What is SOUND VOLTEX
SOUND VOLTEX Series
SOUND VOLTEX is part of the BEMANI series of music games. The game series combines traditional button gameplay with the use of analog dials and sound effects, creating a unique sound and game experience.
PHQUASE is the current sound director of the series, while dj TAKA is the current sound producer, with DJ YOSHITAKA as the head producer.
Sota Fujimori is the composer of the BGM for the first four installments, from BOOTH to HEAVENLY HAVEN. PHQUASE composed the VIVID WAVE BGM, and SYUNN composed the EXCEED GEAR BGM.
What makes SOUND VOLTEX different from the other game series is that regular BEMANI artists (either KONAMI in-house or commissioned ones) are not prominent in the song list. Instead, artists renowned in the doujin and beatmania simulation scene are more common here, plus licensed EXIT TUNES songs and Touhou Project arrangements. There are also remixes of original KONAMI songs.
While at first the song list mostly consisted of original songs or licenses involving VOCALOIDs, late in the first game's release the artist selection greatly expanded thanks to what it is supposed to be the most important pillar of the series - the FLOOR section.
SOUND VOLTEX FLOOR refers to the group of competitions posted in its website where Japan-based artists can participate in, with a chance of their songs or remixes appearing in the games. Music contests have their own themes and rules, such as remixing a selection of an artist's songs, or using synthesized vocals. There are also contests related to designing jackets for brand-new songs or to replace pre-existing ones in the game.
Thanks to the FLOOR contests (and also to the presence of Touhou Project arrangements), the game quickly gained a lot of success, prompting the production team to focus as much as possible on these in the future. Contest winners may also be invited to provide original songs in SOUND VOLTEX itself or in other BEMANI games (most notably, five of the seven beatnation RHYZE members debuted in BEMANI via SOUND VOLTEX FLOOR).
From April 16th to May 15th, 2015, the first SOUND VOLTEX FLOOR contests (for original songs and appeal cards) exclusive to the rest of Asia were held. However, due to delays in communication between KONAMI, Korean distributor UNIANA and participating artists, the winning contest songs and appeal cards weren't added to the game until over two years later, on February 1st, 2018. (On December 21st, 2016, UNIANA stated on Twitter that it has sent out confirmation emails to all winning artists.)
As first seen in SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection-, new games of the series are released as huge online updates.
Unlike other BEMANI games, regular soundtracks are not released for the SOUND VOLTEX series. Instead, soundtracks tend to focus on ones from FLOOR contests. Listed below are the soundtracks that have been released so far:
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS - 東方紅魔郷REMIX -
- Released on July 30th, 2014 (released early on May 11th, 2014, at the Reitaisai 11 doujin event).
- Contains all the songs from the Touhou Project Embodiment of Scarlet Devil Remix Contest, plus two new arrangements.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS -LEGEND OF KAC-
- Released on March 4th, 2015.
- Contains songs from the first two KONAMI Arcade Championship contests (KAC 2012 and KAC 2013).
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS -FLOOR ANTHEM- EP.01
- Released on February 24th, 2016.
- Contains select FLOOR songs from SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH and SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection- as voted by the community, plus five new original songs.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS -東方妖々夢&輝針城REMIX-
- Released on November 23rd, 2016 (released early on October 16th, 2016, at the Autumn Reitaisai 2016 doujin event).
- Contains all the songs from the Touhou Project Perfect Cherry Blossom and Double Dealing Character remix contests, plus three new arrangements.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS BOOTH LEGACY - 壱 - and SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS BOOTH LEGACY - 弐 -
- Released on July 21st, 2017. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP each for a limited time.
- Both soundtracks contain almost every KONAMI original song/remix from SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS Dimension Gates Ω -Phase.1-
- Released on July 12th, 2018. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from the first phase of SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN's Ω Dimension unlock system.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS Dimension Gates Ω -Phase.2-
- Released on December 20th, 2018. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from the second phase of SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN's Ω Dimension unlock system.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS Dimension Gates Ω -Phase.3-
- Released on December 5th, 2019. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from the third phase of SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN's Ω Dimension unlock system.
- SOUND VOLTEX グレイスからの挑戦状!!
