 |  | |
 -Sora series- | ||
 | |
 | | |
 |  |
SORA-I Earth Rise (SORA-I アースライズ)| Version |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x3 (125) | x5 (166) | x7 (297) | x8 (450) |
Taiko 13, Taiko 0 W, Taiko Wii 2, 5, CD Full Combo
134
none
sora1xOne of the most relaxing Taiko songs this generation, this beautiful trance tune was introduced on a console version Taiko first. The title, Earthrise, refers to the famous photograph of the Earth taken on the moon by an astronaut called William Anders, in 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission. The earth could be seen rising from the moon's surface, thus the name. Together with the similarly trancelike melody of SORA-III, this song was composed by Satoshi Ishikawa (石川敏).
It may seem slow paced and easy, but the clusters and mixed 1/24 streams make SORA-I one of the most frustrating 8* Oni songs to perfect, with several places along the notechart threatening to break a combo, especially towards the end with three massive back-to-back handswitch streams. Even clearing it is also quite troublesome as the end part can destroy anyone with a borderline passing gauge.
This song was used in the boss battle with Gallium, the ice mecha, on Taiko Wii 2.
SORA-II Gliese 581 (SORA-II グリーゼ581)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All arcade, Taiko Wii 2 | x4 (84) | x4 (145) | x6 (382) | x7 (567) |
| Taiko Wii 5 | x4 (84) | x4 (145) | x7 (382) | x7 (567) |
Taiko 13, Taiko 0 W, Taiko Wii 2, 5, CD Full Combo 144 none sora2xReleased in tandem with SORA-I. SORA-II has a more earthy, cultural vibe, and for good reason; Gliese 581 refers to a red dwarf star about 20 light years away from Earth and the five planets that orbit around it, of which at least a couple have Earth-like atmospheres and are habitable. Gliese 581 is in the Libra constellation. Etou made the notechart for SORA-II and Ryuuichi Takada (高田龍一) was speculated to be the artist when his name was spotted in the credits of Taiko Wii 2, and confirmed on the Donderful soundtrack CD.
The rhythm is slightly harder to grasp, as most of the notes follow a swing beat (1/12 notes), an aspect which all players have to get familiar with on their way up the difficulty scale. Once you get the hand of it, it is much, much easier than SORA-I. The only thing in this song that might present any trouble are the sudden 1/16 parts. The Kantan chart is also abnormally scanty, being one of few 4* notecharts that has under 100 notes total.
This song was used in the boss battle with Teruru (Tellurium), the cosmic mecha, on Taiko Wii 2.
SORA-III Heliopause (SORA-III ヘリオポース)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (153) | x6 (203) | x7 (379) | x9 (537) |
Taiko 14, Taiko Wii 3, 5, Taiko 3DS 3, CD Full Combo 135 none sora3xSORA-III is the toughest song in the series, making its debut on Taiko 14. Heliopause refers to a phenomenon where solar wind, which is a gust of electromagnetic current generated by a sun, creates a 'bubble' in space, which causes interference in the hydrogen/helium that makes up a galaxy (in layman's terms, at least).
The overall vibe of the song harks back to the techno/trance style of SORA-I, fitting the 'galactic gaseous phenomenon' theme quite well. Although a generally harder song, there are not as many combobreakers as in SORA-I, and is seen as easier to full combo than it too.
With its revival into the third 3DS Taiko game, SORA-III has been used as the track for the boss fight against the Kraken.
SORA-IV Bunpasong (SORA-IV ブンパソング)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (156) | x7 (203) | x7 (302) | x8 (555) |
Taiko 14, Taiko Wii 5, CD Full Combo 130 none sora4xAnd here comes the time where several common patterns in the SORA series are broken. Not only does 'Bunpasong' mean nothing when it comes to astrological terms, it is also the first SORA song to feature vocals. Bunpasong is sung by Kaori Aihara, who also did the equally space-related Namco Original song Total Eclipse 2035. The lyrics and song were made by Ryuuichi Takada (高田龍一).
Just like SORA-I and III are related, SORA-IV has similarities to SORA-II, both of them featuring 1/12 and 1/24 streams. Noted for its slightly higher difficulty, and resembling a lower-tier 9* on Oni if FCing is the main concern, due to a twisting hard 1/24 stream in the middle of the song.
