Miku Flick /02

Hatsune Miku is back with her second rhythm game for iOS this year, and this time she's brought some friends along for the ride.

The price tag (£7.49/$10.99) and size (859MB) of Miku Flick /02 might make it a hard sell for casual fans of Vocaloid, but the game is a solid investment for those with a passion for rhythm games.

Miku Flick /02 offers several new features absent from the original Miku Flick. Most notable among these is the presence of new Vocaloids (characters) other than the teal-haired temptress Hatsune Miku herself.

Fan favourites like Megurine Luka and the brother sister team of Kagamine Len and Rin make appearances in the main version of the game, and others - like Kaito - appear in the downloadable content packs which are available for £2.99/$4.99.

Also new is Duet Mode, which allows you to play through a song with two different Vocaloids. Unfortunately, this new mode doesn't change the gameplay at all, but the visual novelty of having two characters on the screen is quite nice.

Outside of the new aesthetic upgrades, Miku Flick /02 plays exactly like its predecessor. Lyrics scroll across the screen and you have to flick or tap on the correct hiragana character as it's highlighted. The gameplay is quite accessible to those with experience in rhythm games while being simple enough for newcomers to pick up without too much effort.

The graphics and audio for Miku Flick /02 are both top notch and rank among the best for a mobile rhythm game. With stages and outfits familiar to those who have played any games from the Project DIVA series, the game looks and sounds simply fantastic.

Sadly, Miku Flick /02’s controls don't measure up to its graphic or musical presentation. Similar to the control bugs that plagued the original Miku Flick, Miku Flick /02 has an issue with not registering taps or swipes correctly (or at all).

Sega identified this issue as a 'slowdown' in the original game and patched it quickly, so hopefully it'll do the same for Miku Flick /02.

The only other mark against Miku Flick /02 is the scarcity of content in the the game itself. With a total of ten songs to choose from, enthusiastic players can unlock every song the game has to offer in an afternoon.

Although there are additional challenge modes, this small selection of songs seems a bit miserly given the price of the app itself.

Encore?

While cheaper than its predecessor, there's no dancing around the fact that Miku Flick /02 is expensive for what it delivers.

Still, it's a nearly pitch-perfect rhythm game that would have easily scored a Silver or Gold Award if it provided a few more songs to play through and ironed out the issues with its controls.

If you're a fan of Vocaloid or rhythm games, you'd be a fool not to make some space on your iPhone or iPad for Miku Flick/02.