Gitaroo Man Lives! may be both the strangest rhythm game I have ever played and the strangest game I have ever played period. This weirdness, however, is not at all a detriment and is really just a part of the Gitaroo Man Lives! Experience.
Gitaroo Man Lives! is a 2006 port of the 2001 PS2 game Gitaroo Man. While both games follow the same plot, Gitaroo Man Lives! adds local Ad-Hoc multiplayer, a new duet mode, and more difficulty options. The main character of the game is a young boy named U-1. He is constantly picked on by his rival Kazuya and tries desperately to gain the affection of his crush Pico. One day, as U-1 is suddenly attacked by a diaper wearing demon named Panpeus, his loyal talking canine Puma sheds his skin and gives U-1 the last Gitaroo he’s been storing in his body. Upon taking the Gitaroo in his hands, U-1 is transformed into the legendary warrior Gitaroo Man and the wild ride of this game really begins.
Throughout the ten stages of the game, both U-1 and the opponent have a life bar, with the player being tasked with depleting the opponent's life bar and reaching the end of the song without dying. Nearly every level consists of four main phases; Charge, Attack, and Guard, followed by an ending phase called Final. During the Charge, Attack, and Final phases, a line containing red strum bars will curve across the screen. The player must use the PSP analog stick to follow along with the line while holding down and releasing one of the four face buttons at the start and end of each red strum bar. During the Charge phase, strumming the notes successfully restores U-1’s health, whereas in the Attack and Final phases, successfully strumming notes damages the opponent. Missing notes of course causes damage to U-1. During the Guard phase, the player must tap corresponding buttons as they reach the center of the screen to avoid the opponent’s onslaught of musical attacks. Dodging successfully will yield little to no damage to U-1, while failing will result in U-1’s health taking a hit. This control scheme can honestly take some getting used to and is a bit strange compared to other rhythm games. It also makes the game incredibly difficult to master and even beat on the Normal difficulty. I failed several times during the later stages and suffered a couple of hand cramps along the way.
Each of the ten stages in this game are an absolute trip. While normal human characters in the game can lean too hard into the uncanny valley for me personally, the bosses of each stage have fantastic designs that are all interesting and unique. You will face everything from the aforementioned diapered demon, to a mariachi band of bones, a space shark, and even the current ruler of Planet Gitaroo. There are small custcenes between each stage to tell the story of the game, but don't expect a Triple A experience here. While the animation work is fine for a port of a 2001 game, the voice acting for every character is a bit off and doesn’t sync up well to the mouth moving animations. This is only a tiny gripe and doesn't effect the gameplay or overall experience whatsoever.
Gitaroo Man Lives! is a fantastic, if not short, rhythm game for the PSP that has stood the test of time. It is both fun and challenging, while also telling a compact story that will have you smiling from start to finish. Just be warned, if you decide to play this game prepare for a difficult yet fun and wacky experience.
Gitaroo Man Lives! is a 2006 port of the 2001 PS2 game Gitaroo Man. While both games follow the same plot, Gitaroo Man Lives! adds local Ad-Hoc multiplayer, a new duet mode, and more difficulty options. The main character of the game is a young boy named U-1. He is constantly picked on by his rival Kazuya and tries desperately to gain the affection of his crush Pico. One day, as U-1 is suddenly attacked by a diaper wearing demon named Panpeus, his loyal talking canine Puma sheds his skin and gives U-1 the last Gitaroo he’s been storing in his body. Upon taking the Gitaroo in his hands, U-1 is transformed into the legendary warrior Gitaroo Man and the wild ride of this game really begins.
Throughout the ten stages of the game, both U-1 and the opponent have a life bar, with the player being tasked with depleting the opponent's life bar and reaching the end of the song without dying. Nearly every level consists of four main phases; Charge, Attack, and Guard, followed by an ending phase called Final. During the Charge, Attack, and Final phases, a line containing red strum bars will curve across the screen. The player must use the PSP analog stick to follow along with the line while holding down and releasing one of the four face buttons at the start and end of each red strum bar. During the Charge phase, strumming the notes successfully restores U-1’s health, whereas in the Attack and Final phases, successfully strumming notes damages the opponent. Missing notes of course causes damage to U-1. During the Guard phase, the player must tap corresponding buttons as they reach the center of the screen to avoid the opponent’s onslaught of musical attacks. Dodging successfully will yield little to no damage to U-1, while failing will result in U-1’s health taking a hit. This control scheme can honestly take some getting used to and is a bit strange compared to other rhythm games. It also makes the game incredibly difficult to master and even beat on the Normal difficulty. I failed several times during the later stages and suffered a couple of hand cramps along the way.
Each of the ten stages in this game are an absolute trip. While normal human characters in the game can lean too hard into the uncanny valley for me personally, the bosses of each stage have fantastic designs that are all interesting and unique. You will face everything from the aforementioned diapered demon, to a mariachi band of bones, a space shark, and even the current ruler of Planet Gitaroo. There are small custcenes between each stage to tell the story of the game, but don't expect a Triple A experience here. While the animation work is fine for a port of a 2001 game, the voice acting for every character is a bit off and doesn’t sync up well to the mouth moving animations. This is only a tiny gripe and doesn't effect the gameplay or overall experience whatsoever.
Gitaroo Man Lives! is a fantastic, if not short, rhythm game for the PSP that has stood the test of time. It is both fun and challenging, while also telling a compact story that will have you smiling from start to finish. Just be warned, if you decide to play this game prepare for a difficult yet fun and wacky experience.