Ever since the initial Nintendo Direct reveal back in February, we didn't get anything else in terms of new intel surrounding the next Nintendo Switch major release for the series. That, however, changes today as in one night we might have received TOO MUCH to talk about in just one meager recap post!
Aided by the release date reveal video from the JP Bandai Namco YT channel and (of course) the game's freshly-updated website, we're taking a look at everything that has been revealed today, bit by bit.
Side-modes Details
All of the initially-revealed side modes have been talked on with the last one or two key features behind them, so we might as well re-introduce them all with the added details. First of all, the 1P-only Improvement Support (上達サポート) mode.
This is a training side mode akin in spirit to many in console Taiko gaming past, with the key difference of leaning more towards the AI Battle Performance mode from the ongoing arcade line. Each song is divided into 3 to 5 portions and players can practice each sub-option and compare their own accuracy progress by either the handy stats recap or even a ghost play of yourself as you practice that one bit!
For the drumming party animals, we have the Don-Chan Band (どんちゃんバンド), one of the 4-player-compatible newcomer multiplayer modes that plays more on the co-operative side rather than the competitive one. Each playable song has its own notechart variant that is split into four separate charts, and a band of players can pick-and-choose whatever part they feel like going into! Each of the four 'lead instrument' subcharts has its own difficulty rating from 1 to 5, and can be played with any of the available Taiko Sounds at the player's disposal!
Up next is the Donkatsu Toy Battle (ドンカツおもちゃ対戦), a 2-player mode that builds upon former Item Battle modes from the Wii/Wii U days and the former Switch game's Donkatsu Fight. The name of the game is still to score better than your opponent while dealing with a wacky assortment of items and visual distraction, but for the first time players will be able to choose their own arsenal for those matches by selecting the available/unlockable toys up to fill their own Cost gauge.
It's also possible to play this one mode online with strangers, so go nuts with your unique skills and toy comps!
Speaking about online play, Donderful/Rhythm Festival will have two main modes on launch for what concerns "regular" Taiko matchmaking: the usual Online Rank Match from NS1 and Online Room Match, where custom rules can be set. No mention of private matchmaking in any of the showcased materials by now, but hopefully it's getting mentioned soon enough.
At the trailer's tail-end, we also got pricing details on the Taiko Music Pass (太鼓ミュージックパス), the subscription model a-la Plus STH
Erratum (2022/06/24): Upon reviewing the language used, we realize that the narrative being put out is that "if you subscribe to Taiko Music Pass, you will have access to 500+ songs", with the base song list inclusive in the number. Not to mention the small snippet in the PV going through the Music Pass song list clearly shows 430 as the total...
You can subscribe to the Taiko Music Pass with a 30-day ticket (550 yen), or get a 20% discount buy getting the longer 90-day ticket (1320 yen). No matter which duration, you can choose to buy the ticket when you want manually, or set up auto-renewal payments. You can also redeem a free 7-day ticket (limit one per Nintendo Account) to try out the plan before you commit to paying. Subscribing to the pass also comes with a bonus outfit gift, the Taiko Drumset (くみたいこ).
You can subscribe to the Taiko Music Pass with a 30-day ticket (550 yen), or get a 20% discount buy getting the longer 90-day ticket (1320 yen). No matter which duration, you can choose to buy the ticket when you want manually, or set up auto-renewal payments. You can also redeem a free 7-day ticket (limit one per Nintendo Account) to try out the plan before you commit to paying. Subscribing to the pass also comes with a bonus outfit gift, the Taiko Drumset (くみたいこ).
Last but not least, here's a first for console Taiko players: retroactive unlockable perks! All Donderful/Rhythm Festival players with stored save data from Nintendo Switch Version/Drum 'n' Fun will get from the get-go a handful of the contents that the former game has got over time, from songs to familiar cosmetics.
TVCMs, Release Date and Companion Anime Crossover Video
Also shared in the same day are the half-minute-long TVCMs for the game in Japanese and English, profiling the release date of the game for both Japan and North America: September 22nd, 2022 for the former and the day after (September 23rd) for the latter, with physical releases planned for both (and the first time for the US since the Ps2 Taiko Drum Master!). Europe too will get the game with the same physical deal and the Tatacon-powered bundles like Japan, but it will have to wait a little longer for the launch with an October 14th release date (source).
Also also on the official Japanese Taiko no Tatsujin YT channel is shared a special crossover episode advertising the new Switch game's launch. Quite fitting, considering how both the web Anime and Donderful/Rhythm Festival are set in Omiko City, wouldn't you say? (..are we sure it's the same one, though?)