- Released on March 25th, 2022. Only obtainable at select arcades for 600 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS コナステ's eponymous unlocking event.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS Dimension Gates Ω -Phase.4-
- Released on December 1st, 2022. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from the fifth phase of SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN's Ω Dimension unlock system.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS Dimension Gates Ω -Phase.5-
- Released on December 1st, 2022. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from the seventh phase of SOUND VOLTEX VIVID WAVE's Ω Dimension unlock system.
- SOUND VOLTEX ULTIMATE TRACKS Dimension Gates Ω -Phase.6-
- Released on December 1st, 2022. Only obtainable at select arcades for 800 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from the eighth phase of SOUND VOLTEX VIVID WAVE's Ω Dimension unlock system.
- SOUND VOLTEX PERFECT ULTIMATE COMPLETE TRACKS ～Legend of KAC with Ω～
- Released on February 15th, 2023.
- Contains songs from the first eight KONAMI Arcade Championship original song contests (until The 9th KAC), the original songs from all eight phases of SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN and VIVID WAVE's Ω Dimension unlock system, as well as nine new original songs from the composers of Highest Excellence Award winning songs.
- SOUND VOLTEX 10TH ANNIVERSARY
- Released on March 9th, 2023. Only obtainable at select arcades for 600 VP for a limited time.
- Contains all original songs from SOUND VOLTEX EXCEED GEAR's eponymous stamp event.
Other original SOUND VOLTEX songs may occassionally appear in soundtracks for multi-game BEMANI events.
SOUND VOLTEX is also the first BEMANI game series to have licensed BMS (Be-Music Source) songs. In SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN, it also added songs from major doujin labels such as HARDCORE TANO*C, S2TB Recording, and C.H.S.
Gameplay
For simplicity, the games will be referred to by their subtitles (BOOTH, infinite infection, GRAVITY WARS, HEAVENLY HAVEN, VIVID WAVE, EXCEED GEAR).
SOUND VOLTEX's gameplay is similar to other rhythm games like beatmania IIDX and GuitarFreaks & DrumMania. When a note reaches the judgment line in time with the beat, you press the corresponding button or turn the corresponding dial.
The game interface has 4 CHIP BT note lanes, and 2 LONG FX note lanes that each occupy 2 BT note lanes. BT notes are white and FX notes are yellow/orange.
In addition to the standard SHORT and LONG buttons, SOUND VOLTEX also has 2 analog dials, one on each side. By default, when a blue trail (left side) and/or a pink trail (right side) appears, you have to turn the respective dial(s) to "follow" the trail(s). These are known as ANALOG CHAINS.
The effects in the songs are game-related and are caused by LONG FX notes (distortion effects), ANALOG CHAINS (woosh effects), and special CHIP FX notes (added FX effects).
infinite infection introduced the following gameplay mechanics:
- SHORT note lanes can now have hold notes, known as LONG BT notes. Conversely, LONG note lanes can now have short notes, known as CHIP FX notes.
- The HARD-gauge style EXCESSIVE RATE is added. When the rate drops to 0% at any point, it is a TRACK CRASH.
- The INFINITE BLASTER unlock system/folder is added (since HEAVENLY HAVEN known as BLASTER GATE). It unlocks most game-specific special charts (e.g. INFINITE). This folder used to be available once the BLASTER ENERGY gauge is at 100%. Using the EXCESSIVE RATE gauge charges the BLASTER ENERGY gauge by 6.67% a stage (15 plays will fill it).
- A course-based mode, SKILL ANALYZER, was added. It functions similarly to beatmania IIDX's Dan / CLASS mode. A gauge exclusive to the mode, PERMISSIVE RATE, was added.
GRAVITY WARS added even more mechanics:
- Any combination of the BT and FX notes is now possible.
- ANALOG CHAINS may start from anywhere and go in any direction, and also extend beyond the chart lane.
- New charts may include zooming, moving, and even disappearing of the chart lanes.
- Colors of the ANALOG CHAINS can now be changed. Two new colors are also available: yellow and green.
- Hi-SPEED values can be tuned to an exact BPM value. They can also be stored by pressing 6 on the keypad for easy Hi-SPEED changing.
- EARLY/LATE indicators for NEARs can be shown in-game. They have 4 possible positions: LOWER, STANDARD (default), UPPER, and UPPER+.
- Timing can be adjusted to be earlier or later by holding START and then pressing 3 or 9 on the keypad, respectively. Values range from -8 to +8. Increase this value if you are getting many EARLYs and decrease it if you are getting LATEs.
