Deemo: the Last Recital is worth taking note of

Asia will be getting the Playstation Vita version of Deemo: the Last Recital simultaneously with Japan, it was revealed at Tokyo Game Show this past week. The game is an expanded port from the popular mobile rhythm game that unlike the team’s previous title Cytus has you hit keys like a kind of piano version of Guitar Hero.

(See: Cytus review: the beautiful rhythm game of emotion)

In keeping with that piano theme, the soundtrack in the game is made up not of electronic music as the visuals might suggest, but more traditional classical-sounding pieces. Achieving that effect with the master versions of the tracks and then keeping the music sounding natural when converting it to the platform (so that it wouldn’t sound like MIDI files) was one of the main challenges, but as with the mobile version, this objective seems to have been fully realized with the new Vita game.

(See: Cross X review: maybe Capcom should stick to robots and fighters)

One of the title’s most amusing and challenging features is the ability to play with both hands when you have two systems. Feeling that it would be too cramped to try and put a two-handed mode on a single system, Rayark instead implemented a two handed mode via ad hoc Wifi. As fun as that sounds, even Vita diehards have to admit that there aren’t many Vita owners in the wild, so it’s likely not many people will actually get to try this out for themselves.

Speaking of Vita diehards, it seems that we can now count the team behind Deemo’s Vita version among their numbers. Various Rayark team members talked at length about how smoothly the game played on the system, how the size seemed perfect, the good quality of the Vita’s screen, and the rich possibilities for future titles on the system thanks to the multiple modes of control (in particular noting the back screen, unused in Deemo).

The expanded port brings a fair amount of new content to the game. The Vita version will come with two player co-op mode called “Duet”, as well as a one-on-one battle mode. Both of these are local, which probably makes sense given how disruptive lag can be to rhythm games like this.

As well as those multiplayer options, the game has had its single-player content expanded too. The original version told the story of a girl who wakes up in a mysterious magical world after falling from the sky. The Vita version will extend this tale, picking up from where the mobile version left off, while still including the original story content for new players as well.

The game also comes with trophy support, online leaderboards, full animated cut scenes, and more tracks. But the developer teased that there was in fact even more on top of all of the above, that they didn’t want to reveal just yet. The game is set to release in Winter 2014 for both Japan and Asia, so expect confirmation on those new features soon.

This story is part of our Tokyo Game Show 2014 coverage.

Another Asia-focused music game: