Project Diva Megamix 39’s Review

What is Project Diva?

God Bless Nintendo for removing Region Lock. The Project Diva games are a series of rhythm games featuring music sensation Hatsune Miku and her friends Rin, Len, Luka, Meiko, and Kaito. Miku and co are part of a computer software called Vocaloid. The Vocaloid software allows the user to utilize a synthesized Vocal to make songs. Up until now, the main Project Diva titles have remained a PlayStation series. However, in Japan this game series is available on Nintendo Switch.

How to get the Game

Due to the fact that Nintendo Switch has removed the region locking feature that has plagued gamers for decades, Project Diva Megamix 39’s is already available to anyone willing to make a Japanese Nintendo account. This is how I accessed the game; I didn’t go through any illegal measures to obtain it.

Review:

In a previous post titled Hype For Project Diva Mega Mix I stated that I’m a big fan of this game series and Vocaloid in General, and I also confirmed that I’m highly excited to play Project Diva on Switch. Despite my enthusiasm, I couldn’t deny the reality that the amount of new content in the game seemed highly underwhelming. The game has only 10 new songs after all. Some of the songs don’t even have their own PV and instead reuse their animated music videos. With these drawbacks you may write this game off as a copy of its counterpart Project Diva Future Tone.

With these drawbacks I have still found myself highly enjoying the game just like I knew I would. The game runs at a stable 60 FPS except in several occasions where it drops to 30 to make up for the Switch not being as strong as the PlayStation 4. When I began playing I used the Nintendo Switch button layout while playing, but then switched to the PlayStation ones after I realized I performed much better with them. When the notes X and Y are put together closely, it’s highly difficult to see what notes you should be pressing.

The new shiny lighting and anime aesthetic is quite charming to me. I think it fits Miku and her friends really well. Po Pi Po for example is even more adorable and endearing than it was prior. With a total of 111 songs, this game is not lacking in content at all! However, what the game is lacking is the new content. Along with the 10 new songs, custom T shirts, and the shiny anime graphics, there is a new rhythm game option that utilizes the joy con.

New Mix Mode?

Personally, I am not a fan of the joy cons and mine are always drifting and making gameplay too frustrating. Because of this I don’t play the Mix game mode, but do think it’s inclusion is a positive. The songs that were chosen for Megmix I agree with. Staples such as World is Mine, Cantarella, Po Pi Po, and Magnet make me happy. While the new content is lacking, there’s not a single new song that I dislike. Teo and Roki are my favorites due to them having PV’s, but Ohedo Julia Night being included makes me the most thankful. I wanted Ohedo Julia Night more than any other song.

By far the best PV is Catch the Wave, it has an amazing choreographed PV featuring 8 different Miku as they explore the world on tour.

A downside is that many removed hits such as Meltdown have been dis included from the game, but will be made available through DLC at a later date. The Season Pass cost 40 dollars, and the fact these songs are on the PS4 version makes it seem as though Crypton is taking advantage of Nintendo fans.

Playing handheld is one of the features that I was questionable about at first. The Nintendo Switch is quite bulky, and the joy con buttons are notoriously sticky. However, I found myself quite pleased with how the game feels in handheld mode. Doing slider notes is easy due to the fact that you can use either control stick to hit the notes. I didn’t find any lag while playing in handheld mode either.

Conclusion

While the lack of new content may be discouraging, it would be foolish to say that this game is undeserving of being a full price title. With over 110 songs there is enough content to warrant purchasing this game for those who are interested in playing Project Diva on the go. If you’re a Miku fan who only has a Nintendo Switch, then I’d highly recommend buying this title. This game doesn’t contain any downsides compared to its PlayStation counterpart other than a smaller song list. In conclusion, I rate Project Diva Megamix 39’s a 8.5/10 due to its fun and reliable game play, good song list, and the flexibility of being able to play the game on the go.

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