Why So Serious, Alliance Arts and WHO YOU’s Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is an intriguing new rhythm game that puts a slightly lighthearted spin on denpa, a Japanese subgenre that’s typically associated with some more grim topics like horror, mental instability, social isolation, and just about anything that falls in between, with a measure of psychological distortion. If you’re into niche Japanese games, chances are you likely stumbled into or played a game that falls into the denpa subgenre, with some notable examples being Needy Streamer Overload, Chaos;Head, and Higurashi, just to name a few. Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is a game that plays into the internet-centric nature of denpa and brings some catchy and strange songs into the mix.
The story of Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis focuses on a shut-in girl who goes by Qtie (VA: Nanahira) on the internet. Qtie is a hikikomori, someone who experiences social withdrawal and stays at home all day, avoiding most of their real-world responsibilities—possibly due to trauma they’ve experienced in the past. While using her computer, she often speaks with an “angelic devil” named Yunyun (VA: Haruko Momoi) through the screen, and all the denpa songs Qtie listens to make her want to get closer to Yunyun and spread the love online. The degenerate otaku decides to do that through the power of social media, and she uses those same denpa songs to really get in the groove. In little time, the player sees Qtie type away and essentially “overdose” on the vibes of the denpa songs through each track of this crazy rhythm game.
Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is All About Making Virtual Noise
Progression in Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is fairly simple for the most part. Your goal is to raise the denpa meter to 100% by playing through denpa songs and uploading in-game social media posts by putting together conspiracy cards with phrases that make up the post in question. For example, if you complete a denpa song and put together three Yunyun cards, chances are that Qtie will post a conspiracy about Yunyun. The story (and each social media post) will play out with dialogue between Qtie and Yunyun every time you get a new conspiracy or level up an existing one to make it more believable.
Essentially, you’re making noise on the internet by typing away to the songs you play, which are honestly really catchy and quite fun to listen to. There are more than 30 songs to choose from with composers and artists such as ZUN (Touhou Project) and Aiobahn +81 (Needy Streamer Overload) in the mix. It’s a very cutesy or “moe” soundtrack, but there are some songs that lean on the J-rock and idol side of Japanese music culture, so there’s some variety here. You can unlock songs by reaching certain milestones with the denpa meter, progressing the story, or inspecting Qtie’s messy home for key points containing discs. You can also interact with Qtie’s mom through text, but I’ll leave what that entails up in the air.
There are also health meters that will increase depending on the conspiracy cards you choose at the end of each song, after your rank has been calculated. For some objectives, you’ll need to raise the meter to a certain amount, such as 50% for Yunyun, but this isn’t indicative of the character’s health per se. There are story implications that can be discovered by the conspiracies you make popular, and as you progress, there’s also additional content that plays into the psychological side of denpa. Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis has multiple endings, and if you notice some oddities straight away from the start of the game, you’ll definitely understand that there’s so much more to Qtie and Yunyun.
Since this is a rhythm game, the gameplay goes as far as you can take it in terms of difficulty. Normal is recommended, but you can incrementally dial up the difficulty with the “Hardcore Gamer,” “Tryhard,” and “Degenerate” options, for instance. You’ll earn better and higher-rated conspiracy cards if you increase the difficulty and play that way, but other than that, you’ll be making steady progress as you keep trying new songs and testing your reflexes on keys. You can assign any four keys on the keyboard to use for the notes you need to hit, but it’s worth noting that there’s no support for controllers here. Fortunately, Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis can play on just about any PC with at least 4 GB of video memory, so it’s quite easy to get into this game and start it up.
A Brilliant Road to Insanity and Unhinged Behavior
Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is quite a strange but satisfying game to play. Behind the screen as Qtie, you’ll see her popularity skyrocket and send her down a path that can be unsettling at times, masked by the wonderful music tracks that this game offers. The full voice-overs make Qtie and Yunyun sound and act really cute and sincere in all they do, but it’s clear that as you play, their effects on the world around them are profound. Qtie’s inner turmoil and plunge into a music and internet-induced euphoria of popularity and degeneracy make her both unbelievable and realistic at times.
The overall visuals and aesthetic of Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is just as colorful and anime-inspired as I expected. Since the entire game mimics the look of a desktop with applications and open tabs/windows, there’s a sense that you really are experiencing what Qtie is doing as well. However, some subtle elements and Yunyun’s strange nature as a cute and powerful harbinger of denpa songs and influence definitely remind the player that they’re playing a game where you lead Qtie to inevitable consequences, for better or worse.
This is all to say that Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis is a great rhythm game that I keep coming back to, and its story is really interesting due to its two main characters and how the internet-centric aesthetic brings everything together. The psychological elements make the denpa subgenre more understandable to players who might not be too familiar with it, as I’ve discovered while playing through the game. If you’ve played rhythm games before and need something new to play, it’s hard to go wrong with Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis. The game respects your time, too, so there’s also that for those not wanting a massive time sink in their backlogs.
Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis launches on April 23 for PC via Steam for $16.99.
Disclaimer: Alliance Arts provided a Steam key of Yunyun Syndrome!? Rhythm Psychosis for review purposes.
