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22 Sep 2017
Beatmap Spotlights: July and August 2017
Beatmap Spotlights: July and August 2017
It's a big month for the Spotlights, with shiny new medals for finishing each set finally making their way into the game client. Additionally, we have TWO months worth of Spotlights to present to you, featuring some of the best maps from both July and August. Read on to find out more!
That's right, Spotlight medals are now in the game and achievable by everyone. If you've finished a beatmap pack or Spotlight in the past, simply play any map from that set again to get any applicable medals for it. All of 2017's Spotlights have shiny new medals for you to collect, so get cracking!
With that said, the beatmap charts for July and August can be found here. Their respective packs are available at the Beatmap Pack Listing for easier access.
What are Spotlights?
Each month, a selection of volunteers work alongside the Quality Assurance Team to pick out the best of the best for each mode. We reward the top beatmap in each category by providing 1 month of supporter status to the mapper. The July and August 2017 Spotlights rankings will end on the 15th Oct 2017.
Past Spotlights results
First of all, congratulations to the winners of the June 2017 Spotlights. They receive one month of supporter status for their efforts!
July 2017 Spotlight
osu!
A marathon difficulty which happens to be under 4 stars and is mapped with the delightful russian mapping-style we all love and know can be found in this map.
Mirash has done an excellent job in keeping all elements in mind when mapping this song - the background rhythm, the vocals and the instruments. With careful placement and neat accentuation Mirash has succeeded in offering the community a map which can be enjoyed by many people.
Yet again. pishifat manages to impress the community with a map in this month's spotlights. Zauberkugel heavily focuses on slider speed changes as the song progresses. Those, combined with creative slider arrangements and great gameplay makes this a must-play!
With such clean and consistent mapping, jieusieu, Beomsan and Enon managed to create a wonderful mapset worthy of this month's Spotlight.
Each difficulty captures the song wonderfully while also putting attention to the breaks in the music, and the map itself flows brilliantly, topped off with some excellent and beatifully fitting hit sounding.
Not only that, this mapset also contains a fantastic storyboard by someone who decided to remain anonymous. Definitely worth giving this mapset a try which maintains a gradual difficulty spread for players of all levels.
toybot graces us once more with a charming rendition of Camellia's and Nanahira's latest artcore collaboration, Petals. The structure and patterns presented in the map are clean and polished, with a characteristic toybot stacking and blanketing style.
The rhythms are given enough thought to ensure they both represent the song, as well as allowing ample variation to keep player's on the edge of their seat. Supported by a dazzling storyboard by Kanari, this map beautifully captures the wonderful voice of Nanahira, while maintaining a secondary focus on the instrumental track of the song! Definitely deserves a place in this month's Spotlights!
While it may not be innovative, Delis has presented us with yet another well made map this month filled, with his nostalgia-focused design choices. What makes Delis's maps stand out from the masses of modern maps is their old-style object composition and slider design, which resemble maps from an age most current osu! players have never gotten a chance to see.
osu!taiko
The winner of the osu!taiko Spotlights this month is no one else but komasy! Soumatou Labyrinth provides an extremely solid and consistent spread from Kantan to Inner Oni which will satisfy players of any skill level. Special shoutout to the Inner Oni that makes use of very intuitive 1/6 patterns while keeping an overall high difficulty with the usage of complex rhythms, suiting the song perfectly. A well deserved first place!
While the titular practice of feasting on corpses is enough to send shivers down one's spine, a toast towards the act crosses boundaries further still. In this month's Spotlight, _yu68's Necrophagiatoast breaks new ground in more ways than one. Not only is this the first time we see Kobaryo featured in the ranked section, the mapset also possesses a difficulty with the highest star rating among ranked maps in osu!taiko, superseding Galaxy Collapse as the previous titleholder for the first time in 20 months.
Comprising of 6 difficulties ranging from Futsuu to Destructive Nightmare, this mapset is an outstanding example of how high bpm maps should be handled. In spite of the song's chaotic nature, _yu68 expertly interweaves a congruent flow into his own map, making it extremely fun and satisfying to play. This map certainly isn't one for the faint-hearted though, and will definitely give all players a real challenge!
