Touch Based

Wacca

Beginner Friendly Score: 10 /10

Wacca is a touch based rhythm game where players are tasked with tapping notes around the entire circular panel in time with the music.

It is by far the most beginner friendly game to any non rhythm gamer as there are no unfamiliar buttons involved and most of the mechanics are very straight forward hand motions. It uses the traditional “falling notes” style of gameplay but in a circular format.

If you have never played a rhythm game before, Wacca should be your first!

Due to the nature of some game mechanics such as “Slides”, “Holds” and “Flicks” it is best played with cotton/polyester gloves to prevent friction while performing these actions on the plastic touch panels.

The music label “HARDCORE TANO*C” collaborated in the creation Wacca, a majority of the tracks are J-core otherwise known as hardcore techno but it still has a good size of anime/vocoloid and toho.

Ikigai Arcades Wacca cabs are in ENGLISH with brand new LED strips, online profile/score saving and VS/Co-Op with a friend. You can even stream on Twitch/YouTube!

Chunithm

Beginner Friendly Score: 9 /10

Chunithm, often shortened to “Chuni” is another touch based game where players tap the “Ground Slider” in time with the music as they scroll down the lanes. This game uses the traditional “falling notes” style of gameplay. In addition to tapping the ground slider, players must also raise their hands in the air to hit “Air Notes”

The game features a huge library of, anime, J-pop and Niconico songs as well as more hardcore tracks from artists on the Tano*C label.

This is another highly beginner friendly game as there again are no unfamiliar buttons and some mechanics are very straight forward, while the ones that are not as described during in-game tutorials they recommend before moving to those increased song difficulties.

Due to the nature of some game mechanics such as “Slides”, “Holds” and “Flicks” it is best played with cotton/polyester gloves to prevent friction while performing these actions on the ground slider.

Ikigai Arcades Chuni cab is in ENGLISH with a newly refurbished touch panel, online profile/score saving and you can even stream on Twitch/YouTube!

Button Based

Sound Voltex

Beginner Friendly Score: 6 /10

Sound Voltex, often abbreviated as SDVX is a button based game where players tap buttons and turn 2 analog dials in time with the music to put “effects/vfx” on the track essentially mixing the song like a DJ would.

The controller consisting of an analog dial on each side (Vol-L / Vol-R), 4 primary square buttons (BT 1-4) and 2 lower rectangle buttons (FX-L / FX-R).

This game is often peoples first foray into rhythm games and without some time and patients has turned people off to the genre. It has an approachable control scheme but still takes time to get the hang of due to the unfamiliar nature of the analog volume buttons and how they interact with the music vs simply pressing or holding buttons in time with music.

Ikigai Arcades SDVX cab feature brand new buttons, switches, LEDs and online profile/score saving.

Jubeat

Beginner Friendly Score: 6 /10

Jubeat (pronounced you-beat) consists of 16 non-traditional see-thru buttons arranged in a 4x4 grid. Players tap the squares in sync with the music similar to how wac-a-mole is played. Below each of the buttons “Markers” are displayed that have unique animations so players can gauged when the button needs pressed.

The name Jubeat is a portmanteau of the Japanese word for finger (指 - Yubi) and the English word beat.

While it is much more approachable in terms of presentation and gameplay than its larger rhythm game counterparts, its menu is often considered very difficult to navigate by English speakers and some people have difficulty reading upcoming button markers due to hands/arms blocking a portion of the screen when hitting the top 8 squares.

Ikigai Arcades Jubeat cab feature an external headphone jack, brand new button sensors, rubber corners, and online profile/score saving.

Ongeki

Beginner Friendly Score: 7 /10

Ongeki is a unique rhythm game that combines the traditional button tapping “falling note” style with BULLET HELL.

The control panel consists of 2 identical sides (not mirrored) and a lever in the center. The WAD (Wall Activated Device) and 3 buttons for simplicities sake we will call by their default colors R, G and B as seen during gameplay.

At first it appears to be a very intimidating game due to the numerous buttons and lever but we can assure you at its core its very simply and straightforward. Its difficulty scale/curve is forgiving in the early levels never overwhelming you.

While it follows the traditional falling note style, you must utilize the center level to keep your main character on the “track” while collecting bells and avoiding bullets. During this you must hit the WAD/1/2/3 buttons and at no point does it have you hitting both sides while moving the lever at the same time. There can be quick transitioning between them, but never all at once.

Ikigai Arcades Ongeki cab features refurbished buttons and online profile/score saving. You can even stream on Twitch/YouTube!

Beatmania IIDX

Beginner Friendly Score: 3 /10

maimai

Beatmania IIDX, also referred to simply as IIDX (two dee-ecks) is a 2 player falling note style rhythm game where the players are the DJ. Its control panel consist of 7 buttons, 3 black and 4 white with an accompanying turntable for each side.

It also has a supplementary control panel below the screen that consists of each players start button along with effector and VEFX buttons, and effector sliders. These only modify the sound of the music coming out of the speakers and nothing gameplay related.

This is by far one of the most intimidating and difficult rhythm games to pick up for beginners due to various factors such as the sheer amount of buttons, hand placement required to hit those buttons and the track presentation. Despite this it is one of the most popular rhythm games in Japan and has a cult following in the US.

Ikigai Arcades IIDX cab features a brand new 120hz OLED screen, buttons, switches, and online profile/score saving.