Yunyun Syndrome?! Rhythm Psychosis Review – Rhythm Stanning To The Extreme

When you “stan” an online virtual icon, you don’t expect a two-way communication. If you do get one, that’s probably a sign that something isn’t quite right in more ways than one. Yunyun Syndrome?! Rhythm Psychosis takes that premise and runs with it. It’s a psychological horror rhythm game developed and published by Alliance Arts that shows several outcomes of bonding with a virtual icon. For better or for worse depending on how you look at it.

The story follows a girl named Qtie who is a “hikkikomori”, a Japanese term for a shut-in. She barely leaves her room, doesn’t have any study or work, and doesn’t have much of a social life. Her only motivation in life is her virtual idol, Yunyun, who she worships on a daily basis. One day, Yunyun begins speaking to Qtie and responding to her actual conversations. This greatly motivates Qtie who spreads her love of Yunyun to as many people as possible with the help of the internet.

While not a visual novel, I found thatYunyun Syndrome?! Rhythm Psychosis’ story often proceeds like one. You have the same save/load file system, text speed configurations, and options that lead to multiple endings. With the exception of Qtie moving to different parts of her house, everything takes place on Qtie’s computer. Most of your time is spent watching Qtie’s conversations with Yunyun or seeing their reactions to Qtie’s posts.

The premise of the game is horrifying even if it is taken to ridiculous levels. However, I couldn’t help but laugh at how the story developed. Qtie’s posts begin prophesizing actual events and this lends credibility to her Yunyun obsession. Her devotion to Yunyun and the events that happen match the psychological horror tag. It is nice to see how Yunyun can develop based on her interactions and see the many endings that occur as a result.

Qtie’s postings rely on the game’s rhythm mechanic. There are only four keys, similar to rhythm games you see on mobile devices. Every song has three difficulties with a fourth difficulty level available later in the game. Press the keys in time with the beats that appear on the screen, occasionally holding down the keys if necessary. After each song, you configure card combinations based on your performance that help boost stats related to story progression.

Four key inputs made it easy for me to learn how to play. I didn’t need to strain my fingers too much with complicated maneuvers. If the default key placements weren’t working, I could always readjust them to suit the song’s difficulty. The best part was progressing through the story on the easiest difficulty. While I enjoyed the challenge of playing songs on higher difficulty, it was nice to relax with something easier. It also meant that I didn’t need to push myself if I just wanted the story.

However I found two drawbacks with the gameplay. The first is that it’s not great for long sessions on the keyboard. Controller support isn’t available and my wrists started to hurt when using the default key setup. It wasn’t debilitating but it was noticeable enough that I wasn’t going to keep playing. Higher difficulties put more strain on my hands and that made it difficult to continue.

Progressing the story through nothing but rhythm games also gets repetitive after a while. While there is a variety of denpa-style music to choose from, it’s nothing but rhythm games until you progress the story. The difficulty doesn’t affect the rate of progression though it is more fun if you challenge yourself. I found it difficult to maintain my interest after the fourth rhythm game just to get the necessary stats. Eventually I’d have to repeat it again and again.

Yunyun Syndrome?! Rhythm Psychosis provides a fun rhythm experience that lets you adjust the difficulty as you play. Multiple endings provide replay value and give different insights into Qtie’s behavior. You can’t get around the repetitiveness of the rhythm game as it’s your only method of proceeding with the story. Going crazy for your “stan” has never been more enjoyable though you should rest after a few songs.

Victor reviewed Yunyun Syndrome?! Rhythm Psychosis on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.