A cool map from iloveyou4ever this month! This approved difficulty sufficiently utilizes characteristic sound effects from Soleily present in the song as the framework for the map, making pattern arrangement clean and consistent. Streams of moderate length in the transition periods accompany the music pretty well, which add spice to the overall structure of the map.
Slider velocity alterations are also natural and intuitive, fitting the pace of the song accordingly. You're sure to find it interesting and get some simple stream practice through playing this beatmap.
It's time to Cry Thunder! Surono is storming this month's Spotlights with a 1/3 and 1/6-snap filled song by DragonForce!
Using the relatively uncommon 1/3 snap as the song's main rhythm, Surono has created a map that becomes noteworthy simply from clever utilization of this unusual beat snapping. Mixed together with solid drum mapping and guitar solos, he has made a very respectable entry into this month's Spotlight.
Finally, three years after the first Venetian Snares song had been ranked in osu!standard, osu!taiko has finally gotten a ranked map of this breakcore artist as well, and it has proven to work very nicely.
Difficult rhythms, dense patterns, streams and various combined note snaps: My So-Called Life has everything, and Raiden has combined them all into an amazing map. Also, don't get fooled by the long calm section in the first third of the song - the difficulty quickly ramps up as the song enters its more intense parts.
Akemi_Homura has put out a great entry into Ranked this month with Sayonara Memories! The simple 1/2 + 1/4 patterns are neatly mapped with appropriate consistency and the song parts were divided very well by patterning within the map itself, making it very interesting to play. It is also good practice for Double Time, since the map has many rest sections dividing the more difficult ones. There's bound to be something for everyone in this one!
osu!catch
The July osu!catch Spotlights start with a bang! While this set by JBHyperion doesn't really edge out on the star rating, it still is a wiggly map full of twists and turns for the player to hold their finger on. With his ever-distinct style present in the map, combined with the song's fast pace and uncommon rhythms, it sure is something that players would have to carefully (finger)dash for!
Surprising us with another entry, JBHyperion has given us a solid mapset that shows mastery of balanced play-ability and flow. While it may comply with the standard settings of modern mapping, this map sets itself apart with solid flow and entertainment value. Great job!
When you think of "marathons" in osu!catch, a Platter difficulty at 88.5 BPM doesn't typically spring to mind, but - Magic Bomb - has brought something unique and different here with just such a map.
Despite the lower difficulty level, the map offers a wide variety of patterns and emphasis to keep the player interested over the course of almost six minutes, from short and sharp dashes on synth and percussion sounds, to long, twisting vocal-mapped sliders. Each section of the map is pitched well to the emotion and intensity of the music, resulting in a relaxing yet enjoyable experience that can provide a test of stamina to less-experienced players.
osu!mania
Here we have Tidek this time with a beatmap worthy enough for the Spotlight. Knowing that _underjoy has made 2 guest difficulties, we can expect a big and wide-reaching work from these two experienced Polish mappers.
The best thing about this map is that you can actually appreciate how the patterns and scroll speed changes gets harder at the same time in each difficulty, if you play them from easiest to hardest. This beatmap is highly recommended if you are fan of scroll speed changes and challenging patterns. Enjoy!
pwhk is back once again with a 7-key BMS-style map. With the growing trend of fancy scroll speed changes and unique maps, sometimes it is also nice to look at maps that are kept simplistic yet deliver satisfaction.
The beginning's simple slowjam that develops with polyrhythms to the first kiai section is very satisfying to nail. The ending section may be a bit biased to favor the left hand space bar users, but this is a very solid map overall. Any pro 7K players who love some challenge should try this map with Double Time; the general patterning of this map is very Double Time-friendly yet offers a whole new level of difficulty.
Just when we all thought the days of mapping SDVX songs with the SFX were over, Skalim gives us Bangin' Burst, an older map first submitted in 2014 with a style reminiscent of its time. Good stack usage and equal hand bias creates a balanced symmetry that's easy to read and comfortable to hit.
Furthermore, it utilizes some simple stutter Slider Velocity changes where appropriate. With a heavy focus on visuals as well as having some minijacks and basic Long Note holds and releases, the map provides a unique and varied gameplay experience.
August 2017 Spotlights
osu!
