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There are also loads of features and game modes available, as well as half a dozen cute and strange characters to choose from who differ enough in abilities and specials that they almost completely alter the way a song is navigated through. One special note, however, is the song list itself. It's pretty clear that, though published by Mastiff in the US, Technic Beat was originally a Namco game and there are remixed songs from Rolling Thunder, Libble Rabble, Tower of Druaga, Dig Dug, Mappy, Rally X, and many others. Alhough there are also dozens of original tunes in the game, most of which are easy on the ears and none of which are actually bad, it's the Namco remixes that stand out. My only regret is that the game was released in Japan before Katamari Damacy, so no music from that game's gem of a soundtrack made it into Technic Beat.
If I was to have a complaint about the game it's that it feels unstructured. When you start playing there are 8 different menus to choose from, with play modes ranging from arcade, free, challenge, the ever-helpful tutorial, level certification, etc. The song list itself is initially about 25+ songs long, with more and more and more added as the player does better. Lots of choice isn't really a bad thing but so much is thrown at the player immediately upon turning on the game that it can be pretty daunting. I found myself just poking around in various modes trying a bit of this, a bit of that, and maybe some over here, for a good while before getting a clear sense of how things are and how I'd like them to go. The exception to that is the entertaining Challenge Mode, where they throw you a snippet of a song and a condition to clear it before you move on to the next challenge. In addition to being pretty fun, Challenge Mode has the added bonus of really making the player aware of techniques used to play better.
All told, Technic Beat is cute, enjoyable, accessible, and tough as nails for those wanting to pursue the challenge. It may be a niche title, but it's an accessible and attractive niche for those willing to give it the time.
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