Gal Metal

Or Tak Fujii's new game. I don't usually make threads for whole new games but I think games like this don't come along very often.

https://youtu.be/u1x3Lp2KcrQ?t=12

It's rare for developers to make games wholly for the Switch - in this case Tak Fujii's new development studio has crafted one of the most rhythm games I've played in years.
Here's why:

Basically, you don't follow a note chart, you mix up drumming rhythms however you like. You score combos by always switching up the rhythm, and chaining rhythms from the same group within the same section of a song earns you section bonuses. The trick is to let the music guide you toward picking new rhythms. Basically, the skill ceiling is pretty high, but it's very accessible since the game starts off teaching you two drumming rhythms, and letting you improvise to fill in the gaps.

The motion controls work surprisingly well and are very responsive and reliable. I'm still having trouble keeping to the beat in about half of the songs, but it's one of those games where you really do feel yourself getting better, and because what you drum is what you score, my progress feels very tangible, especially when I'm committing rhythms to memory.

It's a refreshingly straightforward take on the genre. For instance, during gameplay it doesn't show you the beat or any of the rhythms - but it does in practice mode. So when you do eventually play for score in free play mode or the second run through of story mode, your ability to succeed is quite literally all stored in your noggin. I guess it's like what Wii Music could have been if it wasn't a sandbox without any scoring mechanisms.

Here's an interesting interview about the game with Tak Fujii: http://www.siliconera.com/2018/02/11/tak-fujii-explains-gal-metals-unorthodox-way-scoring-rhythm-session/

I think this review captures the game's appeal really well: https://www.hardcoregamer.com/2018/11/05/review-gal-metal/316731/

Useful guide to the scoring mechanics since the game doesn't explicitly explain how it works: https://sites.google.com/view/itstimetoconquergalmetal

Did anyone else pick this one up? I'm curious as to others' thoughts on it!

Your man Sean Bell was raving about this, so I am thinking of checking it out properly.

Hmmmm . . .

I had no interest in this game, but after reading that, I am at the very least relatively intrigued as to how its scoring works... I've read the sites.google page and I'm still confused.

I'd have avoided this entirely if it weren't for your post, fronkhead, but now I'm quite intrigued. That's from a genre of gaming that I thinks got much left to try out, and I'm on the lookout for something new and different - especially in light of Taiko no Tatsujin being a bit ropey with the JoyCons and only being good with the (expensive) drumset.

If you're looking for something new, definitely give it a go. I've been playing it only one day a week and I'm still getting better at it - if I can feel the rhythm and the song I'll score 5 million points now.

The Game Collection currently has it for £24, and it includes stickers as well as all the DLC on the game card rather than as a download: https://www.thegamecollection.net/gal-metal-world-tour-edition-switch/