A while ago I reviewed an excellent game for the iPhone/iPad called “Cytus”. Here’s the link for the review, but in sum I loved the game thanks in large part to its phenomenal soundtrack and its sublime presentation. A year later and now the Cytus in the App Store is so much different than the Cytus I started with. The purpose of this post is to outline the new stuff going on with Cytus, and my impressions of these new additions.
The title screen has changed for the better. The first one looked a bit generic. The title music evokes a bit of techno, but I don’t really remember it all too well. Now, you have an android standing in the midst of a post-apocalyptic city (see above), with the greyish hue atop the structures implying a slightly depressing atmosphere. Like most of the game Cytus still maintains high graphical quality, and everything resembles well-drawn, highly detailed artwork. I would probably turn my head with the detailed rear end of that android (who is strongly implied to be female, so a bit of fan service snuck in), but the gloomy and yet beautiful scenery really compensates for that oversight.
Of course, I am not going to ramble on about just the new title screen. RayArk replaced the title music with something else that worked so much better: “Loom” by Sta. Like the original intro song it has a techno feel to it, as the singer’s voice is altered in a way to sound like a robot/android, but Sta goes further and makes the song a lot catchier (like he does with all his songs, to be honest. I love his work here). It reflects the dreadful, post-apocalypse mood that the title screen represents. So the makeover for the title screen is a success.
Instead of laying the music options down Cytus is now split into 3 chapters, each chapter containing roughly 10 songs. Apparently RayArk wants to add a bit of backstory to their game so as to explain why there are androids and what not. Summarizing what the official site is saying, there is now an android-esque technology that allows people to become immortal (Chapter 1). The problem is that there is an incurable virus that ravaged the city (Chapter 2), and now someone called Vanessa is trying to access her emotions memory, only to be taken to Cytus to settle the dispute (Chapter 3).
Me personally, this is a weird story, and the fact that RayArk does not have the best English writers further makes the plot a bit more convoluted than it should be. Still, I can’t wait to see what RayArk will come up with in the next chapters.
When I first started out Cytus the music library isn’t very large (I count 14 tracks for the inaugural version). However it has now swelled to over 30. What is different between the new music and the old is that the former is not as techno as the latter, instead opting for some orchestral instruments to complement the techno. I actually think that the orchestral parts are a plus, leading to a variety of music (but don’t expect classical). I like those new tracks, some more than others (more on that in a moment). Gameplay-wise the rhythm is much faster, meaning that I have to react faster to the incoming music notes. Newer tracks are also a bit trickier in that the note-pressing commands are a bit more complex, like sliding notes upwards and downwards (which is never done before). There are also more hidden songs, and you unlock them through pressing through specific areas on the screen; the remixes themselves are also well done in my mind, just as catchy as the original songs.
Earlier complaints directed against Cytus has to do with how easy the game is, so to compensate the game now has two scores: The normal one (out of 1 million) and TP. TP is essentially an indicator of how on-time you are on pressing notes; the more accurate, the closer your TP score is to 100. I personally never got to 100 (although I did score over 99 in some songs). But overall I really don’t care about the TP. If I were RayArk I would just consider removing it altogether.
OK, now to put my top 10 songs for Cytus (not in any particular order). I would highly recommend you to go on YouTube and at least listen to those tunes at least once.
1. The Silence by Sta
2. Iris by Sta
3. Loom by Sta
4. Otome by Suzumetune
5. Spectrum by Suzumetune
6. Visions by Tsukasa
7. Retrospective by Naotyu (feat. Maya)
8. DRG by ani
9. Ver Verg (original and remix) by ani (feat. B)
10. Saika (original and remix) by Rabpit
That being said, all the soundtracks are great IMO. These are just the ones I really like.
Anyhow, that’s all I have for today. I hope to listen to the Cytus album “Alive” and make a blog post about that. Until then, see you next time.
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