Starting Song List
The bread-and-butter of every Taiko no Tatsujin game worth its name, the launch track list of Donderful/Rhythm Festival boasts a whopping total of 76 songs, all available by default. Combine it with the (likely) chance of unlockable/individual DLC songs and the Taiko Music Pass and you can argue it's shaping to be the biggest Day1 a console Taiko release has ever got!
What's out of the box for everyone doesn't spare punches either, seeing as we can already count more than 10 series debuts between last February's reveals and today, on top of all those fresh arcade/iOS song ports among the crowd!
Revealed Track List (June 23rd Update)
Key: red = series debut; blue = console debut
| Title |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kurenai 紅 |
★3 |
★4 |
★7 |
★8 |
|
 |
Into the Unknown |
★1 |
★2 |
★5 |
★7 |
|
|
Guren no Yumiya Attack on Titan 紅蓮の弓矢／「進撃の巨人」より |
★5 | ★6 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Yume o Kanaete Doraemon 夢をかなえてドラえもん |
★1 | ★1 | ★2 | ★4 | |
|
Mezase Pokemon Master -20th Anniversary- Pokemon The Movie 20: I Choose You! めざせポケモンマスター -20th Anniversary- 「劇場版ポケットモンスター キミにきめた！」より |
★2 |
★4 |
★6 |
★8 | ★8 |
|
A Cruel Angel's Thesis Neon Genesis Evangelion 残酷な天使のテーゼ／「新世紀エヴァンゲリオン」より |
★3 | ★4 | ★6 | ★7 |
★8 |
|
Butter-fly Digimon Adventure 「デジモンアドベンチャー」より |
★4 | ★5 | ★5 | ★7 | |
|
Moonlight Densetsu Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon ムーンライト伝説／「美少女戦士セーラームーン」より |
★2 (1*) |
★2 (1*) |
★5 (1*) |
★4 (1*) |
|
|
Maka-fushigi Adventure! Dragon Ball 魔訶不思議アドベンチャー！／「ドラゴンボール」より |
★3 | ★5 | ★6 | ★7 | |
|
Tonari no Totoro となりのトトロ |
★2 | ★3 | ★1 | ★5 | |
 |
Roki MikitoP feat. Kagamine Rin ロキ／みきとP feat. 鏡音リン |
★3 | ★3 | ★4 | ★7 | |
|
KING Kanaria |
★2 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Villain flower/Teniwoha ヴィラン／flower・てにをは |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
Dareka no Shinzou ni Nareta Kara YurryCanon だれかの心臓になれたなら／ユリイ・カノン |
★3 | ★4 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Charles Balloon feat. flower シャルル／バルーン feat. flower |
★4 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Tell Me Beat kinoshita feat. Kagamine Rin テルミービート／キノシタ feat. 鏡音リン |
★3 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Colorful Voice cosMo@BousouP カラフルボイス／cosMo@暴走P |
★5 | ★7 | ★7 | ★9 | ★10 |
 |
He's A Pirate |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★7 | |
|
Pixel Galaxy Snail's House |
★4 | ★5 | ★6 | ★9 | |
|
FREEDOM DiVE↓ xi |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★10 | |
|
Mopemope もぺもぺ／LeaF |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★10 | |
|
Night of Knights Touhou Project Arrange/beatMARIO ナイト・オブ・ナイツ／東方Projectアレンジ ビートまりお |
★4 |
★6 |
★7 |
★9 | |
|
Last Brutal Sister Flandre・S Touhou Project Arrange/beatMARIO 最終鬼畜妹フランドール・S／東方Projectアレンジ ビートまりお |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 |
★10 | |
 |
Symphony No.5 "Fate" Ludwig van Beethoven 交響曲第五番「運命」／ベートーヴェン |
★4 | ★5 | ★5 | ★6 | |
|
Marche Militaire Franz Schubert 軍隊行進曲／シューベルト |
★4 (1*) |
★4 (1*) |
★6 (1*) |
★7 (1*) | |
|
Etude Op.10-4 練習曲Op.10-4 |
★3 | ★4 | ★8 | ★9 | ★10 |
|
La Campanella Franz Liszt ラ・カンパネラ／リスト |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 |
★6 | |
 |
Super Mario Bros. スーパーマリオブラザーズ |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★8 | |
|
Kirby Star Allies Medley 星のカービィ スターアライズ メドレー |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