- The ALTERNATIVE RATE SYSTEM (ARS) has been added to selected modes. This gauge starts with an EXCESSIVE RATE gauge, but when depleted (a TRACK CRASH normally), it will be switched to a EFFECTIVE RATE, at a level as if it were active.
HEAVENLY HAVEN introduced the following mechanics:
- A new default difficulty, MAXIMUM, is added. This difficulty is only present on new songs from HEAVENLY HAVEN onwards.
- MIRROR and RANDOM note options are added. MIRROR flips all input horizontally, while RANDOM makes all BT notes appear randomly (and sometimes mirrors FX notes). They cannot be used in SKILL ANALYZER. (As of May 30th, 2023, this restriction has been lifted.)
- Special CHIP FX notes (colored yellow) produce added sound effects when hit. These vary from claps to bass drops.
- A new EXTRA STAGE system, named EXTRACK, is introduced. By filling the BLASTER GAUGE to 100% or playing on BLASTER START, the EXTRACK will appear after the FINAL TRACK. The BLASTER GATE folder is now only accessible on EXTRACK or the BLASTER START modes. Ω Dimension, a new EXTRACK-only folder, contains EXTRACK-exclusive charts available to unlock.
VIVID WAVE introduced the following mechanics:
- Speed and judgement offset can now be changed at the song selection menu.
- Sorting function has been slightly reworked.
- You can now change the colors of the key beams. Available colors are purple, pink, green, and yellow.
- The NEMSYS crew characters that appear in the results screen are now animated using Live2D (except for photographed characters).
- Timing values are changed from -8/+8 to -16/+16.
- As of December 17th, 2019, the BLASTER ENERGY gauge will be filled with EFFECTIVE RATE as well as EXCESSIVE RATE, with 6.67% per song played.
- HEXA DIVER, a new EXTRACK-only folder, contains EXTRACK-exclusive charts available to unlock.
- As of January 17, 2020, a purchasable item, BLASTER PASS is added, simplifying the gameplay for BLASTER-related unlocks.
EXCEED GEAR also introduced more mechanics and changes:
- A new cabinet, named Valkyrie model, is introduced, which allows access to some exclusive songs and other gameplay mechanics, such as the S-CRITICAL judgement. EX-SCORE is also displayed when S-CRITICAL judgement is enabled.
- EXTRACK gauge is added in which the player will have access to EXTRACK if it is filled. They are also separate with BLASTER ENERGY, meaning that the player can access BLASTER-related unlocks outside EXTRACK.
- The unlocking mechanics for BLASTER GATE and Ω Dimension were simplified, as players now need to clear or play 20 times (regardless of playing local or online) to unlock the charts. Playing a chart under BLASTER PASS instantly unlocks the chart regardless of results.
- The Hi-SPEED value is now displayed in hundredths and its value do not pertain to the BPM. Any BPM changes are also displayed beforehand during a song.
- The inclusion of "EFFECT RADAR", a radar representation for a song which evaluates the chart by its six parameters (namely NOTES, PEAK, TSUMAMI, ONE-HAND, HAND-TRIP, and TRICKY).
- ARENA START, allowing players to compete each other real-time (Valkyrie model exclusive).
To clear a song, your EFFECTIVE RATE must be 70% or higher (for all other gauges, never let the rate drop to zero). This does not affect charts rated Level 7 or below, however, as you will automatically be saved.
Cabinets
Two different cabinet models have been released throughout the series' lifespan. Each model has different aspects and features, as shown below:
| Feature | Classic | Valkyrie model |
|---|---|---|
| Debut year | 2012 | 2020 |
| Software type | Type H or F | Type G |
| Operating system | Windows XP Embedded | Windows Embedded Standard 7 |
| Screen display | 32 inch, 60Hz refresh rate | 43 inch, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Speakers | Three (located at the sides and bottom) |
Five (located between the touchscreen, and at the sides and bottom) |
| Headphone jack | Present | Present |
| Keypad | Physical | In touchscreen |
| Touchscreen panel | Absent | Present |
| Special features | Absent | Present |
Modes
Initially, BOOTH only had two modes: ONLINE (single player) and FRIEND (local matching with 1-3 other players).
infinite infection added SKILL ANALYZER mode, that offers various 3-stage courses, most of which determines a player's Skill Level, and the rest being special commemerative courses. It also split all its modes to credit and PASELI/premium sub-modes when KONAMI further integrated PASELI into all its e-amusement games.
