It's been a really long time since our last Namco Original pick, isn't it? This week's feature should please our most hardcore of fans.
The Carnivorous Carnival| Version |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taiko 10 to 13, all console | x5 (199) | x7 (236) | x7 (460) | x10 (777) |
| Taiko 0, Taiko 3DS 2, Taiko + | x4 (199) | x6 (236) | x7 (460) | x9 (777) |
Taiko 10 to 13, 0, Taiko PSP DX, Taiko Wii 1, 4, Taiko 3DS 2, Taiko +, CD 2008
168
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carnivFinally! I bet many of you were wondering when we'd ever get to The Carnivorous Carnival. Although it was cut out of Taiko 14, this is one staple Taiko fans simply can't be without.
This song's history goes back to Taiko no Tatsujin 10. Remember Angel Dream in the series article? The Carnivorous Carnival was unlocked together with it on the arcade's first of many code sequences, and is an image antagonist to Angel Dream; it is supposed to evoke an infernal, evil atmosphere, in contrast to the light and heavenly mood of its partner song.
But unlike Angel Dream, this techno track did not spawn any sequel songs (except the combination remix Yozakura Shanikusai and probably Taiko Time), and though it was relished by many, the arcade feedback for TCC grew less after every version, and led to its eventual deletion. It may seem like it wasn't popular, but ask any Taiko fan and one of their song recommendations for an entry level 10* will be this song. It has a catchy rhythm and powerful beats with a satisfying level of challenge, not frustratingly difficult nor too easy. In fact, it gained a fondly remembered street name of 'kanikani' which means 'crab' in Japanese (Taiko Time follows the same pattern too).
Last year, this song was voted as the 2nd most loved song in Taiko, second only to Saitama 2000 in the 10th Anniversary Taiko Memories poll. Which is the main reason why it was brought back soon after Taiko 14 and included in the songlists of all arcade and console games released in the Taiko 10th anniversary period (with the exception of the 3DS Taiko, which has not yet been released).
The Carnivorous Carnival is the only song in Taiko games created by Akitaka Toyama (遠山明孝), a former Namco songwriter and composer for many other videogame series (like Tekken, Ridge Racer and Katamari Damacy) and currently one of Taiko's sound team since the 10th arcade. Takahashi-san, the old Taiko Team leader, is behind Kanikani's challenging notechart, which has an unpredictable notechart full of a wide variety of clusters and deathstreams mashed together. It's a great entry to 10* Oni because besides the obvious stamina factor, TCC is an invaluable lesson in learning when to handswitch and when not to, and its BPM is low enough for advancing players to do the job and improve themselves. However, it was downed to a 9* on Taiko 0 after the firmware update introduced it as an unlockable song.
Before you have a chance to fight the Time Dyne Professor in Taiko 3DS 2's Story mode, his three trusted henchmen -Pietro, Helga and Darnum- challenge Don-chan and his friends with a boss fight, featuring The Carnivorous Carnival as the tune being used for the battle.