Life Will Change Persona 5 「ペルソナ５」より |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
JOIN THE PAC -Taiko no Tatsujin Ver.- Pac-Man 40th Anniversary Official Theme Music JOIN THE PAC -太鼓の達人 Ver.- パックマン40周年公式テーマ楽曲 |
★3 | ★3 | ★6 | ★9 | |
|
Katamari On The Rocks~Main Theme Katamari Damacy 塊オンザロック～メインテーマ／「塊魂」より |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★8 | |
|
The Windmill Song Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 「風のクロノア」より |
★4 | ★6 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
ESCAPE FROM CRISIS Critical Velocity 「クリティカルベロシティ」より |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
 |
Mainichi ga Donderful まいにちがドンダフル |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
Bouken-biyori Taiko no Tatsujin Doka! To Oomori Nanadaime Theme Song 冒険日和／「太鼓の達人 ドカッ！と大盛り七代目」テーマソング |
★4 (1*) |
★5 (1*) |
★6 (1*) |
★8 (1*) | |
|
Kappa no Sara wa Kon'nanimo Mei Osawa (BNSI) feat. Takayuki Ikezawa 河童の皿はこんなにも／大澤めい(BNSI) feat. 池澤孝之 |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
Yumeutstsu Catharsis Kanoya Ooki (BNSI) feat. Kaori Aihara 夢うつつカタルシス／大木奏弥(BNSI) feat. 愛原圭織 |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
Fuuma Module 6768 Hisui 風魔モジュール6768／翡翠 |
★? | ★? | ★? | ★? | |
|
1/2 ～inside me Mizuki Shinohara feat. Kaori Aihara 篠原瑞希 feat. 愛原圭織 |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
Solitude Star Harusaki x beet 春先 x beet |
★5 | ★6 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
Konya wa Hōmī 今夜はホーミー |
★3 (1*) |
★2 (1*) |
★3 (1*) |
★6 (1*) | |
|
Nijiiro Baton Ponchi♪ feat. Haxchi × Donders ニジイロバトン／Ponchi♪ feat.はぁち × Donders |
★3 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Peta・PETA!? Pumpkin Yu～kure ぺた・PETA！？パンプキン／ゆ～くれ |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
PONPOKO RHYTHM Mamyukka |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
Hakanaki wa Gensho ni Mau 儚姫は原初に舞う／Se-U-Ra |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★10 | ★10 |
|
Zero no Symphony kyo (BNSI) feat. Sariya-jin 零の交響曲／kyo(BNSI) feat. サリヤ人 |
★3 | ★4 | ★6 | ★8 | ★10 |
|
Fly again! Yano Yoshito (BNSI) feat. Takayoshi Tanimoto 矢野義人(BNSI) feat. 谷本貴義 |
★2 | ★3 | ★4 | ★7 | |
|
Genkai Creator Ouenka Yukiko Miyagi (BNSI) feat. Ryoune・Kiyoto Kawase 限界クリエイター応援歌／宮城裕紀子(BNSI) feat. 涼音・川瀬清人 |
★3 | ★5 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Freeway3234 | ★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★8 | |
|
Ai Nandaze 愛なんだぜ／Taku Inoue (BNSI) |
★3 | ★5 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
via lactea feat. Satsunan feat. 薛南 |
★3 | ★5 | ★6 | ★7 | |
|
Dragoon Massive New Krew |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
Youthful Coaster U-ske feat. Natsu Kazura ユースフルコースター／U-ske feat. かずらなつ |
★4 | ★6 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
GO GET'EM! Satoshi Terashima 寺島怜志 |
★4 | ★7 | ★8 | ★9 | ★9 |
|
Kokushin Chronicle 黒神クロニクル |
★3 | ★4 | ★6 | ★7 | |
|
Marionette Pure マリオネットピュア |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
Hayabusa 隼 |
★5 | ★7 | ★8 | ★9 | |
|
Tokyo Tokkyo-kyo Kyokakyoku Kyokuchou!! 東京特許キョ許可局局長!! |
★3 | ★4 | ★6 | ★8 | |
|
Geki-un! Shichifuku Happy Crew Yuuya Kobayashi (IOSYS) feat. Momiji Yamamoto (monotone) 激運！七福ハッピークルー コバヤシユウヤ(IOSYS) feat.山本椛 (monotone) |
★4 | ★5 | ★7 | ★9 | |
|
Daisuki na Taiko no Ne Taiko no Tatsujin 20th Anniversary Commemorative Song/Soshina feat. Don-chan 大好きな太鼓の音／太鼓の達人20周年記念ソング 粗品 feat. どんちゃん |
★3 | ★6 | ★7 | ★8 | ★9 |
(1*): pre-Gen4 ratings; final ratings/charts may be subject to changes.
