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9 Apr 2018
Project Loved: Week of April 8th
Project Loved: Week of April 8th
Another Sunday marks another Project Loved voting on the horizon! Come and vote for your favourite beatmaps nominated from all four game modes!
Hello and welcome to the first Project Loved showcase of April 2018! This week contains several exciting picks for every game mode, and has something for both new and old players!
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Project Loved or how the new system works, each mode has "captains" who pick a selection of your submissions to be put up for vote every two weeks. These chosen selections are each given their own community poll, and any beatmap with an approval rating above 75% after a week's time is moved into the Loved category. Beatmaps that are Loved have leaderboards, but do not award performance points (much like Qualified maps).
If you'd like to vote for any of the beatmaps in this week's selection, just click the map's header image and it'll lead you to the poll!
If you'd like to help out and submit beatmaps you love to be considered for the Loved category, please use this submission form!
Once again, to the beat! has created a video for each game mode showcasing our beatmap selections, so if you'd like to see the entries in action, be sure to check out the videos below!
Let's get started!
Navigation
osu!
nobodyknows+ - Kokoro Odoru (Heart Dancing) by 100pa-
written by Toy
Though the name 100pa- may not sound familiar, you may have already played some of his most iconic beatmaps including BASARA or the recently Loved beatmap Otomegokoro x Kyokuchuuhatto -dandara shooting MIX-. To go along with these, 100pa- has one other famous beatmap in Kokoro Odoru dating all the way back to 2010. This beatmap is an incredibly aesthetic and well-designed map, especially considering the mapping context it was created in, and remains a classic for older players and newer ones who enjoy old-style aesthetics.
Camellia feat. Nanahira - Seashore on the Moon by melloe
written by Kaifin
Seashore on the Moon is a gorgeous technical beatmap by melloe that perfectly represents the soothing, almost trance like Camellia track that backs it. The beatmap uses clear visual concepts which are executed very well and play incredibly smoothly, which is remarkable considering the technical complexity of the rhythms used! If you've never seen this beatmap and want to see a great play showcasing it, check out this liveplay FC by FunOrange, the notable Canadian mouse player.
Reol - No title by cRyo[iceeicee]
written by Toy
How could anyone forget one of the most iconic beatmaps of 2015? cRyo[iceeicee]'s No Title was among the first sets submitted for the now staple song within osu! and still remains as one of the most popular among them. Boasting 440+ favorites, this beatmap was featured prominently in many community tournament pools, was a popular request for streamers, and all-around maintained a steady difficulty that gained it popularity from both top players and newer players wanting to test their skills. This is one of those beatmaps people will wonder why it wasn't nominated earlier.
Zedd, Grey - Adrenaline by Hollow Wings et al.
written by Kaifin
Adrenaline marks Hollow Wings' debut into Loved, and this mapset is certainly a fantastic start. The beatmap is brutally difficult, requiring incredibly precise aim as well as reading and finger control to properly play while remaining super fun and fair to the player. If the top difficulty isn't to your taste, there are three other Extra guest difficulties by notable mappers like Kite and Pho, so there is something for everyone in this masterfully crafted set!
BLOOD STAIN CHILD - Last Stardust by Smoothie and tutuhara
written by Kaifin
Coming right out of mid 2015 is Smoothie's mapset of Last Stardust, a beatmap which has been revered by many stream players for its high quality. It is quite rare for a brutal song like this one to get a full spread, let alone one of this high of quality, so even if you aren't a top tier stream player there are still plenty of difficulties for you to enjoy! If you're craving a high bpm streaming challenge, this is definitely the beatmap for you.
yuikonnu - Kakushigoto by murasaki_sk and caren_sk
written by Toy
To go along with the other few iconic beatmaps predating 2015, murasaki_sk tagged with caren_sk (better known as CRN) to create an immensely popular rendition of a similarly popular song, Kakushigoto. Standing at 220+ favorites, this map, while slowly forgotten through the passage of time, still remains as an artifact of mapping before ppv2.
lapix - Amazing Mirage (Extended) by Akali
written by Kaifin
Ever since he began mapping five years ago, Akali has been revered as a mapper who pushed player's technical playing abilities with his "seXXXtra" branded mapsets. Over the past year or so there has been a new renaissance of Akali-branded technical mapping which has had an almost dominating influence on technical mappers, with Amazing Mirage really being the first step in my eyes towards this new ubiquotis style. With challenging rhythms, difficult 1/4 patterns and a bumpin' track backing it all, this beatmap treads the lines between playability and style perfectly, and in my eyes is peak Akali mapping.