GRAVITY WARS, upon the launch of its SOUND VOLTEX GENERATOR -REAL MODEL-, added new GENERATOR-exclusive modes.
HEAVENLY HAVEN merged the SKILL ANALYZER mode into its main modes; now it can be selected while on your first stage. Normal and GENERATOR modes are now split into their individual sections. GENERATOR BLASTER, a GENERATOR-exclusive BLASTER START mode, was added. It also removed the FRIEND modes, as local matching can now be accessed by waiting out a timer after selecting a mode, like jubeat's local matching system. In addition, with the EXTRACK system added on August 10th, 2017, the number of playable stages has increased, and less emphasis is placed on BLASTER GATE.
VIVID WAVE now has six different modes. These modes are:
- NORMAL - the standard game mode.
- FRIEND - local matching mode.
- PARADISE - continuous mix mode.
- BLASTER - allows unlocking of BLASTER GATE charts and both Ω Dimension and HEXA DIVER tracks without BLASTER ENERGY.
- SKILL ANALYZER - now made as a separate mode for the first time since GRAVITY WARS.
- PREMIUM TIME - a time-based session mode similar to beatmania IIDX's PREMIUM FREE. Play as many tracks as you want within a 10-minute window. It is possible to set different challenges, automatically ending or retrying a track if the conditions are broken. You can also end a stage at any time by pressing the FX and START buttons simultaneously or hold them down to instantly restart the track.
EXCEED Gear adds three more game modes that are battle-based modes:
- ARENA BATTLE - a matching mode where two to four players compete in a set of songs, similar to beatmania IIDX's ARENA and pop'n music's Net Taisen mode.
- MEGAMIX BATTLE - a two-player matching mode compete in a pool of 10 chosen songs converted into a real-time megamix.
- SINGLE BATTLE - a two-player matching mode variant of ARENA BATTLE.
The game currently has the following entry modes:
| Mode | Duration | Level restriction | S-Critical judgement | ARS | BLASTER GATE Ω Dimension |
HEXA DIVER | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIGHT START | Up to 3 songs | Yes | No | No | No | No | The game is over when a song is CRASHED if it is above Level 7, or if using EXCESSIVE RATE. |
| STANDARD START | 3 songs, plus EXTRACK | No | Yes | Yes | BLASTER ENERGY charged to MAX only | BLASTER ENERGY charged to MAX only | The BLASTER ENERGY gauge also increases by an additional 1.33% per stage. |
| SKILL ANALYZER | Up to 3 songs | N/A | No | No | No | No | Play a course of set songs in a row without stopping. Players start with PERMISSIVE RATE at its maximum; if it drops to 0%, the game is over. |
| BLASTER START | 3 songs, plus EXTRACK | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Once per play | Same as STANDARD START, but is more focused on BLASTER unlocks. |
| PARADISE START | 2 songs, plus EXTRACK | No | No | Yes | EXTRACK only | EXTRACK only | Enables AUTOMATION PARADISE once per play: the current track is transformed into a medley of three or four songs picked by the player or three songs picked at random. VIVID WAVE only. |
| PREMIUM TIME | 10 minutes | No | Yes | Yes | BLASTER ENERGY charged to MAX only | BLASTER ENERGY charged to MAX only | Same as STANDARD START, but with a time limit instead of a set number of stages and, only for VIVID WAVE, without access to EXTRACK-exclusive folders and BLASTER GATE. |
| ARENA BATTLE | 3 or 4 songs | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Enables ARENA once per play: 4 songs requires 4 players. Valkyrie model only. (see ARENA BATTLE modes below for specific information) |
| MEGAMIX BATTLE | 10 songs total, 12 turns | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Enables AUTOMATION PARADISE once per play: the current track is transformed into a medley of ten songs picked by both players. Valkyrie model only. (see MEGAMIX BATTLE modes below for specific information) |
| SINGLE BATTLE | 3 songs | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | A two-player variant of ARENA BATTLE, with a third song selected at random. Valkyrie model only. (see ARENA BATTLE modes below for specific information) |
GENERATOR modes (only in III or IV machines with a GENERATOR):
