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I've been playing Sound Voltex, an arcade music game by Konami, off and on since 2015. While my scores and unlocks take place in the arcade itself, I practice on a version of the game at home.
Sound Voltex originally rated the difficulty of each chart using a number scale ranging from 1 to 15. In 2013, the second version of the game introduced charts of level 16, and in 2016 the fourth version re-scaled the rating system to 1 to 20. Relative to the current system, I reached the level of playing 17s within a year, and I reached the level of 18s about a year after that.
Ever since then, I've largely been stuck on 18s. Each session has seen me clear several charts I've played before, and perhaps pass a few new ones, but after several minutes I begin to backslide and fail every chart. I managed to clear a handful of the easiest 19s, but for the most part I haven't been able to really break into the difficulty range. Even the few 19s I have passed I can't clear consistently.
As much as I love the game, the exercise has been intensely frustrating, and it led me to largely stop playing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In preparation for an upcoming anime convention, to which an outside company will be bring Sound Voltex, I began playing again this week. This time I decided to immediately jump into the list of 19s and play them repeatedly, regardless of the failure rate. To my surprise, I began clearing my passed 19s much more regularly. Even more shocking, I suddenly began passing new 19s: I've cleared three new ones this week alone, bringing my total up to 12.
I might be finally breaking down the barrier.
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[Last updated: 2022-05-27]