Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun!

Genre: Music-Rhythm

Players: 1-4 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless), 2 Co-Op (Local), 2 Competitive (Online)

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Review:

I previously reviewed Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun!, but it has come to my attention that I missed one major feature of that game in my review, one that changed my opinion about the game entirely. In addition, there has been new free content released, and with the release of the Taiko No Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure games (and my subsequent review), it seemed as good a time as any to revisit the first game in this series on Nintendo Switch. Having said that, much of this game is the same as when I reviewed it 2 years ago, so some of that review has been copied here, as it still applies.

Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun! is the first Nintendo Switch entry in Bandai Namco’s family-friendly taiko drum Music-Rhythm series, which has numerous releases in Japan, but only two prior games brought to the US (the others being Taiko Drum Master on the PlayStation 2, and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session on the PlayStation 4). This game was released on Nintendo Switch in 2018.

Like the earlier games in the series, Drum ‘N’ Fun! supports a drum accessory that will set you back $40-$100, depending on which version you get and where you get it. As you might expect, this makes playing the game in its ideal form extremely pricey, especially since the only games this accessory is really designed to work with are the Taiko No Tatsujin series of games… and of course this controller is specific to Nintendo Switch, so you can’t even bring it over to use on the other platforms with Taiko games on them.

With all of this being the case, I’m reviewing this game as-is using the control input methods available to players without the purchase of an additional accessory. Thankfully, Bandai Namco has gone out of their way to try to give players as many control options as they can – the game can be played using standard button controls, it can be played using the Joy-Cons’ gyroscopic motion controls, and… as I neglected to notice in my original review… there are also touch-screen controls hidden away in the game as well.

Unfortunately, only one of these three control types is even worth bothering with. I won’t beat around the bush this time – the motion controls in Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun! are atrociously bad, detecting drum strikes when you don’t make them, not detecting them when you do, and all-around being so unreliable that it’s simply not feasible to play the game this way. On the other hand, the gamepad controls here work fine, but playing the game this way completely robs it of all flavor and personality. Half of the fun of the Taiko No Tatsujin series is the visceral feeling of striking a drum, and substituting gamepad controls for that visceral experience makes this game feel robotic and soulless.

In my original review, while I recognized this game’s other positive qualities, it was this issue with the controls that represented the biggest problem with the game. However, I had completely overlooked this game’s touchscreen controls. In my defense, this is a feature that’s easy to overlook – these controls aren’t mentioned anywhere on the game’s official page, nor are they mentioned in the game’s numerous screens talking about control options. The game’s menus don’t work with the touchscreen either – The only hint that they even exist is in one feature nestled at the very bottom of one of the settings menus offering to show or hide the “Touch Drum” in handheld mode. However, in handheld mode, these controls are always on, whether you have this feature activated or not

It’s a shame the touchscreen controls aren’t advertised, because barring a purchase of the expensive Taiko drum accessory, they are the absolute best way to play the game. Players tap the drum for a red “don” note, and tap elsewhere to either side for a blue “ka” note. It’s all straightforward enough, but while this feature is simple enough, its inclusion makes this the only way to play the game that is both accurate and visceral, and it works wonderfully here.

Second in importance only to the controls is of course the music here, and Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun! features a mostly Japan-centric tracklist, although Westerners will find some songs they’re familiar with here too. This game includes a library of J-Pop, anime themes (including songs from a few super-popular animes), the Japanese versions of some Disney themes, a few classical songs, and even some Nintendo themes. Including free DLC, there’s about 80 songs included here, with the option to pay to download numerous other DLC songs as well.

When it comes to the other elements of the presentation, Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun is very Japanese-y. Cutesy Japanese-style cartoon characters and odd animals fill this game to the brim, complete with high-pitched Japanese cheers and greetings. The saccharine level is extraordinarily high. For some, this will be a part of the game’s charm, but for others, it will be something to tolerate to get to the gameplay.

In terms of game modes, you have standard Music-Rhythm play with co-op and competitive variants, as well as online play. Despite that this game is now 3 years old, the online servers still seemed well-populated when I tested it, so you’ll still have some good competition in multiplayer play even though this game’s local multiplayer is unfortunately lacking due to the control options.

However, there is one other element here that deserves mention, and that is the Party Game mode, which includes 40 Music-Rhythm minigames (many of them needing to be unlocked), and these minigames were actually a surprise delight, even in single-player, and that is because these games are, at the time of this writing, the closest thing we have to the Rhythm Heaven-style “Simon Says” type of Music-Rhythm on the Nintendo Switch. In fact, given how removed these minigames are from the typical drum-style gameplay, this is one mode I actually don’t mind playing with traditional gamepad controls, making for a fun local multiplayer experience even though the main game is lacking in this regard.

When all’s said and done, I’ll be honest… I’m kinda’ embarrassed how quickly I dismissed Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun! the first time I reviewed it. The motion controls and gamepad controls were so bad in my initial look at the game, it sapped all of my interest in playing further, and as a result I overlooked the game’s well-hidden but superb touchscreen controls, its solid online support, and its phenomenal Party Game mode.

Make no mistake, this game still has its fair share of issues – its presentation and tracklist are a bit niche, and players who don’t buy a Taiko drum and want to play in docked mode will be delegated to the Party Game mode if they expect to play the game with good controls. However, while it has a somewhat limited appeal, I can say that Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun is well worth a look for fans of the genre, as long as you stick to the control methods that work well for the game.

tl;dr – Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun is the first Nintendo Switch entry in Namco’s family-friendly Japanese taiko drumming Music-Rhythm game series. Be warned that if you don’t by the taiko drum accessory, the motion controls are terrible, and the gamepad controls lack a soul, but the touchscreen controls are excellent and the “Party Game” mode makes for great gameplay in the same vein as Rhythm Heaven. This game’s cutesy, Japanesey presentation won’t be for everyone, but if you can work around its flaws, Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum ‘N’ Fun is a solid addition to your Nintendo Switch Music-Rhythm library.

Grade: B+

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