Despite being his first ranked map, Fenza blows away all competition with his beautiful rendition of Bernd Krueger's Sonata No. 14. At 7-minutes long, you'd expect to get bored of it one way or another, but with the delightful usage of patterns paired with an equally enchanting classical soundtrack, you will never get tired of it.
The usage of movement, patterns, and rhythms all perfectly line up with the wildly varying intensities of this song. It's almost as if one is actually playing the piece itself! An uniquely fearless jewel claims the top spot on this month's Spotlight, and rightfully so!
This map essentially takes what most wub maps are known and loved for - irregular rhythms, fast sliders, spaced streams and a whole lot of neat patterning and visuals. The fabulous song by Camellia provides a great amount of variety, which Regou uses to create one of the most entertaining maps this month.
What makes the map truly stand out from other maps of the same genre, however, are the beautiful sliderarts and tasteful undermapping in the calmer sections of the song. This map is an experience that you don't want to miss out on!
On his map of this catchy electronic pop piece, handsome uses various interesting techniques to push the song to its limits. Extreme contrasts in slider velocity and spacing as well as effective under- and overmapping are used to highlight the varying intensity and tone of the music and also make the map a true challenge to master.
The Insane-level guest difficulties are also a blast to play and feature various creative concepts - sticking out the most are the stunning visuals and beautiful sliderart in Regou's Insane and the unique patterning in fanzhen's Insane.
Since the lower difficulties also mirror the gimmicks of the higher ones in more tame ways, the whole mapset is worth checking out for any osu! player who is interested in experiencing some fresh and creative mapping!
This map's special patterning is what makes it stand out. Everything is perfectly aligned to the grid's axes and combined with expressive jump usage and unusual rhythms here and there, unique visuals and gameplay are created.
The same style is used for every difficulty, which makes the mapset feel very coherent and professional. Players who are interested in playing something different from the usual mapping meta should be checking this one out right now!
Cherry Blossom has yet again managed to create a map which is not only insanely clean but also very fun to play in general, with an absolutely clever use of symmetry and a very fitting use of spacing for the streams, underlining properly the intensity of the various instruments. If you like challenging stream maps, you can't go wrong with this one!
osu!taiko
Wait, what year it is? Eurobeat in 2017?! This time we have a remix of the song True Blue mapped by iloveyou4ever, he previously mapped the original song and got in the spotlights too, but let's talk about this beautiful map (and song). We will see a good follow of the vocals and instrumental as well some piano, even if the map is 164 bpm you will enjoy it with a lot of streams and some high slider velocity.
The song and the map themselves feel relaxing to play even with the high amount of notes it has, as it contains a well structured and consistent mapping in my opinion. It's the kind of map that you'd still replay even after managing to get a full combo on! Also, don't forget to give it a chance with mods like HardRock or Hidden!
Featured as a guest difficulty for toybot's set, we have Reminiscing by tasuke912! An approval sized map using complex yet intuitive 1/6 and 1/3 snapping combination throughout the map, making it quite challenging for a 5.94 Star Rated beatmap.
Rhythms used are fairly straightforward as we can expect from a drum and bass track, but the relatively high BPM will keep your hands hot and busy! This beatmap is definitely a must have for every high tier osu!taiko player.
Despite a fairly repetitive song, butter0414 managed to create a set with a good variety of patterning to dodge the song's natural tedium, with the density increasing gradually to encompass quintuplets mixed with ⅙ streams.
It might only be his second ranked beatmap, but it's every bit as remarkable as every other map we've featured here so far. Well done!
One of this month's three spotlighted full spread sets is maziari1105's jazzy Din Don Dan, which won the 2nd Japanese osu!taiko beatmapping contest.
This map features a variety of patterns with many of them being snapped to the uncommon off-beat rhythms which this song, being a jazz remix of a Ryu* song, has to offer. Even though it's one of the easier maps in this month's spotlight, this set is enjoyable for players and mappers alike. Generally a nice addition to the sometimes monotonous song choices you have in the ranked section of osu!taiko. Truly a good map.
A well structured mapset by Nardoxyribonucleic, almost completely bereft of any issues to point out. Simply superb all around.
He managed to achieve a perfect balance in his following of the vocals by ample usage of cleverly designed rest moments, creating an excellent portrayal of a variety of techniques that aren't often used when mapping vocals so closely in osu!taiko. An example for mappers to take note of!