| Mode | Duration | Level restriction | ARS | BLASTER GATE | Ω Dimension | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GENERATOR LIGHT START | Up to 3 songs, plus EXTRACK | Yes | No | EXTRACK only | EXTRACK only | Same as LIGHT START, and it prints one GENESIS CARD. |
| GENERATOR START | 3 songs, plus EXTRACK | No | Yes | EXTRACK only | EXTRACK only | Same as STANDARD START, and it prints 1 to 5 GENESIS CARD(s). |
| GENERATOR BLASTER | 3 songs, final song is EXTRACK | No | Yes | Yes | EXTRACK only | Same as BLASTER START, and it prints 1 to 5 GENESIS CARD(s). |
ARENA BATTLE modes:
| Mode | Duration | Opponents | CPU | Restrictions | Scoring | SINGLE BATTLE | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCAL MATCH | 3 (4 in a four-player match) |
Storewide | No | No | Standard | No | Player each choose one song to compete. (two songs in a two-player match, with the third song determined by the trailing player) |
| ONLINE MATCH | 4 (3 in SINGLE BATTLE) |
Online | Yes | Hidden locked songs | Yes | Similar to LOCAL MATCH, but competing online. Arena Ranks do not change in this mode. | |
| RANK MATCH | Level | Opened in certain time periods. Starting rank determined by the player's VOLFORCE, which also determines the level restriction. | |||||
| ULTIMATE MATCH | No | EX Score | Opened in certain time periods. Players with ULTIMATE Arena Rank are eligible; STANDARD START only. |
When playing on ARENA BATTLE, there are two game types that can be played:
- Score: scores from all four songs are combined.
- Stars (added on June 30th, 2022): gameplay similar to beatmania IIDX's ARENA Mode, where stars are awarded to players finishing in top two based on scores (1st place with two stars, 2nd place with one star, tied placements award stars based on placements).
MEGAMIX BATTLE modes:
| Mode | Opponent | Song type | Difficulty | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOCAL MATCH | Storewide | All songs specified | Different difficulty | |
| ONLINE MATCH | Online | All songs specified | Different difficulty | Added on September 13th, 2022. |
| BATTLE MATCH | Online | Each song specified | Same difficulty | Added on November 1st, 2022. Players are matched based on VOLFORCE. |
SOUND VOLTEX III コナステ modes:
| Mode | Duration | ARS | BLASTER GATE | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENDLESS | 2 tickets per song, with every third song being 1 ticket | Yes | BLASTER ENERGY charged to MAX only | Same as STANDARD START, but uses tickets to access each song. |
| INFINITE | Infinite | Yes | No | Same as FREE mode of other BEMANI home games. |
The availability of the modes is the following:
| Country/Game | Cabinet Version |
Availability | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIGHT START (songs) | STANDARD START | BLASTER START | SKILL ANALYZER | PARADISE START | PREMIUM TIME | MEGAMIX BATTLE/ARENA START | ENDLESS/INFINITE | ||
| Japan | Japanese | 3 songs | PASELI only | PASELI only | Yes | Yes | PASELI only | Valkyrie model only | No |
| Korea | Korean | 3 songs + 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Valkyrie model only | No |
| North America | ※U.S. | 3 songs + 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Valkyrie model only | No |
| Others | Asian | 3 songs + 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Valkyrie model only | No |
| SDVX III コナステ | N/A | 3 songs | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
※VALKYRIE model cabinets only. Older cabinets use the Japanese release.
Difficulty
SOUND VOLTEX has four main difficulties: NOVICE, ADVANCED, EXHAUST, and MAXIMUM (the latter introduced in HEAVENLY HAVEN).
Since infinite infection, the new games also have their own "special" difficulty, each named after their subtitles:
- infinite infection added the INFINITE difficulty, with a light purple hue (previously green with rainbow text).
- GRAVITY WARS added GRAVITY, with an orange hue.
- HEAVENLY HAVEN added HEAVENLY, with a light blue hue.
- VIVID WAVE added VIVID, with a pink hue.
- EXCEED GEAR added EXCEED, with a cyan/dark blue hue.
These difficulties are equivalent to each other, and these charts are usually added to songs from previous versions, adding the respective games' new gimmicks to otherwise old and outdated songs.
