In Falsus: A New Rhythm Game Blending Visual Novel and Music

The game follows five high school girls—Nia, Mei, Story, Ayame, and Iris—who are suddenly recruited into a government program called AARC. The setting is a dystopia where citizens must wear a collar device known as a Bind. This device visualizes the wearer's emotional state through color changes; for example, strong anger or anxiety shifts the indicator toward red. If a character's words contradict their visible emotions, the device emits a warning noise. In this world, lies, polite fictions, and emotional suppression are impossible.

The narrative is described as serious and oppressive, focusing on the internal struggles and dilemmas born from the inability to deceive others. As the story progresses, the five girls discover a power that allows them to dive into others' minds and interfere with their souls, setting their fates in motion against the established order of their world.

Gameplay alternates between reading the scenario and completing "encounters," which are rhythm game segments. To clear an encounter, players must reach a target score or deplete an opponent's HP. The control scheme is designed specifically for PC, utilizing two lanes of notes. The upper lane features Field and Flick notes, which are played with the mouse. The lower lane contains Tap and Hold notes, played using the keyboard keys A, S, D, F, Left Shift, and Space. This requires simultaneous coordination of both hands, with the mouse operations described as feeling similar to scratching a turntable.

Difficulty levels include MINIMAL, EVOLVED, ULTIMATE, and FORBIDDEN. Higher difficulties utilize more keys and active lanes. A card system supports the rhythm gameplay, allowing players to build a deck of five cards to boost character status. Cards have color affinities, and matching favorable colors against an opponent's deck provides status bonuses. These cards are crafted using blueprints obtained as scenario rewards. The crafting process involves a puzzle mechanic where players place particles on a hexagonal grid to fill specific color zones, adhering to rules regarding adjacency and placement limits to optimize the final card status.

Particles for crafting can be collected from encounter rewards or by replaying unlocked tracks in the MUSIC PLAY mode. The development team emphasizes that the visual novel and rhythm game are integrated components of a single narrative experience. The music tracks incorporate lyrics and melodies that reflect the characters' situations and inner feelings, encouraging players to interpret the story through both text and audio. The game is recommended for players who enjoy deep narrative analysis and those seeking a rhythm game with a strong story focus, as lower difficulty settings allow for a story-first experience.