Hop Step Sing! Astral Piece
- December 12, 2019
- Kodansha
Get on Steam"Hop Step Sing! Astral Piece" is a VR rhythm game that lets you experience Niina Nijikawa's first solo live performance in a virtual setting. Join her and her classmates after school hours as they dazzle you with their singing and dancing. This release is the group's fifth single and first solo live performance, following their debut hit "Kisekiteki Shining!". Interact with the idols in a whole new way in this immersive VR experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The directing for the VR experience is perfect and natural, allowing for a comfortable viewing experience without causing motion sickness.
- Niina's voice and actions are adorable, making the experience enjoyable for fans of anime music.
- The addition of free walking through the music video enhances interactivity and engagement for players.
- The content is very short, lasting only around 5-6 minutes, which some players feel does not justify the price.
- The asset quality and performance are lower compared to previous titles, leading to a less polished experience.
- There is no option to turn off comfort vignettes, which can be a drawback for some users.
- music42 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music aspect of the VR experience is praised for its engaging songs and impressive visuals, particularly appealing to anime music fans. While some users find the short duration of the music videos (around 5-6 minutes) limiting, they appreciate the innovative use of VR and the opportunity for rewatching. Overall, the franchise is recommended for its high-quality production and unique choreography, though newcomers may want to start with earlier works for a more fantasy-oriented feel.
“Continues to be the gold standard for AMVR (anime music virtual reality).”
“I like how each new song they push VR further each time.”
“It's great having music videos like this in VR and I would love to see more artists/groups utilizing the medium.”
“10 dollars for a music video that lasts something like 6 minutes, and as a standalone VR experience, just didn't provide anything unique or interesting.”
“2 slight annoyances though - there's no way to turn off the comfort vignettes at all and the Niina model from music vid 4 seems here to stay. Of all the Niina models used, I preferred any of the others to 4 and this one.”
“- their first song and its visuals are a lot weaker compared to their later songs.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics across the reviewed songs are generally praised, with "kimamani summer vacation" featuring high-energy visuals and "kissxkissxkiss" offering surreal imagery, albeit with a more subdued tone. "Astral Piece" showcases solid visuals but is noted to be weaker compared to later works. The live concert recording, while a good introduction, lacks the unique visuals present in the individual music videos.
“kimamani summer vacation - good high energy song with great visuals.”
“kissxkissxkiss - a bit down-beat compared to their other stuff but still a great song and very surreal visuals.”
“astral piece - great song and visuals but this one's a solo featuring only niina (shikiri #1!, lol).”
“Their first song and its visuals are a lot weaker compared to their later songs.”
“There is also a live concert recording available that includes all of the above songs, which is a great starter pack, but it does lack all of the unique visuals of the music videos.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with users consistently reporting it as one of the worst aspects, indicating significant performance issues.
“Its performance is one of the worst.”