SORA-V Cosmic Bird (SORA-V コズミックバード)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko PSP DX | x3 (109) | x4 (140) | x5 (263) | x8 (354) |
| Taiko Wii 5 | x3 (109) | x4 (140) | x6 (263) | x8 (354) |
Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 5, CD Full Combo 135 none cosmbAfter a massive backlash for making vocals for a SORA song, it was promptly removed for the next one in the series, and astronomical references return to the song title. Cosmic Bird might seem like something purely out of imagination, but it actually refers to an unusual phenomenon where two spiral galaxies seem to collide with each other, and then it was discovered that a third, irregularly-shaped galaxy was in the mix as well, creating a form similar to a bird or fairy. You can see what the cosmic bird looks like as well as a detailed explanation here. SORA-V is composed by an alias 'Tori-Oto' (トリ音).
In Taiko, it is more themed on outer space than any previous song in the series, filled with spaceship sounds and tinkling star sounds. The notechart uses many 1/12 and 1/24 notes, with more emphasis on the snappy beats of two notes at 1/24 beat apart. Looks easy to clear, however, the rhythm of the notes are tricky, and might take some time to FC. Cosmic Bird also has the lowest note total in the SORA series on Oni mode, despite being an 8* song.
SORA-VI Hinotori (SORA-VI 火ノ鳥)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x5 (196) | x5 (259) | x7 (410) | x9 (666) |
Taiko 0 S, Taiko 3DS 3, Taiko Wii U 135 none sora6xOnce again as usual, this is an instrumental, however it is vastly different in style to the previous soothing trance tunes of I, III and V. Hinotori takes a bolder and more energetic approach to the space theme, taking the vibe from its name (lit. Bird of Flame) which means Phoenix. In line with the new arcade being named Sorairo, it was only apt that a new SORA song would make its way there (albeit the strange part about leaving SORA-V out). Hinotori here refers to the name of a Japanese satellite, whose mission is to contribute to the research of solar activity. The song is composed by Hisui (翡翠), one of the newest composers among Taiko games' NAMCO SOUNDS roster, making his debut with this song and Namco Original Houjou Yayoi.
According to Hisui's comments on the Sorairo Version limited soundtrack, the code name for the song was "Solar Flare", as the song's mood intention sinjce the earliest drafts was to emphasize the silence as much as the presence of powerful sounds, mirroring the burning sun's powerful presence in the otherwise-silent space as it graces the Earth with a wide array of visual phenomenons. Many tentative titles like 'Corona Diver' (コロナダイバー), 'Aurora Ripples' (極光ノ波紋), 'Reincarnation Ignis' (転生イグニス) and 'Taiyo no Otori' (太陽ノ鳳) have been proposed, but the final naming choice ended up with Hinotori not only for the aforementioned Japanese satellite, but also as a direct naming reference to Phoenix, another Namco Original that made its debut on Sorairo Version. While the original version of the song was deemed not suitable for Taiko gaming due to both length and calm portions, it eventually made its way to the aforementioned Sorairo Version soundtrack, as SORA-VI Hinotori's "Prototype Version".
The chart is made by Taiko Team's Etou, and on Oni is quite a creative chart with many different patterns, beginning at regular 1/16 clusters and ending with 1/12 and 1/24 clusters. For a 9* Oni, it would be suitable to call it a mid-tier challenge with the highlights being its intense, short Go-Go Times and a long 1/12 stream at the end. At 666 notes, SORA-VI also has the highest notecount in the series.
Being a multiple of 3, SORA-VI was also ported in the third Taiko game, and like SORA-III is also used for a boss fight against the Cockatrice.
SORA-VII Cygnus Wall (SORA‐Ⅶ シグナスウォール)| Version | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | x4 (176) | x6 (236) | x7 (430) | x10 (839) |
Taiko 0 B 180 none ???The now-independent composer Hisui is also responsible of the 7th SORA sopng's creation, making its debut on Blue Version alongside another of his works (Ai to Jouzai no Mori) in the Summer Rewards Shop outlet. With the 'Cygnus Wall' term is usually referred a specific portion of the North America Nebula (NGC 7000 or Caldwell 20) in the Cygnus constellation, resembling the geographical shape of Central America.
The highest Oni-rated song yet of all the SORA tracks, its notechart is more reminiscent of the Oni trials spotlighted in Hisui's earliest Taiko no Tatsujin works (Gashadokuro and Tengu Bayashi), namely for the highly-irregular rhythms that are translated in the implementation of consecutive note clusters under varying time signatures.
Back to song series page
