When we talk about arcade games, people always come up with the shooter games and redemption games they see in Dave n' Busters or Main Event. However Japanese people do take arcade gaming seriously, and they've made some of the best arcade rhythm games as well. In this blog post, I'll introduce one of these games - Sound Voltex by Konami.
This is what the cab looks like, it has two speakers on the sides, controller with backlight, four panels stretching out from the screen with backlights, and a title board that says the game's name on top (changes as the game receive version updates). It has a striking look, with flashing backlights all over the cab, and along with the theme background music looping, players know what to expect from it.
This is the interface of the first version of the game, Sound Voltex BOOTH. The theme color of this version is blue (the backlight on the panels and controller would change color as the theme color changes as well), and the UI has some futuristic and cyperpunky style in it as well.
The shape and layout of the controller is actually displayed in the bottom of the screen - four white buttons on first row, with two flat black buttons on the second row and two knobs on the sides. Basically the player hits buttons as notes drop and turns knobs as laser beams approaches. Below is a gameplay video with handshot that helps understanding how the game works.
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| Sound Voltex cab (giantbomb.com, 2012) |
This is what the cab looks like, it has two speakers on the sides, controller with backlight, four panels stretching out from the screen with backlights, and a title board that says the game's name on top (changes as the game receive version updates). It has a striking look, with flashing backlights all over the cab, and along with the theme background music looping, players know what to expect from it.
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| Game Interface of SDVX (Konami Entertainment, 2012) |
This is the interface of the first version of the game, Sound Voltex BOOTH. The theme color of this version is blue (the backlight on the panels and controller would change color as the theme color changes as well), and the UI has some futuristic and cyperpunky style in it as well.
The shape and layout of the controller is actually displayed in the bottom of the screen - four white buttons on first row, with two flat black buttons on the second row and two knobs on the sides. Basically the player hits buttons as notes drop and turns knobs as laser beams approaches. Below is a gameplay video with handshot that helps understanding how the game works.
gameplay video by DDX (DDX, 2018)
The game was originally released in 2012, and it has come through three version updates in the past six years, the versions are:
- Sound Voltex BOOTH (1st version, shown above)
- Sound Voltex Infinite Infection (2nd version)
- Sound Voltex Gravity Wars Season 1&2 (3rd version)
- Sound Voltex Heavenly Haven (4th & current version)
Sound Voltex BOOTH video (Y.S-Yわいえすチァネル, 2012)
Sound Voltex Infinite Infection video (ねこらうす, 2014)
Sound Voltex Gravity Wars video (LIRINSKY, 2016)
Another example of excessive bass-bombing song is iLLness LiLin by かねこちはる (Kaneko Chiharu in English), another boss song (one of the hardest songs) in Sound Voltex. It is a speedcore at a BPM of 280. One of the iconic patterns in the chart is exactly the same as the one I just presented -- slamming 16th notes. However those slams do fit with those specific sections of the song as well. But iLLness LiLin isn't only about (mind-breaking) bass-bombing, there's also a section of the song with beautiful scales and/or apreggios, and the note pattern in that section is stairs as playing apreggios or scales on a piano is playing notes from one direction to another, so putting stair patterns in that sections totally makes sense. There is also a special lane effect in this song -- the lanes disappear and the camera moves away from the notes as the climax begins.
References
BJK CORBY(2017). [SDVX IV] Blastix Riotz [GRV] PUC with Hand Shot. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cILvMXwTy-I&t=29s
DDX (2017).【SDVX】 BEAST BASS BOMB [MXM] PUC (Hand Shot). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aurYrm2mjDc
DDX (2018).【SDVX】I [ADV] PUC (Hand Shot). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W98FX2Lc1DM
DDX (2017).【SDVX】 iLLness LiLin [MXM] UC (Hand Shot). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hKuIcLGS8U
Giantbomb.com (2012). Retrieved from https://www.giantbomb.com/sound-voltex/3030-40933/
Konami Entertainment (2013). Sound Voltex BOOTH hompage. Retrieved from https://p.eagate.573.jp/game/sdvx/sv/p/index.html
LIRINSKY (2016). [SDVX] DIABLOSIS::Nāga (GRV). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76tTspCr-X8
Y.S-Yわいえすチァネル (2012). 【SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH】PLAYER:Y.S-Y Broken 8cmix [EXHAUST]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7ZSYuhaH8I
ねこらうす (2014). Dignity(EXHAUST) - SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection-. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=HIzon_WW6ZM
Sound Voltex Gravity Wars video (LIRINSKY, 2016)
As we can see, the layouts are generally the same since the Infinite Infection, but the UI switched back to a sharp, cyperpunk theme in Gravity Wars, after Infinite Infection. I would say the UI in Gravity Wars was the best of all the four designs, because it fits the atmosphere of the game the best. Even though the game has wide range of songs, the most iconic songs in the game are mainly speedcore or speedtrance with a lot of bass-bombing -- basically fast and have a lot of bass. Even though there are also songs with beautiful melodies and are somewhat "mild", the theme of the game is meant to be striking and sharp, and the Gravity Wars UI is the one that fits the theme most.
