayStation Vita, released on July 9, 2015. The game includes more than 80 playable songs, with a focus on anime, Vocaloid and video game music.
"V Version" features a main story plot in in which protagonist Don adventures with a young female named Maple to defeat Noise and the ancient dragon Revolution. The game also features the practice mode that can fast forward, rewind and change speed.
A traditional Chinese version, with translated Chinese menu and dialogue text but retaining Japanese voice acting, will be released on the same release date in Taiwan and Hong Kong. This version is expected to feature Asia-exclusive playable songs, to be continually made available after release.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete ☆ Tomodachi Daisakusen!
 is the third "Taiko no Tatsujin" game exclusively for the Wii U, released on November 26, 2015 in Japan. The game is first announced in an official livestream program by the series development team on August 21, 2015. Coinciding with the series' 15th Anniversary, the game includes an original 15th Anniversary short animation produced in collaboration with Studio Ghibli, and the first printing of the bundle version that includes additional 15th Anniversary branded goods.
The game features the brand new mode, with Katsu-chan befriending animals to become the most popular person in the neighborhood. Other modes from past Wii U titles also make a return.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure 2.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure 2, also known as , is the third "Taiko no Tatsujin" game exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS, released on June 16, 2016 in Japan. The game features over 70 songs and introduces a new "Mystery Adventure" mode, which adds an RPG adventure to the game. In this mode, Don-chan and Katsu-chan explore Mystery Spots around the world. As you advance through the story, the player fights in battles and allies with characters. A party can have up to eight characters.
"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session!".
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session!, also known as was released exclusively for PlayStation 4 in Japan and most parts of Asia on October 26, 2017 and in North America, Europe and Australia on November 2, 2018. Together with "Drum 'n' Fun!", it is the first game of the series to be officially localized overseas in North America for over a decade, as well as the very first official European and Australian release from the series overall. The game is digital-exclusive for the NA, EU and AU markets, as opposed to both physical and digital for Japan and Asia markets. The game has the Friend Session Mode that let player play against the online play data of other players, and the Guest Session Mode where player challenges the characters from other franchises.
"Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!".
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!, also known as was released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The game was revealed during a March 2018 Nintendo Direct presentation and was released in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea on July 19, 2018, in Southeast Asia on August 9, 2018. It was released in the US, Europe and Australia on November 2, 2018. Together with the first PS4 Taiko game, it is the first game of the series to be officially localized overseas in North America for over a decade, as well as the very first official European and Australian release from the series overall. The game is digital-exclusive for the North America region, but available in both physical and digital in Europe as well as the bundle that also packages the Tatacon drum controller with the game. It makes use of the motion controls of the console's Joy-Con controllers to simulate the use of drumsticks. The game also features exclusive songs from "Super Mario Odyssey", "Pac-Man Championship Edition 2", and "Splatoon 2". A special Taiko drum controller has been released to play this game in arcade style.
"Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack".
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack, also known as is a re-release of "Rhythmic Adventure" ("Don to Katsu no Jikū Daibōken") and "Rhythmic Adventure 2" ("Dokodon! Mystery Adventure"), bundled into one game and was released on the Nintendo Switch in 26 November 2020 in Japan and Asian countries and 3 December 2020 in Europe and North America. "Rhythmic Adventure Pack" is the first "Taiko no Tatsujin" game to feature a story mode translated into English. In addition to the two RPG modes, Taiko Mode was also included and featured 6 new songs not included in the original releases. The DLC songs from the original games are not included in the game. "Rhythmic Adventure Pack" is available physically in Japan and Asia; however, only a digital version will be available in Europe and North America.
In other media.
Collaborations.
Taiko no Tatsujin frequently hosts collaboration campaigns with other video game franchises and companies. Collaboration efforts include porting signature songs into Taiko no Tatsujin games, sometimes with special dancers and background designs. In return Taiko no Tatsujin elements are shown as guest appearances in other media. Notable entities collaborated with the series include:
Spin-offs.
From 2005, Kids Station broadcast 26 3-minute shorts of the "Taiko no Tatsujin" characters in clay anime.
A manga version of the series was also serialized in "Comic Bom Bom".
Mini versions of the game appear in the Namco game "" when the main characters is equipped with a costume resembling a drum, and in the Nintendo DS game "Nodame Cantabile".
Playable Taiko no Tatsujin machines also appear in "Yakuza 5".
Reception.
Consumer "Taiko no Tatsujin" games generally receive favourable reviews from critics. Most published console and handheld releases receive Famitsu Review Scores of over 30, out of a total of 40. "Taiko: Drum Master" attained a 77-point Metacritic score from 35 reviews.
As of 2019, the game series has sold over 10 million copies on consoles.