10 things that break your stride in rhythm games

If you play rhythm games of any kind, you will agree that combos are very important. And as much as you will agree, you will probably also have broken those same combos. Here are ten reasons why your combos fail at times.

1. Look at the b-e-a-u-tiful colours!

Rhythm games encourage you when you do something right, and they usually do it by saying “Great!” or “Awesome!” in vibrant, happy colors, sometimes with glittery effects. Of course it adds to your confidence level, but it can also cost you your combo if you either pay attention to appreciate the pretty animation or if the next beat, arrow, or circle gets lost in the fray of colors.

2. The character > the beats

It’s not your fault, though. I totally understand. If I just got Miku’s World is Mine module, why wouldn’t I want to appreciate that?

This also applies to online rhythm games like Audition Dance Battle, where you dress up your avatar. If you buy something new that changes how your avatar looks, chances are, you would want to take a better look at it in action. And besides, Miku is so cute…

3. “Body has engaged autopilot.”

You know those moments when the song is so fast that even you have no idea how you’re keeping up with the speed? Sure, you see the symbols passing by and yes, you’re hitting them spot on, but there are times when you feel like your body is going on autopilot and acting through pure muscle memory and instinct. Once you actually start paying attention, your body jumps out of autopilot and switches to manual, breaking your momentum and the combo in the process.

4. Something somewhere itches

The law of the universe states that you will always suddenly need to scratch somewhere in the middle of a great combo or an extremely fast song. Alternatively, you may also suddenly feel some sort of discomfort. My hair seems to be in my face. I need to adjust my glasses, I’m not sitting properly. Whether you choose to take care of it or ignore it, your attention is going to be divided anyway, so I often choose the latter.

5. You actually realize you’re holding a combo

So you’re focused on just getting those notes and aren’t really paying attention if you have a perfect combo, but lo and behold! You do! And as soon as you realize it’s there, your concentration breaks, and just like that, it’s gone.