DJ Okawari - Flower Dance (Short Ver.) by -Hanayuki-
written by Toy
Overmapped jump spam beatmaps have slowly become ubiquitous amongst modern mapping. Especially as pp mapping has begun to trend into overdone jump patterns, there's no shortage of beatmaps that feature this "style". One of the first of these beatmaps was -Hanayuki-'s Flower Dance and has since accumulated well over 450 favorites, claiming a top spot as one of the most iconic jump beatmaps of 2015. It was so influential, that there is now a seemingly endless supply of graveyarded Flower Dance jump maps, though nothing can compare to the original set.
Dustvoxx - Trigger (Zekk Remix) by WhiteFo
written by Toy
One of my favorite things in overseeing Loved is finding popular new beatmaps I've never heard of before. WhiteFo's Trigger received a staggering amount of submissions, and it's readily clear why. Trigger is a fast-paced wub-style song, yet isn't mapped in the same conventional style as what you may expect after hearing the song. Instead, WhiteFo utilizes literally hundreds of editor green ticks to create the staccato kiai sections this beatmap seems to be popular for. Add this along to some really solid mapping, and WhiteFo has made a recipe for a highly popular, 230+ favorite map.
Camellia - kodama by ProfessionalBox et al.
written by Kaifin
ProfessionalBox has long been known as a high quality technical mapper, and kodama makes it very easy to see why. The beatmap features gorgeously aesthetic slider shapes combined with velocity changes that perfectly represent the song and feel effortless to play, as well as some tricky spaced streams that are sure to test your aim control. I'd be remiss not to mention the guest difficulties of the set which are all top notch as well, particularly -kevincela-'s Extra which is also a great take on the song!
osu!taiko
Katagiri - Soundcloud, do not die! by Rafael Nadal and Sansheng
written by Gezoda
Boy, where do we have to start? Soundcloud, do not die! is a difficult beatmap by Rafael Nadal - not the famous tennisman - and is going to be very taxing on your stamina. It also comes with a slightly easier difficulty by Sansheng, complimenting the beatmap and offering a different approach to the beatmap! Both of the difficulties are very difficult to master, as its density is very high, reaching 1,000 notes per minute. Needless to say, this beatmap is really not for the faint-hearted! If you're looking for a fun, difficult beatmap and want to train your stamina, look no further!
Helblinde - Grief & Malice by S a n d and Backfire
written by Gezoda
Created by S a n d and Backfire, Grief & Malice is a popular beatmap that some of you have already played in Taiko World Cup 2017. This awesome beatmap uses mild SV, kiai fountains and many streams all set to a catchy tune! The beatmap is challenging without being too hard, and is fun for most players who are seeking a great beatmap to play anytime, in any occasion: multiplayer, singleplayer, tournaments, etc.
t+pazolite - tsugihagi Construction 2012 by Nyan
written by Backfire
A difficulty from all the way back in the beginning of 2012, this beatmap is actually incredibly old and obscure. The taiko difficulty is by Nyan, known previously as ddrddr125, an absolute legend in the taiko community. One of the oldest mappers for osu!taiko, his influence was widespread in the early days and this is one of his best beatmaps in his prime. His ability to make unmatched hard difficulties really shows in this, as this was one of our more challenging beatmaps back when it was created. It still holds up very well today!
moro - Holy Bitch by Midnaait
written by Backfire
A very notably high star difficulty that just seemed to never get pushed for Rank, Holy Bitch is one of those things that can very well define the current taiko "meta". Lots of 1/8 doubles, incredibly boosted streams with 1/6 bursts, as well as a banging 5+ minute song, all very gorgeously and consistently mapped. This song does have it all, and you can feel no shame or burden of pp hanging over your head for enjoying it!
PrimeMIX - Uber 6 by snowball112, Onicorn and Okoratu
written by Backfire
Familiar to those who participated in the TWC: Last Man Standing 3 Tournament, this is a bit of a peculiar map, as it was in the Grand Finals Free Mod bracket, but also it seems that its background was a real hit with the Japanese team that ended up winning, all of them having corresponding avatars (which can actually still be seen on IceOC's user page!). The mapset itself has a variety of difficulties for everyone to enjoy, and we hope everyone appreciates it in the same way that everyone appreciates the background!
Lite Show Magic - Stronghold by Nofool
written by Gezoda
Stronghold is a gimmicky beatmap by the well-known Nofool, and is mapped as a tribute to DTX2110's already existing Taikojiro map. It relies exclusively on the usage of SVs, but this does not make it less impressive - in fact, this beatmap proves that using only this type of gimmick can still give interesting results that are fun to play! This beatmap really tests your reading skills, from sudden changes to absurdly high speed, without being unfair! In short, this beatmap is fun while being challenging!
hino isuika - Dreamin' attraction!!(Extended) by asuasu_yura
written by Gezoda
Japanese mapper asuasu_yura gifts us with yet another well-designed beatmap, Dreamin' attraction!!, a happy hardcore song that is really worth listening to! Streams, technique, stamina are the three words that define this beatmap, but to give it justice, there are no words in the English language properly conveying the feelings this beatmap gives. In the end, the song will not be the only happy thing!
osu!catch
Five Hammer - f f f f f by Vincs
written by Tenshichan
f f f f f mapped by Vincs is yet another CS0 beatmap going for the loved category. What seperates this one from the other ones is that this one has more of a focus on stamina than technical patterns. Although it is only roughly two minutes long, due to the vast amount of fast left-right dashing it is not that easy to keep consistent. All in all the beatmap serves as a nice stamina practice especially for aspiring players who always seek new challenges.