However, the game doesn't stand out among other rhythm games just for its UI, the gameplay experience is also incredible. To create a great gameplay experience in rhythm games, two things are necessary -- good music and charts (note patterns) that fit with those music. With that being said, the charts in Sound Voltex of course, are not randomly generated.
We'll start with one of the most iconic and hardest songs in Sound Voltex, called Blastix Riotz by かめりあ (Camellia in English). This is one of the most "notorious" songs in the game because the song is doing a lot of bass bombing at at BPM of 256, and part of the chart requires players to slam 16th notes (with both hands of course, but hitting 8th notes with one hand at such speed is already exhausting enough) at such speed for two to three seconds. Such pattern can only be seen on songs like this since it requires the player's hands to keep slamming or literally "bombing" the buttons, and it needs to fit with songs that are equally brutal -- Blastix Riotz is one of these songs. Below is a video of the chart of Blastix Riotz, notice the 16th notes coming in the pattern of left-right-left-right-... and see how it fits with the music. You may also notice that the lanes would also sway on the screen when the knobs are being turned (according to the direction of the lasers), and the lane also seem to be moving away from the player in the slams towards the end, that's also the game's visual effect. Honestly all the lane effect does is to increase the player's tension, let alone the music and the exhausting chart, but all those visual effects actually do make the gameplay experience more immersive.
However, the game doesn't stand out among other rhythm games just for its UI, the gameplay experience is also incredible. To create a great gameplay experience in rhythm games, two things are necessary -- good music and charts (note patterns) that fit with those music. With that being said, the charts in Sound Voltex of course, are not randomly generated.
We'll start with one of the most iconic and hardest songs in Sound Voltex, called Blastix Riotz by かめりあ (Camellia in English). This is one of the most "notorious" songs in the game because the song is doing a lot of bass bombing at at BPM of 256, and part of the chart requires players to slam 16th notes (with both hands of course, but hitting 8th notes with one hand at such speed is already exhausting enough) at such speed for two to three seconds. Such pattern can only be seen on songs like this since it requires the player's hands to keep slamming or literally "bombing" the buttons, and it needs to fit with songs that are equally brutal -- Blastix Riotz is one of these songs. Below is a video of the chart of Blastix Riotz, notice the 16th notes coming in the pattern of left-right-left-right-... and see how it fits with the music. You may also notice that the lanes would also sway on the screen when the knobs are being turned (according to the direction of the lasers), and the lane also seem to be moving away from the player in the slams towards the end, that's also the game's visual effect. Honestly all the lane effect does is to increase the player's tension, let alone the music and the exhausting chart, but all those visual effects actually do make the gameplay experience more immersive.
Blastix Riotz (BJK CORBY, 2017)
iLLness LiLin (DDX, 2017)
There are also songs that are less brutal, and perhaps not too suitable for a button-intensive chart. But buttons aren't the only things we have on the controller -- we also have two knobs. As you might have guessed, there are knob (laser) intensive charts. For example, Beast Bass Bomb by hommarju. Don't get terrified by the name, the BPM is "only" 170, and the song doesn't really do any bass bombing (compared to the previous two examples). As you can see in the video, the song is relatively soft but the chart maker still manages to make a hard and interesting chart for this song. If the chart maker decided to make a normal chart (with mostly notes on buttons), the song would be less fun that it is now, since the song is somewhat too peaceful as a Lv.18 song.
Beast Bass Bomb (DDX, 2017)
In general, Sound Voltex is one of the best (and probably the only) electro-themed arcade rhythm game in the arcade rhythm game market. It doesn't really target on the general player group, as there are also games that have a lot of J-POP or anime songs and cute artwork that attract a wider range of players, as Sound Voltex mainly appeals to hardcore electronic music fans or hardcore rhythm gamers (who cares about nothing except song and chart quality). But focusing on a small player group is also what makes Sound Voltex successful as it complies with that group the best, and players are cohesive enough as the game keeps updating with high-quality contents.
As a matter of fact, it's a Japanese game and it's only available in Japanese (no English version), and it's only available in the US at round1 stores. For those who are interested in it and wants to know where to play, here's the website of round1: round1usa.com (the nearest location is at Middletown, NY)
BJK CORBY(2017). [SDVX IV] Blastix Riotz [GRV] PUC with Hand Shot. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cILvMXwTy-I&t=29s
DDX (2017).【SDVX】 BEAST BASS BOMB [MXM] PUC (Hand Shot). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aurYrm2mjDc
DDX (2018).【SDVX】I [ADV] PUC (Hand Shot). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W98FX2Lc1DM
DDX (2017).【SDVX】 iLLness LiLin [MXM] UC (Hand Shot). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hKuIcLGS8U
Giantbomb.com (2012). Retrieved from https://www.giantbomb.com/sound-voltex/3030-40933/
Konami Entertainment (2013). Sound Voltex BOOTH hompage. Retrieved from https://p.eagate.573.jp/game/sdvx/sv/p/index.html
LIRINSKY (2016). [SDVX] DIABLOSIS::Nāga (GRV). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76tTspCr-X8
Y.S-Yわいえすチァネル (2012). 【SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH】PLAYER:Y.S-Y Broken 8cmix [EXHAUST]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7ZSYuhaH8I
ねこらうす (2014). Dignity(EXHAUST) - SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection-. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=HIzon_WW6ZM
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