Song of the Week! 16 October 2021

  

 

As today's newly-revealed song already has its seat booked in its dedicated Song Series Showcase, here's something different for our Saturday corner that is somewhat related to the latest Butou song entry. On the surface level, at least...

 

Shinra Banshou Sakuzyo

森羅万象 / 削除

Game	Genre
AC Green		★5 (196)	★7 (379)	★8 (243)	★10 (984/860/709)	-

288.57-292.98
sinrab (Shinra Banshou)


Normal notes

Sharing the title name with a female-vocals-lead doujin circle that is busy making STG music game arrangements somewhere else, this is quite the peculiar Namco Original piece to talk about, seeing as it's the only song in the series to date to make its debut on a year's very first day! The renowned BMS artist Sakuzyo (削除) of Altale and AXION fame is behind the composing table in order to supply a very hectic violin piece, performed by the nicknamed Katali. On the artist's YouTube channel, the song also had its official MV launch on the same day, too (link)! Shinra Banshou is also the 2nd track to appear in the artist's 2021 album ∀rkadia Яesurrection... and in its extended version, no less!

Despite some spirit-scorching traits such as the 290-ranged commonplace BPM that is fertile soil to hard drumming times in all modes when it comes to charting and gameplay pressure, Shinra Banshou's most fascinating aspect lies on its Oni mode's unique hybrid branching path conditions, diverging from the usual accuracy-based criteria to change notechart route by playing as well as the more unique "set-in-stone" examples of fixed branching like in the Butou/Garyoutensei songs. There are four different points in the song where it's possible to branch to a different route, but the first and the last ones among the quartet are the only ones to have special note markers being the deciding branching factor, whereas the other two are based on note hit accuracy like many of the other songs adopting the chart gimmick. The result is a song where a full-single-route play requires a consistent accuracy approach to your desired route, as well as some advance knowledge of the "branching choke points" at the start and halfaway through the play.

 

Seeing as little to no footage of a full-Advanced Route play is currently available online and as a means to show the forced branching variation's magnitude, below these lines are reported the possible branching situations that this song can offer with full-accuracy on the rest of the song and differing inputs on the two branching key points that heavily rely on custom note markers: the beginning's drumroll a-la Butou songs and the four consecutive, 7-hit balloons that appear on note stanzas 94-97.

First Branch -> Last Branch	Branching Conditions	Max Combo Achieveable
Normal -> Advanced	39 or less drumroll hits No hitballons popped	903
Advanced -> Advanced	Between 40 and 59 drumroll hits No hitballons popped	919
Master -> Advanced	60 or more drumroll hits No hitballons popped	944
Normal -> Master	39 or less drumroll hits At least one hitballoon burst	943
Advanced -> Master	Between 40 and 59 drumroll hits At least one hitballoon burst	959
Master -> Master	60 or more drumroll hits At least one hitballoon burst	984

No matter the path you're going to walk, a varying-intensity of relentless 1/16 and 1/12 cluster hybrids await for random mistakes to be harvested with the song's speed-demon nature. If you're aiming for the highest accuracy ranks, watch out for those ending 1/24 quick couples!