Chroma - sink to the deep sea world by _Asriel
written by SartNYAN OwO xD
sink to the deep sea world by _Asriel is a fairly new, but also very well acclaimed map. For this one you are definitely in need of fast fingers and great control over anti-flow type of patterns. _Asriel has become known for making some of the most challenging osu!catch beatmaps in recent times, with some of his beatmaps being quite clunky and questionable playability wise. This beatmap of his, however, has been modded and alternated with multiple times and has become a very polished product of _Asriel's. Anyhow, go have a shot at this one, break a leg, and then return over here to make your voting decision.
Nanahoshi Kangengakudan - IMAGINARY LIKE THE JUSTICE by -Ken
written by SartNYAN OwO xD
IMAGINARY LIKE THE JUSTICE is one of -Ken's more popular maps, being very catchy and fairly accesible to most people. This beatmap is pretty straightforward, with most of the patterns following the rhythm of either the vocals or the drums. Spacing in the chorus isn't too big either but the beatmap is still quite challenging to play well on consistently due to its length and very constant movement. Go give this a spin, see if it IMAGINARY LIKE THE JUSTICE can justify your vote for yes.
Spawn Of Possession - Apparition by Razor Sharp
written by SartNYAN OwO xD
Apparition from Razor Sharp is definitely one hell of a map. This super strenuous, fast pased, hyper-heavy beatmap is a very neat challenge for top of the line players. It is also not your typical song you would expect from osu!, it being technological death metal. Apparition has seen plenty of play in multiplayer lobbies in the past, showing just how well known this underappreciated beatmap from Razor Sharp has become through the course of time. So, if you are up for the challenge and believe you can have a shot at this behemoth, go and vote!
Shawn Wasabi - Pizza Rolls (metal x EDM mashup) by [224]Reol and Gommy
written by JBHyperion
A true classic seen in multiplayer lobbies the world over for years, [224]Reol's take on one of the emergent Shawn Wasabi's earliest tracks is a beatmap that has been overlooked for inclusion in the Loved category for far too long. With emphasis on both quick, snapping patterns as well as more tempered, flowing slider-heavy sections, Pizza Rolls provides everything you could want from a beatmap in this category; challenge, intrigue, nostalgia, and most importantly of all, a huge dose of fun bopping along to this energetic 50-something song mashup.
osu!mania
Fallujah - Sapphire by Shoegazer
written by Kamikaze
We're kicking off the list with a high note this time around, with a chart by the hated and beloved, but utmostly respected for his charting expertise charter, Shoegazer and his rendition of Fallujah's Sapphire. Everyone in the mania community knows Shoegazer for his breakcore charts and excellent charting quality which as one of his many staples are almost always criminally underrated. This chart is one of many of Shoegazer's charts featured in the 4K Mania World Cup 2016; it was a semifinals freemod pick. It has 240 BPM jumpstreams with hard patterning, but it rarely gets dense enough to affect most of the players' performances (combo-wise). Most of the jumpstream runs are quite spread out as well, though weaker players might find the jumpstream in the midsection to be quite draining due to the length of that section, it also has some tricky and sudden 1/3 rhythms that can trip players up if they don't pay enough attention. With 27 favourites and great community support, this is a must have in the Loved category!
Black Sun Empire - Dawn Of A Dark Day (Receptor Remix) by Tidek
written by Shoegazer
You would be hard-pressed to find a charter who weaves multiple concepts (e.g. SVs, "technical" charting, LNs) as fluently as Tidek. Dawn Of A Dark Day is absolutely no exception to the rule. It is a DnB chart layered fairly similarly to what you would expect from breakcore charting (e.g. burn this moment into the retina of my eye), but what differentiates Dawn Of A Dark Day from the aforementioned chart is a very substantial SV element. That substantial SV element was executed beautifully here; almost every SV present felt like it was complementing the track rather than superceding the ethos of the track, which I feel is a recurring issue with many SV charts today. The combination of solid layering, patterning, and SV usage creates a blood-rushing yet ominous atmosphere; you would feel that you are walking on a tightrope for the entire duration of the track (5 minutes!), and you feel that any step you take has to be deliberate and calculating. Make any slight mistake, and you fall deep into the harrowing abyss. Those feelings are exactly what you should feel when you are playing through this chart, and that congruence is what makes this chart a more than solid candidate for the Loved section.
