Taiko: Drum Master masters the iPad

The incredibly Japanese cartoon rhythm-action gameTaiko no Tatsujn, otherwise known as Taiko: Drum Master, is due to arrive on Japanese iPads on the 28th of May.

If you've never heard of the cult classic before, it's essentially a drumming game in which you strike the various parts of a Taiko drum as the notes barrel along the screen.

Of course, there's more to the game than just striking the screen at regular intervals, though, and this comes in the shape of some absolutely mental animations and artwork like dancing leopards and cheerleading turtles.

The Japanese iPad version is free and comes with one song, Carmen, as well as an auto-tweeting feature for posting high-scores. As can be guessed from that miserly track list, the bulk of the game has to be purchased as in-app song packs.

There's no guarantee that Taiko will get a western release for the iPad, especially considering that Namco flat-out refused a western release for the iPhone version back in January, but hopefully the company will change its mind once it sees the flood of tears on this comments thread.

Get to it, commentators!