Is it better to be BLACK or WHITE? The answer isn't obvious, but Arrival's "White" difficulty stands spotlighted in a mapset that is predominantly "Black". How poetic.
Despite clocking in at only 180 BPM, Arrival's map exudes an unparalleled intensity. His pattern choice is fitting, and is further complemented by his ability to weave complex rhythms throughout multiple streams. The map is a gripping 5 minute journey that takes you through the best of what osu!taiko has to offer. A truly noteworthy addition to the monthly spotlights.
A quite solid mapset brought up by komasy this month, yet again!
Black Lotus shines with its well designed structure and snapping changes, making it fairly easy to read. However, the density of the notes coupled with the high BPM still make it quite challenging and a good training map for those who want to train their 1/6 beat snapping mechanics.
osu!catch
For those of us who prefer a test of stamina in our fruit catching, longer maps are sadly few and far between. Whilst some may remember the Platter difficulty from the osu!catch World Cup earlier this summer, it's now great to see this quality beatmap set get the recognition it deserves in the Ranked category.
With nearly twenty minutes of drain time on offer (more than any previously ranked osu!catch beatmap set!), this offering is a perfect fit for stamina-lovers of all skill levels. Serving up a full difficulty spread from four different mappers, each putting their own unique touch on this vibrant and beautiful song, this is truly a worthy winner of this month's Spotlight.
It has been a quiet couple of years for fans of the legendary mapper Spectator but now he's back and as brilliant as ever. Boogie is an intense and unrelenting beatmap that barely gives the player a moment's rest. Fast and dense quarter beat patterns dominate the beatmap with quick hyperdashes and constant direction changes that require real stamina and concentration to catch.
Despite the rather repetitive nature of the song, Spectator uses just the right amount of variety to keep things familiar yet fresh that overall makes for a fantastic six minutes of frenzied fruit catching.
Ascendance takes us to a brand new journey (and epilogue) with this map! Through calm sections and hectic ones, from simple 1/4s to much more twisty 1/3s, this map contains a variety of sections (or should we say "chapters") that reflect the song's story-esque feel. From the very first note to the final banana, this is one journey that one's catcher is gonna take!
Accelerating its way to the Spotlights is this mapset by a huge collective of mappers! From JBHyperion, NurseHyperion, - Magic Girl -, WildOne94, Withered Lotus, and Razor Sharp, this map brings a variety of mapping styles on the plate. It features a lot of hectic patterns (contemplated by the higher-than-usual Approach Rate) that compliments the song's fast-paced nature. Just be careful not to get left behind!
osu!mania
Swamp, predators, alligators and... anime grills? Once again we have Wonki featured as the top of the month with, yet again, another track by Zekk. A really catchy song combined with suited scroll velocity changes makes this set overall great.
It feels refreshing everytime you play it, and dispite of how harsh the map looks, it plays in an exceptionally smooth manner which makes it quite enjoyable and adds a good touch of replayability. Technical patterns, heavy layering and a great guest difficulty by Fontes. Everything we look for in the Spotlights!
Kawawa is back again to bless the ranked section of osu!mania with another 7-key marathon length map, this time with a wide variety of patterns and techniques.
Beginning with a rigid stack based structure, Kawawa deceives the player's eyes with an equal mix of both subtle and aggressive slider velocity changes, eventually adding basic long notes and dense chord streams to the mix.
All of this comes together at the climax of the song in a perfect blend of long note frenzy that will put the player's accuracy to the test, resulting in a map that is difficult but satisfying to pass.
Although this map does not even reach 3 stars, it is more difficult than it looks. With a lot of noticeable Scroll Speed Changes along with Long Notes, this map by Protastic101 gives us a lot of variety in almost every single aspect. Good usage of 2-3 note chords, with a few and short streams in different sections throughout the map.
It has a simple but cute storyboard, harmless to your sight while you are playing it. The final section becomes a little bit more complicated with some Long Note releases that can make you drop some accuracy, but every single set of different type of patterns make this map worth enough for this spotlight.
And that concludes the Spotlights listing. We hope that you click, drum, catch, and mash your heart out from these maps and nab yourself a shiny new Spotlight medal for your profile page! Look forward to next month's installment!
—OnosakiHito
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