Chunithm

Overview

Chunithm is an arcade rhythm game developed and published by Sega that was first released into arcades in Japan in November 2014. It has not been giver a wider international release which the Japanese focused track list is reflective of. Similar to other Sega rhythm games such as maimai, the track list includes various J-Pop and J-Rock hits as well as a good amount of video game and anime soundtracks.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Chunithm involves responding to on-screen notes coming toward the player in a fashion similar to the Note Highway of the Guitar Hero games. However, the input method by which the game is controlled is unique to the game and its arcade setting. The cabinet has a horizontal touch panel split into 16 segments which exactly matches the length of the on-screen note highway. However, the note highway itself is only segmented into 4 parts with the placement of the notes themselves being unrestricted by the segmentation. As a result, the input on the touch panel merely has to correspond visually with incoming notes. Unlike the precision of other rhythm games such as Guitar Hero or GuitarFreaks, players can press down on the touch pad in an approximate location to match notes and the panel will change color to show where it has registered touch. The game utilizes this input method to have many sliding scale note inputs in addition to the traditional single touch and sustained touch inputs found in similar rhythm games.

Additionally, the cabinet includes motion sensors above the touch pad. There are notes that will require input via this motion sensor to activate; performed either by a player lifting their hand off the touch pad to about chest height or by forcefully moving an already raised hand back down out of range of the motion sensor.

In a manner typical of modern Japanese arcade rhythm games, songs are unlocked as one completes songs and earns experience with each song completion with profile tracking via personal arcade cards. Every song has multiple difficulty levels to choose from which will alter the amount and arrangement of notes present in the track.