This week's game is Wuz↑b? Produce: Street Dancer, a rhythm game for the Wonderswan that's about a J-pop group from 20+ years ago.
You can tell right away from the chosen platform and premise that this here is a curious one. When you think rhythm games, you probably don't think of the Wonderswan first (aside from Rhyme Rider Kerorican, anyway) and based on the lack of information out there, I get the impression Wuz↑b? didn't make much of a lasting impact either. Their name being so hard to Google sure doesn't help! But if you don't sweat the details and give it a chance, you'll find a game that's a bit too simple, but has charm and good ideas to go around. If you want a showpiece for your Wonderswan, this game is a good choice because it makes you rotate the thing depending on the song you play. Hip Hop songs use the standard grip, Rock songs make you hold it vertically and use both d-pads, and Jazz songs make you hold the console upside down. It's the kind of gimmick that's additive to the experience, turning something that would otherwise be pretty rote into something that's a lot more memorable. Of course, this means that retaining the intended feel makes this one difficult to emulate, so it's best tried on real hardware if you can manage to do so. I'm not so lucky, so I had to play it on an Analogue Pocket, which certainly made for an interesting experience!