Difficulty levels range between 1 (easiest) and 20 (hardest) as of SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN (was up to 15 in BOOTH, and up to 16 prior to GRAVITY WARS). When playing on LIGHT START, players are restricted to the following levels (first two stages only) based on the highest Skill Level attained in the SKILL ANALYZER:
| Skill Level | GRAVITY WARS and earlier (16-level scale) |
HEAVENLY HAVEN and later (20-level scale) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First stage maximum | Second stage maximum | First stage maximum | Second stage maximum | |
| Without e-amusement Pass | 7 | 8 | 10 | 16 |
| No Skill Level | 16 | 18 | ||
| Level 1 (岳翔) | ||||
| Level 2 (流星) | 8 | 10 | ||
| Level 3 (月衝) | 10 | 12 | ||
| Level 4 (瞬光) | 12 | 13 | ||
| Level 5 (天極) | 13 | 14 | ||
| Level 6 (烈風) | 14 | |||
| Level 7 (雷電) | ||||
| Level 8 (麗華) | 15 | |||
| Level 9 (魔騎士) | 15 | |||
| Level 10 (剛力羅) | 17 | 19 | ||
| Level 11 (或帝滅斗) | No limit | 18 | No limit | |
| Level ∞ (暴龍天) | No limit | No limit | ||
In the case of playing ARENA BATTLE, the level restrictions apply based on which class the player has obtained, tied to the VOLFORCE (each class has four tiers, separating minimum VOLFORCE requirements by 0.250 (S to C classes) or 0.500 (D class only)):
| Arena class | Minimum VOLFORCE | Level Restriction |
|---|---|---|
| ULTIMATE (U1~U4) |
20.000 | No limit |
| S1~S4 | 19.000 | 19 |
| A1~A4 | 18.000 | 18 |
| B1~B4 | 17.000 | 17 |
| C1~C5 | 16.000 | 16 |
| D1~D2 | 15.000 | 15 |
| D3~D4 | 14.000 | 14 |
Note that newly added songs (except for most original songs) have the NOVICE and ADVANCED charts always available by default. The other difficulty charts usually must be bought with BLOCKs / PCB. If not, they can be unlocked via BLASTER GATE, or through MISSIONs (in the case of GRAVITY WARS).
Scoring
All notes are judged as CRITICAL (perfect), NEAR (good; only for CHIP BT and CHIP FX notes), or ERROR (miss; breaks combo/chain). The maximum score of a TRACK is 10,000,000 (10 million).
Each note, when hit with CRITICAL timing, is worth (10,000,000 / total chain) points. Each NEAR note is worth half of a CRITICAL note.
EXCEED GEAR introduced another judgement, S-CRITICAL, which is a judgement stricter than CRITICAL. Its judgment is also worth the same amount of points as CRITICAL in the normal scoring system. This judgement can be enabled or disabled, and is exclusive to Valkyrie model.
Chain
Every BT note is counted as 1 combo chain. Every analog right-angle turn or "slam" also counts as 1 combo chain.
For LONG notes and analog chains, the combo chain starts counting after one beat from the start of the note/chain and ends one beat before. Each LONG note and analog chain counts as 4 combo chain per beat (2 per beat if the song's BPM is more than or equal to 256 at any time).
Grade
From BOOTH to GRAVITY WARS, your performance can be rated from D (lowest) to AAA (highest). The grade depended on both score and EFFECTIVE RATE level (or its equivalent level). The calculation of the "grade score" was:
The final grade then can be determined from this table:
| Grade | "Grade Score" Range |
|---|---|
| AAA | > 9,800,000 |
| AA | 9,400,000 - 9,799,999 |
| A | 8,900,000 - 9,399,999 |
| B | 8,000,000 - 8,899,999 |
| C | 7,000,000 - 7,999,999 |
| D | < 7,000,000 |
From HEAVENLY HAVEN onwards and in GRAVITY WARS コナステ, the grade range is expanded, adding the A+, AA+, AAA+, and S ranks. The rank requirements are also revamped, now basing it on score alone. See the following table:
| Grade | Score Range |
|---|---|
| S | > 9,900,000 |
| AAA+ | 9,800,000 - 9,899,999 |
| AAA | 9,700,000 - 9,799,999 |
| AA+ | 9,500,000 - 9,699,999 |
| AA | 9,300,000 - 9,499,999 |
| A+ | 9,000,000 - 9,299,999 |
| A | 8,700,000 - 8,999,999 |
| B | 8,000,000 - 8,699,999 |
| C | 7,000,000 - 7,999,999 |
| D | < 7,000,000 |
RATE
