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Wacca (video game)

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WACCA
Developer(s)Marvelous
Publisher(s)Marvelous
Producer(s)Tatsuya Yokoyama[1]
Artist(s)LAM[2]
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)Arcade
ReleaseJuly 18, 2019
Genre(s)Rhythm game
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer
Arcade systemSega ALLS HX [ja]

Wacca (ワッカ, stylised as "WACCA") is a 2019 Japanese arcade rhythm game developed and published by Marvelous in collaboration with indie record label HARDCORE TANO*C [ja].[3]

Gameplay

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Demonstration of the gameplay of Wacca, featuring the game's unorthodox circular user interface

The game's arcade cabinet features a circular display screen enveloped by a circular touch panel on the outside; the player taps on the corresponding section of the touch panel as music notes approach the border of the circular screen, with the timing of the touch action resulting in a note judgement that contributes to the player's final score.[4][5] In addition to touch notes, the game also features hold notes, notes that slide left and right, and notes that involve flicking forwards and backwards on the touch pad.[4][6]

Player progression data is saved using Sega's ALL.Net online service, with support for Sega Aime and Bandai Namco Banapassport IC cards.

Development

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Development for Wacca commenced in 2017, and the decision to collaborate with HARDCORE TANO*C – Japan's largest record label focused on hardcore techno music – was made during the early stages of development, as the game's producer, Tatsuya Yokoyama, was a fan of their work.[1] Marvelous, having prior experience in developing games of various other genres, developed Wacca as their first arcade music rhythm game;[3] they had previously developed the handheld rhythm game IA/VT Colorful for the PlayStation Vita in 2015.

During the game's opening event on October 19, 2018, Yokoyama stated that the primary reason for deciding on a rhythm game as their next title was due to his personal enjoyment of such games.[1] HARDCORE TANO*C played an active role in gameplay development creating note charts, with the game being their first attempt at writing game note charts in parallel with composing music audio tracks.[1]

During the early stages of development, 20 different prototypes of the arcade cabinet were drafted, with various discarded proposals including DJ desk motifs as part of the control scheme.[1] Once the final design was solidified, the game was developed under the tentative title CircuRing (サーキュリング).[7] The final title of "WACCA" was selected due to the perceived sense of disharmony of how the name sounds, and that it would be able to differentiate the game from other rhythm game titles by intentionally omitting music-related tropes.[1] The game features character illustrations by LAM.[2]

While it is commonplace in other rhythm games to adjust gameplay difficulty according to the tempo of the music, Wacca utilises the 360 degree touch panel to make difficulty adjustments using elements unrelated to the tempo, such as hand positioning.[1]

The game features collaboration songs from franchises such as Touhou Project and Senran Kagura as part of its music repertoire.[3][8]

Release

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Wacca commenced service on July 18, 2019. The first major update to the game, titled Wacca S, was released on January 23, 2020,[3] adding BPM notation, synchronising the start time of music during multiplayer play, and adding new game modes.[9] Wacca Lily, released on September 7, 2020,[10] added song rating and continue features,[11] while Wacca Lily R, released on March 11, 2021, added various social interaction features.[12] The final update, Wacca Reverse, released on August 10, 2021,[13] added a bingo feature which offered rewards upon clearing missions, along with additional game modes.[14]

Location testing for Wacca first took place between October 19, 2018, and November 4, 2018, at four stores across Japan,[4] including Sega Akihabara Building No. 3.[1] A second round of location testing was held from November 9, 2018 to November 18, 2018.[15]

The online service for Wacca entered end-of-life on August 31, 2022, with all arcade cabinets subsequently placed in offline mode.[16][2]

Media

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On July 18, 2022, Marvelous released a three CD soundtrack titled Wacca Complete Album, featuring all original tracks written for the game.[17] The main theme song for Wacca is "Let you DIVE!" by HARDCORE TANO*C All Stars with vocals performed by Saori Ōnishi,[18] while the theme song for Wacca Lily is "with U" by t+pazolite [ja] and Massive New Krew [ja] with vocals by Shiki Aoki,[10] and the theme song for Wacca Reverse is "Ouvertüre" by USAO [ja] and DJ Genki [ja] with vocals from Maki Kawase.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Kenta Marutani (October 23, 2018). "新作リズムゲーム「WACCA」ロケテスト初日の模様とインタビューをお届け。マーベラスとHARDCORE TANO*Cの新たな挑戦について話を聞いた". 4gamer (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 8, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Rafael Antonio Pineda (June 22, 2022). "WACCA Rhythm Game Ends Online Service on August 31". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "『WACCA S』は遊びやすさとやりこみを両立！ 横山プロデューサーにこの半年とアップデートについて質問". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). January 24, 2020. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Aono Sugiura (October 5, 2018). "マーベラスの新作リズムゲーム「WACCA」は，360度タッチパネルでのプレイがTANO*C！ お披露目生放送の模様と試遊レポートをお届け". 4gamer (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 23, 2022.
  5. ^ Alistair Wong (October 5, 2018). "Marvelous Reveals WACCA, A New 360° Touch Panel Rhythm Game". Siliconera. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Corey Prasek (May 23, 2020). "WACCA – The Rhythm Game of the Future". Otaquest. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022.
  7. ^ 【WACCA】オンラインサービス終了 今までのふりかえり. HARDCORE TANO*C. June 23, 2022.
  8. ^ "『WACCA』"東方 Project×WACCA"イベントが開催！ "東方アレンジ"楽曲が追加されるほかゲーム内アイテムなどが獲得できる". Famitsu (in Japanese). October 8, 2019. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "「WACCA S」へのバージョンアップのお知らせ". 「WACCA Reverse」公式Webサイト (in Japanese). Marvelous. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "『WACCA（ワッカ）』の新シリーズ『WACCA Lily』が9月17日稼働。新ナビ・リリィの声優は青木志貴さん". Dengeki Online (in Japanese). September 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "WACCA Lily稼働開始！". 「WACCA Reverse」公式Webサイト (in Japanese). Marvelous. September 17, 2020. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "「WACCA Lily R」稼働開始！". 「WACCA Reverse」公式Webサイト (in Japanese). Marvelous. March 11, 2021. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "「WACCA Reverse」が稼働開始！新規書下ろし曲や新ナビゲーター「ルーン（CV：河瀬茉希）」などを追加". Gamer.ne.jp (in Japanese). August 10, 2021. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021.
  14. ^ "『WACCA Reverse』稼働開始！". 「WACCA Reverse」公式Webサイト (in Japanese). Marvelous. August 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Yuma Imafuji (November 6, 2018). "「WACCA」、第2回ロケテストの開催が決定". GAME Watch (in Japanese). Archived from the original on June 24, 2022.
  16. ^ "【重要】オンラインサービス終了とオフライン版稼働について". 「WACCA Reverse」公式Webサイト (in Japanese). Marvelous. June 21, 2022. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "『WACCA』コンプリートサウンドトラック販売決定！＆予約開始！". 「WACCA Reverse」公式Webサイト (in Japanese). Marvelous. May 3, 2022. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022.
  18. ^ "マーベラス、新作リズムゲーム『WACCA（ワッカ）』でナビゲートキャラ「エリザベス」が歌うテーマソングを初公開！「JAEPO2019」追加情報も". Gamebiz (in Japanese). January 25, 2019. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022.
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