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My favorite rhythm game is Bemani's Sound Voltex series. (Yes, the official name of the game is spelled with an "l", not an "r" like in vortex!) As of this month, I've been playing the game for six years. Naturally I've gotten quite far in that time, but I'm still not at the top level yet.
Sound Voltex originally featured a difficult scale ranging from 1 to 15 (later 16), but in 2016 the scale was revamped to range from 1 to 20. I currently play in the mid-18 range, and I can clear a few harder 18s and low 19s. I've been stuck in that range for almost two years now, and that drags on me a little.
One of my college friends also plays Sound Voltex. He start playing much later than I did, around three years ago, and he has since told me that I actually inspired him to start playing. He managed to reach the 19 level within a year, and he now regularly clears 20s, the highest level in the game. To be quite frank, I feel jealous and annoyed that he managed to reach the top level of the game so quickly, when I've been playing for twice as long and I'm still not there yet.
The controls for Sound Voltex feature six buttons--four in a row and two below--and two analog knobs, one in each upper corner. The knobs are used to slide two pointers along lighted paths on the track. Interestingly, I am more talented at knob-heavy charts than my college friend is, and I get much higher scores on them. Most top-level charts only use a few knob movements and instead focus on high button speeds, and he is much better at that type of play than me. That is what causes the difference in achievement.
After practicing for so long, I've begun to lose hope that I'll ever reach the top level in Sound Voltex. Fortunately there are other rhythm games in which I have reached the top level, such as Museca, so I don't feel as though I completely lack talent.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]