Depending on which mode and the RATE used, each RATE have different increase for notes and damage penalties for each missed note. The rates for each respective gauges are as follows (the T rate is 210 meaning that clearing the song with all NEARs would only fill the RATE up to 69.9% [1], while n rate is the sum of total CHAIN count and the CHIPs multiple by three):
| RATE type | Color | Clear Type | CHIP notes | Analog chains Long CHIP notes |
Remarks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-CRITICAL | CRITICAL | NEAR | ERROR | (S-) CRITICAL | ERROR | ||||
| EFFECTIVE RATE (EF) | Blue/Pink | Starts at 0.00% 70.00% clear threshold |
+4T/n | +4T/n | +4T/3n | -2.00% | +4T/n | -0.50% | Default gauge. |
| EXCESSIVE RATE (E) | Pink/Blue | Starts at 100.00% TRACK CRASH if depleted |
-9.00% | -2.25% | Can be stacked with ALTERNATIVE RATE SYSTEM (ARS). | ||||
| PERMISSIVE RATE (S) | Orange | -3.40% | -0.85% | Exclusive to SKILL ANALYZER mode. | |||||
| DIVINE RATE (D) | Yellow | ±0.00% | -1.00% | -5.00% | -1.25% | ||||
| BLASTER RATE (B) (Level 3 or less) |
Rainbow | +4T/n | +4T/3n | -4.00% X rank | -1.00% X rank | Used for unlocking BLASTER GATE and Blaster-related songs. | |||
| BLASTER RATE (B) (Level 3.5 or 4) |
-1.00% X rank | ||||||||
| HEXATIVE RATE (HD) (Level 4 or less) |
Gold | +4T/3n | -2.00% X rank | -0.50% X rank | Used for unlocking HEXA DIVER songs. | ||||
| HEXATIVE RATE (HD) (Level 5) |
-1.00% | ||||||||
EX Score
Introduced in EXCEED GEAR, this alternate scoring is only available whenever S-CRITICAL option is enabled. The scoring for each judgement varies for both CHIP, LONG and analog chain notes:
| Judgement | Normal Scoring (per CHAIN) |
EX-Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHIP notes | Analog chains Long CHIP notes | ||
| S-CRITICAL | 100% | 5 | 2 |
| CRITICAL | 4 | N/A | |
| NEAR | 50% | 2 | |
| ERROR | 0% | 0 | 0 |
Clear medals
When playing on an e-amusement account, or on the コナステ version, the game will record your scores and clear status on each song. This will be shown on the song select screen as a medal next to the song's jacket. Which medal will you receive depends on the best result you obtained playing that particular song; and by fulfiling specific play conditions, many songs and charts can be purchased (also called INPUT) in the SDVX Station.
The table below lists the possible medals obtained for a song (in order of lowest precedence):
| Clear Medal | Medal color | Info |
|---|---|---|
| NO PLAY | No medal | The song has not yet been played. |
| PLAYED | Dull green | The song was played, but failed (or TRACK CRASH). |
| COMPLETE | Flashing green | The song was passed without using EXCESSIVE RATE. It is marked as a C (COMP in EXCEED GEAR). |
| COMPLETE | Flashing purple | The song was passed while using EXCESSIVE RATE. It is marked as a C (COMP in EXCEED GEAR). |
| ULTIMATE CHAIN | Flashing magenta | The song was passed by obtaining a ULTIMATE CHAIN (no ERRORs, a full combo-equivalent). It is marked as a U (UC in EXCEED GEAR). |
| PERFECT ULTIMATE CHAIN | Flashing gold | The song was passed by obtaining either a PERFECT ULTIMATE CHAIN (no NEARs or ERRORs, a perfect full combo-equivalent) or a S-PUC (all S-CRITICALs). It is marked as a P (PUC in EXCEED GEAR). |
SDVX Station
SDVX Station is the section of the game where you can buy in-game items using Blocks or Packets. You gain Blocks and Packets (or PCB since VIVID WAVE) by playing the game. Blocks (Blc) and PCB are used to purchase song charts, while Packets (Pc) are used to purchase Appeal Cards.
Since NOVICE charts are always unlocked, you will only buy ADVANCED, EXHAUST, and BLASTER (such as INFINITE and GRAVITY) ones. In SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH, you could buy single charts; in the sequel, you can choose to buy only the ADVANCED chart for a song, or all of them (except BLASTER charts) at once. Another difference between the two games is the absence of RANK requirements since SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection-.
Besides purchase costs, often there will be conditions that need to be fulfilled. These can range from clearing a certain number of songs to getting ULTIMATE CHAINS.
