In Falsus Review Summary

While the music and song library are superb, story-gated content, a punishing difficulty curve, and a visual novel that overshadows gameplay, plus too few initial songs, hold it back.

Great music and sound: The music selection and sound design received high praise, with reviewers calling the soundtrack fantastic, luxurious, and immersive. Good sound effects complemented the gameplay.

Large and quality song library: Reviewers praised the extensive song list, noting over 70 songs at launch with many tracks being high quality and featuring famous composers. The song variety and volume are seen as major strengths.

Innovative and unique gameplay: The rhythm gameplay is described as novel and innovative, with unique controls and fresh concepts. Some compared it to arcade experiences, highlighting its distinctiveness in the PC rhythm game space.

Excellent art and presentation: The art style and visual presentation are consistently praised as refined and beautiful, with high production value. The overall presentation and visuals are seen as top-notch.

Excellent value for price: The game offers a large amount of content—including 70 songs and over 10 hours of voiced story—making it feel worth the price. Multiple reviewers emphasized the high value relative to cost.

Story progression locks content: Many songs must be unlocked by completing the story, which takes hours and cannot be skipped, frustrating players who prefer direct access to rhythm gameplay.

Too few songs initially: Players report only 9 to 10 songs are playable at launch, with the rest locked behind story progression, which feels insufficient for the price and limits free play options.

High difficulty and steep learning curve: The game is extremely intense and hard to control, with charts demanding fast three-finger interactions and strict judgement, making it difficult for newcomers and even experienced players.

Visual novel overshadows rhythm gameplay: The visual novel segments are heavily emphasized and force reading, disappointing players who primarily want the rhythm game experience.

Poor readability of side notes: Notes on the leftmost and rightmost lanes are hard to see, especially with certain key colors and wide lane spacing, causing readability issues during play.

Rhythm gameplay with unique controls: The game stands out for its unconventional control schemes, such as combining one-hand keyboard operation with mouse movements or using side lanes and special keys. These controls are often described as difficult to master but innovative, and they set the game apart from typical rhythm games.

Story progression unlocks songs: A common mechanic is that songs are not available from the start but must be unlocked through a lengthy story or scenario mode. This progression system is a central feature that ties the narrative to gameplay, though some players find it tedious because story sections are not easily skippable.

High difficulty and demanding charts: Players emphasize the game's high difficulty, with charts that require fast fingers, complex patterns, and sometimes even multiple fingers on a single lane. Some compare it to a 'souls-like' experience in the rhythm genre, indicating a steep learning curve.

Blend of music and visual novel: The game combines rhythm gameplay with visual novel elements, including a fully voiced story and multiple narrative paths, making it feel like a hybrid genre. This mix is seen as a key feature but may attract a niche audience.

Requires simultaneous coordination: The control scheme often demands performing different actions with each hand, akin to patting your head and rubbing your belly, which adds to the difficulty. This is a unique challenge that some players find rewarding.

Performance stuttering and optimization issues: Multiple clusters highlight performance problems, including track stuttering, random lag spikes, and stuttering caused by the Vulkan renderer. These issues impact gameplay smoothness across various systems.

Audio lag and desync bugs: Audio lag occurs during gameplay, and a desync bug appears after extended playtime. Manual audio latency adjustment is inconvenient for players.

Frame drops in specific scenes: Frame drops happen during a specific music cutscene and with Razer 2.4G devices, indicating targeted performance issues.

Launch failures due to environment: The game fails to launch on the latest Windows update and may crash at launch, but can be fixed by installing or repairing Visual C++. This suggests compatibility issues with certain system configurations.

Hardware-specific disconnect issues: Intermittent disconnections occur for a specific 2.4G Razer V2 Pro mouse, possibly related to wireless device interference.

Value for money debated: Opinions on value are mixed: some strongly endorse the game and are willing to pay more, while others say it is worth every penny. However, there is also advice to wait for discounts, indicating a wide range of perceived value.

Content volume insufficient: The game includes only 10 songs, which many players find a hard sell. Reviewers suggest waiting for more content or a cheaper price, and hope that upcoming content will be free to increase value.

Control issues deter recommendation: Some reviewers do not recommend the game due to problematic side keys, and for those interested in single-hand 6K plus mouse rhythm gameplay. The lack of proper key binding support, such as rebinding the F key to a mouse click, exacerbates the issue.

Genre mix niche appeal: The game blends rhythm, card, and visual novel genres, which is recommended only for those who accept this mix. It is not straightforwardly recommended for those seeking a pure rhythm game; think twice before purchasing for that purpose.

Time investment required: The game is recommended for those with ample time but hard to recommend for those with limited time. This suggests a significant time commitment is necessary to enjoy the experience.

Story completion: 12.0h.

Rhythm Game Enthusiast: Focuses on mastering the unique mapping and controls, pushing for higher scores and enjoying the difficulty. Motivation: To experience a fresh, challenging rhythm game that stands out from others in the genre. Stance: buy.

Story and Card Fan: Progresses through the narrative, collects characters, and engages in card battles while sometimes ignoring the rhythm challenge. Motivation: To enjoy the story, characters, and strategic card battles. Stance: buy.

Cautious Critic: Probably samples the content, but focuses on evaluating specific mechanics and presentation rather than completing the game. Motivation: To inform potential buyers about perceived flaws and avoid regretful purchases. Stance: sale.

Performance reports are mixed: several users report smooth play, while others describe lag spikes, stuttering, audio issues, and optimization problems.

Windows <8GB VRAM: mixed. Some users experience stable framerates, but others report lag spikes, stuttering, track rendering issues, and occasional crashes or device-related frame drops.

Made by Arcaea developers: The game is developed by lowiro, the studio behind Arcaea, and is often seen as a spiritual successor or 'Arcaea 2'. Fans of Arcaea are the primary early adopters.

High launch price: Several reviews mention the game was expensive at launch, though one calls the price reasonable. The high cost may be justified by the large amount of content.

Story and voice acting extensive: The game includes a fully voiced story with over 10 hours of content, making the visual novel a major focus. This is a significant draw for players who enjoy narrative-driven games.

Difficulty challenges with keyboard: The game requires keyboard use, and reviewers note unconventional hand positioning, especially on ISO layouts, and difficulty with side notes. Some users with specific devices (e.g., Razer 2.4G) face issues.

70 songs at launch: Multiple reviews state the game has around 70 songs at launch, while one notes only 10 and another says 9. This discrepancy suggests possible editions or confusion about the song list.