A Rhythm Game Wrapped In Internet Brainrot
Yunyun Syndrome Rhythm Psychosis is one of those games that looks like a meme at first glance but has surprisingly sharp rhythm game chops underneath. It is packed with big name hardcore and denpa composers like REDALiCE, t+pazolite, Laur, and P*Light, many of them tied to the HARDCORE TANO*C label. If you spend time in arcade rhythm games, that lineup alone is a solid sign this is not just a joke project.
The catch is that this game leans hard into denpa culture. Think chaotic, sugary J Pop, deliberately off key hooks, and a vibe that feels like browsing the internet at 3 a.m. after too much caffeine. The whole thing is loud, weird, and intentionally overwhelming. If that sounds like your kind of energy, you are in for a good time.
Underneath the noise, the demo already shows a strong rhythm core, a distinct visual identity, and a story that is equal parts funny and disturbing.
Qtie, Yunyun, And Life Inside The Desktop
The entire game plays out from the perspective of a computer desktop. You never leave the screen. Instead, you click icons, open folders, and poke through files to slowly piece together what is going on in the life of the main character, Qtie.
Qtie is a hikkikomori. She barely leaves her room. Her days are mostly online shitposting, obsessing over her favorite fictional character Yunyun, and slowly spiraling into a sort of internet fueled psychosis. It is not subtle, but it is surprisingly effective.
By digging around Qties desktop, you get small hits of environmental storytelling. You can read her messages to her mom, who replies with emoji that basically translate to a very loud no. You can peek at a photo of her room buried in the files. It is a mess of trash bags and Yunyun merch, a shrine to her obsession buried in clutter. It feels like the kind of scene you would see on an anonymous imageboard and then try very hard to forget.
The turning point is when Yunyun, who is supposed to be just a fictional anime girl, starts talking back through the screen. She pushes Qtie to post more, spread more Yunyun content, and pull more people into the cult of this character. That is the core of the story and the rhythm gameplay: you are literally posting for your imaginary oshi until the entire world sinks into the same brain rotted fandom.
The art style doubles down on the mood. The color palette is full of pink and purple, with cute anime expressions and flashy UI. It almost covers up how unsettling the whole thing is. Almost. Underneath the pastel noise the game is quietly pretty creepy.
How The Rhythm Gameplay Works
All of that vibe would not matter if the rhythm side was weak. Thankfully, the demo suggests the opposite. There is a clear focus on music first, which is refreshing in a world where rhythm elements are often just a side mode inside other genres.
The track list is a festival of denpa and internet flavored songs. J Pop singer Kotoko dominates the demo with classics like sakuranbokissu and Raspberry. On top of that you get fun picks like the theme song from Needy Streamer Overload and a Touhou arrangement of Marisa Stole the Precious Thing. It is a playlist built for people who live in rhythm game arcades and Vocaloid playlists.
The actual play side is fairly simple to pick up. Charts use only four buttons, and you hit notes in time as usual. As you play, Qtie types out increasingly intense lines of Yunyun worship across the bottom of the screen. The better your accuracy, the more she can spam her posts and the faster the Yunyun propaganda spreads. It turns the usual score chase into a kind of story mechanic. You are not just getting a high score, you are infecting the timeline.
Difficulty is divided into three types across nine levels. In the demo there is a pretty steep jump going from level six to level seven. Level six feels manageable even if you are not a chart monster. Level seven, on the other hand, ramps up hard into finger torture territory. The game is clearly aiming at players who are comfortable with aggressive patterns and speed, even if the input scheme stays simple.
While you play, Yunyun floats around the screen hyping you up with voice lines. The writing uses a lot of current internet slang, to the point of being intentionally cringe. Lines like Time to skibidi denpa all up in this bihhh pop up, and there is even a rizz percentage stat that was not clearly explained in the demo. The whole thing feels designed to fry your brain a little with how online it is, which fits the theme of being trapped in an algorithm fueled obsession spiral.
Why This Weird Little Game Is Worth Watching
On paper, Yunyun Syndrome Rhythm Psychosis sounds like a mess. It is a psychedelic denpa rhythm game about a shut in losing her mind to a fictional anime character while spamming cursed posts. In practice, it works. The demo shows off strong song choices, clever UI, charming and unsettling art, and solid voice acting that sells the relationship between Qtie and Yunyun.
If you are looking for a pure rhythm experience instead of a platformer or shooter with music glued on top, this is one to keep an eye on. It feels like a proper arcade style game that just happens to be wrapped in a thick layer of internet brainrot and pink neon horror.
The full game does not have a firm release date yet. It was recently delayed into a general window of this winter. Until then, you can try the free demo and wishlist it on Steam. If the final release keeps up the same energy as the demo, it might end up being one of the more memorable rhythm game releases in a long time, especially for players who are not afraid of getting a little denpa poisoned along the way.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rhythm/im-going-gaga-for-this-rhythm-game-where-a-psychotic-anime-girl-is-trying-to-convert-me-to-the-ways-of-her-2d-waifu-one-deranged-song-at-a-time/
