Geht nur über dem Apple Arcade Gamepass Abo Service-Mist. Also 4,99€ im Monat. Das ist doof.
War aber für mich der Einstieg in das Franchise. Dafür war es wirklich gut. Gibt einem so ungefähr das Gefühl, worum es geht. Das mag ich. Ich empfand auch den Input trotz Touchscreen unglaublich präzise und dank kaum einer Ladezeit, spielt man gerne 20 Runden mehr als man eigentlich wollte. Drumrolls können hier aber nicht wirklich nachempfunden werden, was die Highscore-Jagd erschwert.
Spätestens sobald man ein anderes Spiel der Reihe anspielt, kommt einem das hier sehr unfertig und unüberlegt vor. Das ist schade. Und diese täglichen Missionen etc. wirken auch sehr erzwungen. Mobile-Ableger eben.

It hurts to only give 3 stars to a Taiko game that’s this good, but locking it behind a subscription-only service gives the whole experience a somewhat uncomfortable feel, like I’m just borrowing the game from a friend or the library or something. Why not let me buy it outright? C’mon Apple! I only want to play this and Clap Hanz Golf! I don’t want to be stealthily docked six quid every month for the privilege of being able to access a bunch of Thoughtful Annapurna Flat Design Bullshit! I’ve had Neo Turf Masters on my iPhone for seven years and still play it every other week - by my maths, it would have now have cost me approximately £500 if it was an Apple Arcade Exclusive.

Get the free trial, play the Gen Hoshino songs on Extreme a few times, cancel your subscription and then try to pretend this isn’t the best Touch Taiko game around. It’s too sad to think about for long, especially in this “Sony kills PS3/P digital” moment.

2023 review after 16 updates that added a handful of songs. It's very basic, taiko drum tapping to music with nothing else, but there's more songs (currently 132) available to play than almost all the console & portable releases in this series. I have a whopping 25 marked as favorites.

I wouldn't recommend subscribing to Apple Arcade just for this (look into Donderful/Rhythm Festival on Switch instead), but give it a try if you're a member. There's a few songs you'll probably only play once, like Baby Shark and the Sesame Street theme. Don-chan costumes are unlocked randomly as you continue to play.

Pretty fun! I’ve always been curious about the taiko games since I love rhythm games and had always seen the little drum head peripheral in stores or at a friends house but never got to try it myself. This is a decent and “free” way to get to do so. I also was surprised to see some non public domain songs I recognize of varying quality. From the evangelion and AOT themes to Gimme Chocolate by Babymetal and Katamari on the rocks. I’m nowhere near good at it but can do pretty well on the easy normal difficulties.

It also offers some decent variety of modes for MP and the like. It’s very cute as well though the art while playing is a bit busy. Main thing they could do is cut out the chaff song wise( who is sincerely interested in playing jingle bells?) and add some additional ones.

Turns out, surprisingly enough, Taiko Drum Master translates well to a touch screen. And as someone who is nostalgic for the western PS2 release, this certainly scratches that itch a bit. The sound design does a great job making the drumming itself feel impactful on a screen instead of a drum. It is easy to be to swept up in the experience when you hit a good song, start nailing combos, and the screen starts going crazy with characters. In these moments, it feels like your just playing Taiko Drum Master.

Player’s mileage will very though, depending on how many of the songs they like. For me, I ended up enjoying about half, with a handful I would actually go back and replay. The song list’s over reliance on Namco Bandai cuts definitely limits the list and the anime section did nothing for me, but the pop section and a few weird one off songs felt great. My only other complaint is that the screen feels like it hits a limit when the difficulty is high and is not particularly conducive to hitting all those inputs.

But overall, it is a neat, little package of nostalgia that should not be discounted as a mobile game.

It’s my first ever experience of the Taiko no Tatsujin (other than in the Yakuza Games) - really enjoyable and surprisingly challenging rhythm game.

I only recognise a few of the songs however, which is totally understandable since it’s a Japanese game.

Could have used more content, but for a game as part of Apple Arcade, it’s worth a try!