Since HEAVENLY HAVEN, you can buy charts direct from the track select screen. As such, the SDVX Station will only have the Appeal Card generator and POLICY BREAK sections. Due to the implementation of MAXIMUM difficulty for newer songs, many ADVANCED charts that previously required purchase from the Station are now unlocked by default. As the difficulty system was expanded, songs that previously required clears from a certain difficulty level has either been adjusted or removed altogether from the Station.
As of EXCEED GEAR, many returning songs can now be purchased using PCB without fulfilling prerequisites, including songs that required unlocking from BLASTER GATE and getting number of clears.
A list of purchasable charts can be found here:
- SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH Station Item List
- SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection- Station Item List
- SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS Station Item List
Note that when playing new game versions, older charts must still be bought if you haven't done so before.
RANK System
IMPORTANT NOTE: The following section is obsolete due to the RANK system being removed in SOUND VOLTEX II -infinite infection-.
The purpose of the RANK System in SOUND VOLTEX BOOTH is to limit what song charts players can buy from the SDVX Station. There are 20 ranks in total, and you can raise them by accumulating Rank Points (RP). To accumulate RP you need to play songs and clear songs (getting ULTIMATE CHAINS or PERFECT ULTIMATE CHAINS makes the process faster). Once you gain a new Rank, you need to accumulate a new amount of RP for the next one.
The RANKS are:
- Nameless Grass (0 RP)
- Young Bud (30 RP)
- Tree Leaf (70 RP)
- Verdure (80 RP)
- Cherry-blossom (80 RP)
- Water Lily (150 RP)
- Chinese Bellflower (250 RP)
- Setsugekka (250 RP)
- Small Drizzle (250 RP)
- Fog Drizzle (400 RP)
- Murasame (500 RP)
- Drizzle (600 RP)
- Iridescent Clouds (550 RP)
- Purple Clouds (550 RP)
- Gyoun (550 RP)
- Kong Cloud (550 RP)
- Blue Sky (350 RP)
- Sky (350 RP)
- Absolute Sky (400 RP)
- Void (500 RP)
Trivia
- The SOUND VOLTEX series is the first to utilize the eAMUSEMENT Participation system, which requires game cabinets to always be connected to the eAMUSEMENT network; if it doesn't, the game will not boot up.
- It is also the second game overall (after TAITO's MUSIC GUNGUN series) to officially license Touhou Project arrangements from Team Shanghai Alice, developer and publisher of the Touhou Project series of games.
- Game size re-arrangements of the system BGMs of the SOUND VOLTEX games have always appeared as playable songs:
- BOOTH's BGM, titled VOLTEXES, first appeared in REFLEC BEAT limelight.
- infinite infection's BGM, titled VOLTEXES II, first appeared in REFLEC BEAT groovin'!!.
- GRAVITY WARS Season 1's BGM, titled VOLTEXES III, appears in SOUND VOLTEX III GRAVITY WARS.
- Initially titled VOLTEX III, it was played at the EXIT TUNES DANCE PARTY ～beatnation RHYZE music council～ concert by Sota Fujimori during his Expander act. During the EXIT TUNES DANCE PARTY beatnation summit 2015 concert, however, it was corrected to VOLTEXES III and credited to Sota Fujimori.
- HEAVENLY HAVEN's BGM, VOLTEXES IV, appears in SOUND VOLTEX IV HEAVENLY HAVEN.
- VIVID WAVE's BGM, VIVIDWAVERS, appears in SOUND VOLTEX VIVID WAVE.
- Unlike the first four songs, VIVIDWAVERS and its BGM were not composed by Fujimori, instead they were composed by PHQUASE (under the SDVX SOUND UNION alias).
- EXCEED GEAR's BGM, VALKYRIE ASSAULT, appears in SOUND VOLTEX EXCEED GEAR.
- Like VIVIDWAVERS, the song and its BGM were not composed by Fujimori. They were composed by SYUNN.
- Coincidentally, all the six aforementioned songs start with the letter V, which stands for VOLTEX.
- infinite infection is the first full BEMANI game to be released as an online update.
- infinite infection is the first BEMANI game to have a location test in a doujin-related event (Reitaisai 10).
- The SOUND VOLTEX series had no removals until GRAVITY WARS, with サイバーサンダーサイダー being removed on June 1st, 2016 due to its expired license. The SKILL ANALYZER course containing the song, 6th B course for Skill LEVEL 06, was also removed.