The only three games from the iDOLM@STER Franchise to see a US, English-language release are the three The iDOLM@STER: Shiny Festa games on iOS.
Rather than the idol raising games of the mainline iM@S series, Shiny Festa is simply a rhythm game – in a side story set at a Music Festival on Vacation Island. For the Shiny Festa series, the 765 Pro team has been split, though, into three groups (one for each game – sold separately):
- Harmonic Score – features Haruka, Chihaya, Azusa, and Ritsuko
- Rhythmic Record – features Iori, Yayoi, Ami, Mami, and Hibiki
- Melodic Disc – features Miki, Makoto, Yukio, and Takane
I balked at the price when the games were originally released for $54.99/each, but I picked them up over the holidays when they first dropped to $24.99/each.
Now, they’re on sale for $7.99/each. (But apparently only until July 31st.) Still a little pricey for an iPhone or iPad app, but I think a price that’s well worth it for some fun, challenging rhythm games with lots of free DLC. (what? Free DLC from Namco? YES, you read that right!)
I really enjoyed these games. They’re unfortunately much simpler than the main iM@S games, but the rhythm action is enjoyable, and each game contains up to 20 tracks of iM@S Music (including all free DLC tracks), on 4 levels of difficulty.
There is a story line around the festival that is pretty cute in each episode (although Melodic Disc’s is a little more out there), and you are occasionally rewarded in between non-Festa stage performances with cute scenes centered on your idols that add variety. There’s also an episode of THE iDOLM@STER OVA in each game, so if you’re a fan of the anime, you should also enjoy that.
Cute scene example:
If you have an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, I would sincerely encourage you to try to pick at least one up and try it out. And if you can only get one, I’d recommend Rhythmic Record – because it has five idols instead of four and the cutest cast of all, including the best girls:
