It’s that time of year again. Longtime fans of Konami’s music/rhythm gaming franchise beatmania IIDX are all too familiar with the yearly release process for the games. Generally, in the middle of the year, they announce a new title with a very sudden location test somewhere in Japan, and then we wait 4-6 months for the final release. It always drives plenty of excitement within the community to see what kind of theme the game will have, and what artists we can expect to see when the new release drops.
【ロケテスト開催！】シリーズ最新作「beatmania IIDX 27 HEROIC VERSE」ロケテスト開催決定！ 7/12(金)よりGAMEシルクハット川崎ダイス店にて！！ #IIDX https://t.co/wJYygprXkk pic.twitter.com/kdpO9bjtv8
— 【公式】beatmania IIDX (@IIDX_OFFICIAL) July 10, 2019
This morning Konami dropped one such announcement, this time for the 27th installment in the franchise, titled beatmania IIDX 27 HEROIC VERSE. It’s pretty clear what the theme for the game is going to be this time around with a name like that, but past games have been a little less obvious with titles like ROOTAGE (library-themed) and COPULA (train themed) leaving players scratching their heads until release. I’m already imagining the franchise’s characters all dolled up in immaculately superhero costumes courtesy of the longtime designer/illustrator GOLI Matsumoto.
As for music, it’s always a pretty mixed bag as to what we’ll see from game to game. In the past several versions we’ve seen the inclusion of major label artists like Tofubeats, Banvox, Porter Robinson, and Masayoshi Iimori, alongside our very own Taku Takahashi. Konami has also been spicing it up with some unexpected guest artists such as Hideki Naganuma & AJURIKA. The team handling the A&R for Konami’s games as of late have been doing an impeccable job selecting both major & independent artists with immense talent so it’s really exciting to see where things are going to go this time around. Given their use of Spinnin’ Records catalog in Dance Rush maybe we can expect some more western artists to be included?
If you happen to be in the Kanagawa area this weekend and want to check the test out for yourself, you can find more information at Konami’s official page for the location test. Be sure to get there early, the ability to play is determined by numbered tickets which are handed out at random in line, and people start showing up well before the arcade actually opens to secure their spot. Of course, you can still spectate even if you don’t get a ticket and just want to see what a location test for a popular arcade title is like for yourself.
We’ll know more about beatmania IIDX 27 HEROIC VERSE when testing starts July 12th at GAME Silk Hat Kawasaki DICE.