DJ Max Technika Q recently popped up on the Google Play store and App Store for korean-based fans of the game series. As the resident rhythm game aficionado, I decided to check it out and see how it fares with its arcade predecessors.

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The original DJ Max Technika game started life as an arcade touch-screen rhythm game several years ago where you need to tap note markers in beat with the ‘timeline’ scrolling along with the music, just like a few other rhythm games. Technika’s gameplay differed from other touch-based rhythm games because the screen area is split into two halves with the timeline moving horizontally along one halve before continuing on the other while note markers are placed on both halves in time with the melody and/or vocals. Technika Q now gives fans a chance to bring the arcade experience home for their tablets and phones without having to hunt down a Technika arcade machine (or even finding an arcade that’s still open for that matter).

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Like previous mobile rhythm games from Neowin (Tap Sonic, Ring Star, DJ Max Ray), Technika Q is packaged as a free to play download which comes with a small selection of the game’s content and the rest obtainable via in game purchases. At the start, you have access to 4 songs and more can be unlocked by purchasing them in the in-game store using Q points, the premium currency in Technika Q. The game starts you off with 10 Q as an introductory present, but to get more you’ll need to buy Q point bundles in the game’s store with real money. More than 50 songs from the arcade versions, spanning multiple genres return in Technika Q featuring the same beat maps/charts as the original versions, which could be a bonus if you’re already with a song from playing it on the arcade machine.

Playing Technika on a tablet felt just as responsive as playing back in the arcade, only on a smaller screen and being able to sit down while playing.  I even was lucky enough to not experience any major problems with lag or the timings on the couple of devices I tested the game on, but it was reassuring to see that there are options in the settings menu to reduce game quality for lower-end devices to increase performance and change the audio offset timings if needed. The online and Kakao integration within Technika Q helps to connect the game’s stats other Technika Q players around the world and those in your phone’s contacts so you can compete against each other on the leaderboards for each song. I found the built in music player was another nice little addition to the game, especially since it was able to let me listen to some of the game’s songs while the app was minimised.

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When the PS Vita version of Technika came out last year, the gameplay was changed for the new platform, with different beat charts for songs and introducing new gameplay features to incorporate the Vita’s rear-touch panel. Rather than going that route, Technika Q goes for a closer representation of the original arcade gameplay style to bring the full experience to your phone or tablet while adding a few extra features. Even though only 4 songs are included with the app, the prices for additional songs are reduced during the introductory period, with 4 song packs coming up to about £3 (equivalent) via the in app purchase, which seems like it could be a fairly reasonable price for being able to choose the songs that you want to play. For those looking to have access to all the songs straight away, the complete set of songs and content can be purchased for about £35 (equivalent), which basically prices it around the same as a standard retail game but would probably be great for die hard fans who will want to play all the content over and over again.

DJ Max Technika Q is available now for Korean accounts on the App Store for iOS and Google Play for Android.

[You’ll need a korean account and/or IP address to download the app]