After being absent in the West for more than a decade, Taiko no Tatsujin is confirmed to be making a return, with Bandai Namco announcing the coming of Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! and Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, respectively, this November.
Excitement about the possibility of an eventual Western release has been building since trademarks for several entries in the series were discovered in Europe and Australia earlier this month. Now, thanks to this official confirmation, it’s clear that said excitement wasn’t unfounded.
As one might expect, both games have similar premises but each have a different focus. Specifically, Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session! on the PS4 will feature competitive online play, while Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! will make effective use of the Joy-Con controllers to allow up to four people to play at the same time for a grand, localized experience.
The differences don’t end there, however, as both will feature different characters, such as Hatsune Miku and Heihachi Mishima in Drum Session! and Kirby and Splatoon 2’s Inklings in Drum ‘n’ Fun!, as well as a different soundtrack, such as music from Super Mario Odyssey on the Switch version.
And while on the subject of the soundtrack (which was highlighted in the linked article), it looks like players can expect a plethora of songs that people who players are sure to recognize, such as ones from Dragon Ball Z, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Touhou Project and Idolmaster. Whether you’re a fan of Japanese music, anime, Bandai Namco or whatever, there will likely be something in it for you.
Really, the only disappointing portion of this news is the fact that we’re not getting any peripherals for either version. The Switch doesn’t really need them, but they would have been nice additions for the PlayStation 4. Then again, that’s of minor import when compared to the fact that we’re finally getting Taiko no Tatsujin back.
Check out the announcement trailer below:
