Just like Music Revolver last time, I am going to try and break down another troublesome song to make the road to that elusive Full Combo just that little bit easier. On today's dissection table is the bastion of the Namco Original 'no Mai' series, Ryougen no Mai.
Touted as the final boss of Taiko no Tatsujin 12 Zoryoban, many initially thought this to be the most difficult song in Taiko history. They'd be right; it was incredibly taxing and contained many tricky parts, however after significant play, it was still a smidge easier to cope with than Rotter Tarmination (Ura) because it was not as energy-draining, and was more of a technique chart.
Comparisons aside though, the majority of Ryougen no Mai can be done quite easily if you've been getting used to high speed 10* charts, but there are two major reasons why getting an FC on this song is so difficult:
1. This thing.
Even if you are able to clear the rest of the song easily, this dense 1/24 stream will be the biggest thorn on your side, especially coming in at 204 BPM. It is one of the fastest streams ever, and clearing it is a matter of sheer luck or intense speed-training (good for you if you've developed the ability to beat it consistently).
There aren't any useful tips I can give for this, except that good coordination and hitting speed are essential to surviving this. Or if you want, you can intentionally start hitting the first few notes earlier than you're supposed to, and finish slightly later too. This is known in Japanese rhythm game terminology as '逆餡蜜 (gyaku-anmitsu)', in which a player intentionally 'spreads out' hitting a dense cluster of notes disregarding hit accuracy, just to be able to scrape past without a miss. It's a valid strategy worth trying out.
Note: The reverse of this, simply called '餡蜜 (anmitsu)' is mainly used in multiple input rhythm games like IIDX, where a bunch of notes with very slight timing differences are hit all at the same time instead of having to hit each note individually. Again, this disregards accuracy and is a strategy for a simple Full Combo.
2. The entire Go-Go Time
It looks like a nightmare, and it IS a nightmare. The highlights of the Go-Go Time are the crazy, almost haphazard, successions of note streams from stanzas 71 to 75 and 79 to 83. The key to getting a Full Combo on this song (aside from the troll 1/24) lies in giving those streams a long, hard look, studying them, and being able to hit them.
There's a method to the madness. Let's see what we have here on the first set of clusters.
It starts off with a long 14-note stream, then 8, 6, 7, 7, 4, 10, 10. Each of them are completely different, but require similar tactics. Arguably the hardest to get used to is the k-d-d-k-d-k-k-d stream in stanza 73, which requires you to handswitch twice in a short span of time. Practice hard!
Now let's take it to a larger scale. Notice how the first three and last three streams all have an even number of notes? If you didn't realize this, know this now; except for the two 7 note clusters in the middle, all of those streams should begin with your dominant hand hitting the first note. Knowing this by heart reduces a lot of confusion regarding what to hit and when. Assuming you're a right-hander, this is one way to handle the streams.
One stream requires you to start with your left, and alternately you could go all the way and do the other 7 note cluster with your dominant hand if you're feeling confident enough in it. Whichever way you do it, note that your dominant hand needs to get used to beginning a stream with a blue note.
As for the second set, well, if you know the first set, the second set is nearly identical, with one significant difference.
Aside from the fact that the initial 14-note cluster is much harder to execute (even with no handswitch involved, this is still tough), look closely at the red circle and the underlined note. Now compare it to the two 7-note clusters in the first set. They're actually the same patterns, with the first blue note in the second cluster moved to the tail of the first cluster, making them 8 and 6 respectively.
This now means that ALL clusters in the second set starts from your dominant hand, eliminating the need to start a cluster from your other hand. It is for this reason that the second set is easier than the first.
Remember, even though there is very little confusion in which hand to use when beginning to hit a cluster, almost every one of those individual clusters require handswitch, and because of the speed of the song, to not miss a note, you need to be able to do it without even thinking. A ton of practice is required for this part even after you've memorized all the patterns. Try doing it at a slower speed, and gradually increase until you are able to cope with them at their original speed.
The gyaku-anmitsu tactic can also be used here if you are unable to keep up with the speed all the way (treat all the clusters as one long stream instead of individually), and having personally tried it out on the arcade, I can say that it works pretty well.
Good luck FCing Ryougen no Mai!
