Pokémon and Music Games, Revisited

Over two years ago, I wrote about a particular link of a certain music game with a certain facet of Pokémon, followed by a discussion about the linkage of both in general. Today, I feel the need to revisit this linkage, given some particular things about them that have happened recently, as well as some things that could be worthy of consideration for integrating the two areas even further. They're areas that by my experience (and some research) have been quite disparate, except for some tidbits.

The music game that I discussed in the first post is of course maimai, a music game that belongs to Sega and could be considered its first mainstream hit, being that it's playable - even online - not just in Japan, but in many game centers around Asia, including where I am (Indonesia). Unfortunately, there's a bittersweet news about it: as of today, the online service for its FiNALE version, named as such because it "ends" the classic series, has been terminated in Japan, having been succeeded by a new series called maimai DX. Its online service for other regions has been spared for the time being, likely because maimai DX is still being prepared for the international release. In all the time I've played the game, no Pokémon songs have ever been included, though it has been a personal hope of mine; since the game survives with the DX series, there may still be some hope.

In the meantime, there are many other music games to be enjoyed. One of them is called Taiko no Tatsujin (also known as Taiko Drum Master), which belongs to Bandai Namco. Bandai Namco of course is known for having collaborated with Pokémon to conceive Pokkén, an actual fighting game with Pokémon in it, resulting in things like a game ID card tie-in. I had the chance to drop by one of the Taiko game machines the other day in a distant game center and was surprised to see it playable online; at that moment, I had to play it. I knew by a report from a friend that Pokémon is linked to the game somehow, and I had my confirmation.

Though my knowledge of the Japanese language is minimal (let alone with highly stylized Japanese script), I and a friend can tell for a fact that this song - in the Anime category - is "Alola!! from Pocket Monsters Sun & Moon", which confirms that a Pokémon song is actually in the game, from its anime, no less. A little research shows that this link has been well-standing, with different versions having different songs, including "Best Wishes!" at one point in time. I can't exactly hope to explore as far back as that, but "Alola!!" is satisfying. I've played the song on both "futtsu" ("Normal") and "muzukashii" ("Hard") difficulties above, and I've only managed to do well on the former. At the least, I now have a new music game that I appreciate, thanks to this.

On the whole, Pokémon and music games still lack an established linkage, being that few songs of the former are included in the latter and there is not quite a game of the former with the concept of the latter. This is something that demands further exploration by all parties concerned. As many gamers are fans of both, including me, developing the linkage further could be in our best interests. Until then, the "hidden gems" such as above may still be just as great.

One year ago: (Late and Great) Local Ex-Raid, 9/3/2018
Two years ago: Bandai Pokémon XY Swing - Pikachu