Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix - Nintendo Switch Review
8:20 PM May 18, 2020
Gaming Review [Category]
Music Game [Genres]
Nintendo Game [Gaming Elements]
Yaz L.
Miku Hatsune takes her anniversary show to the Switch, bringing all her best songs… and T-shirts!
System: Nintendo Switch
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Rhythm
Official Website: https://miku.sega.com/megamix/
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix | Gameplay Trailer
Who it Caters to
As you may already know, Hatsune Miku Project DIVA: Mega Mix is a rhythm game starring Hatsune Miku and all the most popular characters associated with the Vocaloid phenomenon. At the same time, it's kind of an anniversary remake, an upgraded version of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone, released by Sega in 2010.
If you like Vocaloid songs, then you'll love this game. If you're a fan of Hatsune Miku as a character, then you'll love this game too! After all, it's not only about the songs, but also about making Miku and friends look pretty on all their performances.
Here you'll find 2 rhythm games in 1, giving you the chance to play an Arcade version when in handheld mode, and a Mix version based on your joy-con's movement. That being said, this is a game dedicated to all Vocaloid fans who own a Switch, and all those soon-to-be fans who never had a chance to play a Hatsune Miku game before.
As stated before, the focus of the game is not only earning high scores on all songs but also buying and creating new clothes for Miku, so expect a lot of interaction with other fans around the world (if you pay Nintendo's internet service, that is) and a lot of time creating the perfect outfit for your shows!
Hatsune Miku Project DIVA: Mega Mix is not visually stunning, but it looks really good and colorful compared to other rhythm games on the Switch. Of course, the PS4 and arcade games are more powerful in terms of hardware, but who cares? There's nothing like singing and dancing to these bops while Miku, Luka, and the others are dancing in the background.
While everything looks great, we did experience some problems when playing on the hardest difficulties, because it's hard to keep up with all the cues when the screen is jam-packed with notes and these background animations and lights are not helping you in terms of contrast and clarity. Maybe it adds to the "extreme" difficulty, though?
Sound, Music
With 101 songs to chose from, this is one of the best Hatsune Miku games when it comes to diversity. It doesn't matter if you like soft piano songs, pop-rock, hardcore EDM behemoths, or even the more catchy tunes; there's always a song for you, and that's one of the highest selling points of Project DIVA: Mega Mix. Here you'll find everything, from meme songs like "PoPiPo" to fan-favorites like "Alien Alien" (one of the new additions).
With such variety, you never get tired of the game because you never feel like always playing the same, and unlocking new difficulties or earning more points to buy that outfit you really want never feels like a chore. Project DIVA: Mega Mix's tracklist is very-well curated, something all die-hard fans appreciate.
First, let's start with the Arcade mode, the one you probably know from previous iterations. You have 6 buttons (A/right, B/down, X/up, Y/left, L/ZL, and R/ZR) and all you need to do is to hit them in the right moment, in sync with the music. Easy, right? If it's just a single note, it's even easier, but you can use both hands when it comes to note combinations or long notes.
If you're still not used to the Switch's button mapping—you're not alone here—you can change the button icons to the classic Project DIVA arrows, a combination of arrows and letters... or even the PlayStation layout. Although it goes better with the Switch's handheld form, you can jump into the Arcade mode with your detached JoyCons too, so it's up to you how to better enjoy the game. Detached JoyCons means you can jump and dance to the songs while playing!
The alternative to the Arcade mechanics is the Mix mode, one that you can only play with detached JoyCons and that's based on your hands' movement. If you tilt your hands to the left or right, a colored bar—blue for your left hand, pink for your right hand—will move to the side, so you need to time these movements and press the L/ZL and R/ZR triggers to match the falling notes. Granted, it will take you some minutes to get used to this, and your brain will have a hard time trying to cope with the hardest difficulties, but this game mode is a nice addition that also favors the Switch's hybrid nature. In fact, it could also be played as a co-op mode if you find it too hard, with each person caring for one colored bar alone.
Whatever the case, your goal is to beat your own scores, but also making enough points to buy Miku all these cute outfits. There's a module for every song, but you could also customize the haircut and accessories, giving Miku a platinum crown, a pumpkin head, or a party hat. Obviously, there's also a lot of random stuff to make it all weirder, like a gas mask, a jetpack, or miniature versions of meme Vocaloid characters like Larval Rin, Shiteyan'yo, or Tako Luka.
The most promoted feature, however, was the T-shirt editor, but now we had the chance to actually test it, we can say that it's too basic to feel relevant unless you just want to write NSFW messages without caring about aesthetics. Sure, you could be one of those creating amazing hand-drawn works of art, but you're in for a painful task considering how unfriendly this feature appears.
Honey's Gameplay Consensus:
Hatsune Miku Project DIVA: Mega Mix is a remarkable game, and by far one of the most complete rhythm games available for the Switch, there's no doubt about it. It offers you time-tested rhythm game mechanics along with vivid animations and a killer soundtrack. Maybe the customization aspect could be more interesting and appealing than it is? Definitely, but at the same time, we need to accept this little gimmick for what it is. After all, who wants to wear a T-shirt when you have all these gorgeous and eccentric outfits available?!
Honey's Pros:
101 songs to play, giving you 10 years of Hatsune Miku in just one game!
As always with Hatsune Miku titles, the gameplay mechanics are on point.
Mastering the Arcade mode is not enough. Go for the Mix mode too!
Honey's Cons:
Some songs are even harder than intended because of all the stuff going on in the Switch's little screen.
Do you know what happens when you give people the freedom to create and share content? A lot of NSFW T-shirts for Miku...
Honey's Final Verdict:
There are a lot of rhythm games out there, but this one has not only a collection of killer hits in a wide range of styles (some of these will sound familiar even if you know nothing about Vocaloid) but also one of the most popular virtual characters right there in the title. Because maybe you didn't know her name, or you know nothing at all about the Vocaloid scene, but this green-haired girl is all around the internet and that's infinitely more appealing than a random rhythm game featuring some unknown anime characters, right?
If you're still not sure about Hatsune Miku Project DIVA: Mega Mix and you want to give it a try, you can download the demo before deciding to buy it!
Author: Yaz L.
Hey, there! I'm a soon-to-be marine biologist who just happens to love video games, dream pop music, and BL/yaoi stuff. When I was a kid, I lived in Colombia for 3 years and now I'm a sucker for hot chocolate with cheese. My favorite treat while watching anime!
Gaming Review Post
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker - PC (Steam) Review
Yu-Gi-Oh! RUSH DUEL: Dawn of the Battle Royale!! - Nintendo Switch Review
Icarus: First Cohort - PC (Steam) Review
Metroid Dread - Nintendo Switch Review
View All Gaming Review Post