MÚSECA is an arcade Rhythm Game developed and published by Konami as part of the long-running BEMANI franchise, released in 2015.
The game features five discs arranged in two rows (three on top, two on bottom) and a foot pedal, with on-screen notes falling down in separate lanes per disc. Depending on the note, the player must press, spin, or rapidly spin one of the five discs, or hit the foot pedal.
In addition to the basic rhythm game elements, the player can earn "Grafica" illustrations that provide the player with power-ups called "GIFT"s at certain points in the song, such as providing score or health boosts. Graficas are illustrated by a variety of artists, giving each one a very unique feel.
As far as music selection goes, the tracklist is strictly composed of songs by commissioned artists and licensed songs, including songs produced with Vocaloids and 'Touhou Project'' arrangements.
The game is currently exclusive to Japan and rest of Southeast Asia, as well as Round 1 amusement centers in the United States.
A semi-sequel to the game, MÚSECA 1+1/2, was released as an online update on July 27, 2016. In addition to featuring a more streamlined interface, it splits gameplay into two different modes: a "pure game" mode that plays like a more traditional rhythm game (no Grafica effects and fixed maximum scores), and a mission mode where Graficas come into play, but with a more simplified element system. 1+1/2 is the final game in the series.
The official website can be found here
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When Konami announced the 7th Konami Arcade Championship, MÚSECA and REFLEC BEAT were conspicuously missing from the lineup, and given that BeatStream did not appear in the 6th KAC and was subsequently terminated within the same year, players were concerned that the same could happen to this game as well. In November 2017, Konami began testing Bishibashi Channel, which reused the MÚSECA cabinet, as well as its spinners. While Konami did eventually add a few more songs that December, the writing was on the wall by June with the final update and the announcement of offline kits for arcades who do not want to convert a MÚSECA cabinet to Bishibashi Channel. Official support for the game ended on July 31, 2018, however a few arcades in Japan still run the game online.
As a side note, to type the 'Ú' on a keyboard with an English-US layout, hold down ALT then press 0, 2, 1, and 8 on the numeric keypad in that order. You can also type "'Ú" on this wiki or anywhere else that supports Unicode.
MÚSECA provides examples of the following:
- Anti-Frustration Features: In the first version, playing in Standard mode, all three songs are guaranteed whether you pass or fail all of these. Also applies on version 1+1/2 in the Pure Mode.
- Call a Hit Point a "Smeerp": Like SOUND VOLTEX before it, MÚSECA also uses its own rhythm game terminologies.
- A stage is called Research. Clearing a stage results in Research Clear, while failing results in Research Failed. In Museca 1+1/2, Clearing a stage is called as Completed.
- Judgement is the same as SOUND VOLTEX. Perfect judgement is Critical, slightly off judgement is Near, and missing is Error.
- Songs are called Layers.
- A Full Combo is called Connect All.
- Grafica level is referred to as "Medel".
- Cap: In 1 + 1/2, each Grafica has a Medel cap, determined by the difficulty of the mission you finished it on. Clearing the mission on higher difficulties gives the unlocked Grafica a higher Medel cap.
- Co-Op Multiplayer: 1 + 1/2 allows players to attempt Grafica unlocks together by doing Local Matching with one another at the start of the credit.
- Crossover: The game features licensed songs comprising Vocaloid songs and Touhou Project arrangements. In addition, there's a category for songs from SOUND VOLTEX, another BEMANI series.
- Defeat Means Playable: How unlocking Grafica works in 1 + 1/2. You go into Mission mode, pick the Grafica you want to battle, pick your Grafica team, and try to completely "draw" the target Grafica by playing well before the song ends. Using Grafica with elements strong against the target Grafica's element, as well as sufficiently-leveled Grafica, gives you more drawing power.
- Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: How Grafica work in 1 + 1/2 when "fighting" a Grafica you're trying to unlock:
- Passion (red) counters Natural (green), Natural counters Cool (blue), Cool counters Passion.
- Pure (white) and Dark (black) counter each other.
- Fan Sequel: MÚSECA PLUS, an Expansion Pack hack of 1 + 1/2 that adds new songs and Graficas.
- Fictional Currency: Coloris and Muese. Coloris is used for buying and upgrading Grafica, while Muese is used to unlock songs. Muese is removed in 1+1/2, making Coloris the presumed currency in the game.
- Idiosyncratic Difficulty Levels: This game uses colors for difficulty levels: 翠 (Green) is easy, 橙 (Orange) is medium, and 朱 (Red) is hard.
- Interface Screw: You can choose the playing field to be either small W-shape or straight hitting zone, and straight or curved lane. Some Graficas will change the hitting zone into sharp W-shape or even M-shape, and/or make the lane even more curved.
- Irony: The JOMANDA Grafica has a dark appearance including a black suit, yet he's classified as a Pure Grafica, while the VALLIS-NERIA Grafica has a light apperance and a white suit but is a Dark Grafica.
- Level Grinding: Or rather, Medel grinding; in ''1+1/2", each Grafica has a "Medel" stat that influences their "attack" power, and additionally their skills unlock when they reach a high enough Medel. EXP is earned by playing Mission mode, as well as playing in Music Play mode where you pick only one Grafica instead of three but they gain more EXP in return.
- Life Meter: Once you depleted all of the diamonds after several errors (misses), the song ends. Averted in 1+1/2, where all you need to do to clear a song is earn 700,000 points.
- Marathon Level: The game's cuts of "Senbonzakura" and "Renai Saiban" are surprisingly long for one-stage cuts (most such cuts are approximately 2 minutes in length), both of them being just over 2 1/2 minutes long.
- Necessary Drawback:
- Score-boosting Graficas will give you additional points per note hit, but there will be a higher Life Meter penalty for missing notes, decrease in lifebar capacity, alterations to your speed modifier, and/or shifting your playing field. Conversely, Life-boosting Graficas will reduce your maximum score by giving you negative score bonuses when activated.
- In 1+1/2, several high-power Grafica have skills that will decrease their drawing power if you make certain kinds of mistakes.
- Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: The second game is called MÚSECA 1+1/2. Yes, "one plus one half". Not "MÚSECA 2", or even "1 1/2" or "1.5".
- Power-Up: Grafica GIFTs, triggered automatically during the song. For example, you might get a life boost, or a bonus to your score.
- Required Spinoff Crossover:
- Yes, "FLOWER" is in this game. It took about a year and a half for it to happen, however, as part of a "Premium Friday" unlock, as well as "I'm so Happy" and "V"
- A crossover event with SOUND VOLTEX III Gravity Wars also occurred, briefly bringing the
Memetic Mutation that is "BRAIN POWER".
- Sequel Number Snarl: The second game is called MÚSECA 1+1/2.
- Set Bonus: Some Grafica gain more drawing power if paired with a specific other Grafica.
- Stripperiffic: Illil wears an Impossibly Cool Dress that exposes the left side of her hip.
- Updated Re-release: Museca 1+1/2
Connect All!