KASHIWA Daisuke - April.#02 by Fullerene-
written by Kamikaze
April.#02 is one of the few charts that I feel that I can describe as "technical brilliance". It can be a touch ambiguous with its chord usage at points, but the combination of tact and daring that Fullerene- put in April.#02 makes the chart near-irreplaceable in my eyes. Unlike PEACE BREAKER, Memoria Reborn, and even dreamless wanderer, April.#02 is very intimate (though mostly because of the song) and fairly unsystematic. The chart comprises of mostly slow and innocuous patterning complemented with a barrage of technical patterns that are practically never seen because of the patterns' unviabilities in other charts. This reflects the song nicely; April.#02 is a sublime and melancholy post-rock affair with substantial glitch elements. The chart complements the song wonderfully -- practically tailor-made, and it most certainly helps that April.#02 is probably going to be one of the most beautiful songs that you'll ever listen to. However, emotional intimacy aside, the chart itself is great for competitive play. There are a ton of areas that you could trip up, and the areas are typically very hard to predict because of how the song is structured. Yet, the chart does not go particularly overboard with its difficulty; there are no "cheap" difficulty spikes here. It is a fair challenge, and the novelty of April.#02's chart structure makes this chart a splendid commodity by itself. Add on to its potential emotional connection to the players themselves, and you would get a chart that is near-impossible to replicate. Perhaps this chart isn't Fullerene's best chart from a charter's perspective, but it certainly is his most impactful to players and charters alike.
kors k - monkey bussines by cimpucimpu
written by Pope Gadget
monkey bussines is a joke that got way out of hand. But hey, it's still funny to troll lobbies with! Frankly, it's a cute attempt at an SV chart, and as such, it's turned into the modern-day mania equivalent of a Rick Roll. There's something somewhat reminiscent about it, be it a call-back to everyone's first chart where rules were little established. What a joyous time it was. And yes, I would find it bloody hilarious to see people battle it out for #1.
Ranzor - That Was Too Slow by Quick Draw
written by Shoegazer
Our next chart is osu!mania's unofficial anthem, Quick Draw's That Was Too Slow. This chart was fairly popular back in 2014-2015, and the 4K MX difficulty has attained some notable popularity from being in the most played 4K Dan course (5th Dan). The mapset is surprisingly solid despite its age, with tasteful use of pitch relevance and solid layering throughout most of its difficulties. 4K SC is a relentless dense jumpstream chart with difficult 1/8 bursts. However, what differentiates it from other jumpstream charts is the use of speedups after the second kiai section; those speedups give the 4K SC difficulty that extra adrenaline-booster that it needed to differentiate itself from other charts. 4K MX, while is not quite as coherently structured, has a similar level of adrenaline, and it is a chart that is played quite notably in competitive circles, so I'm quite sure that players will enjoy that difficulty. There is also a 4K HD difficulty for players who find 4K MX to be too fast, and the 4K HD difficulty is decent in its own right.
Nero's Day At Disneyland - No Money Down, Low Monthly Payments by Ciel
written by Kamikaze
Now we're kicking off the second half of the loved list with a classic, Ciel's SV behemoth, No Money Down, Low Monthly Payments is an SV chart that was created mainly for 2017's 7K Mania World Cup and it's an amazing piece of artwork which is fairly simple in structure but masterful in execution. It offers wide variety of SV gimmicks paired with unusual layering, tricky bursts and unpredictability of the song itself to create the experience which makes you want more. It's violent, it's unpredictable, but it's not a beast you can't tame. With enough practice, every decent 7K player can give this one a fair run for its money.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Mottai Night Land by Cuppp
written by aitor98
A lot of people wanted to see this beatmap loved, and here comes the chance for it to be! Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Mottai Night Land is a known beatmap in the 7K community, made by Cuppp in an extremely unfriendly way. The chart starts calmly with a few Long Notes every here and there, but once you are ten seconds in, it goes WILD. Really harsh Long Note releases, high density inverted Chordstream sections, shields and way more things that will make you crazy. Did I mention this beatmap has Long Notes? I don't think so...
sun3 - Messier 333 by MOONWOLF, Marirose, Nijigen-kun and leqek
written by Kamikaze
Next up is a song that is a classic amongst older rhythm game players, a song from EZ2DJ and THE BMS OF FIGHTERS 2009 - revolutionary battles -, one of the most recognizable songs from those games, Messier 333 by sun3 charted by an old Korean charter MOONWOLF with guest difficulties by Marirose (formerly known as xeona), Nijigen-kun (listed here as 2D) and leqek. This set features four keymodes—4, 5, 6 and 7K—and it has a full spread of difficulties mainly testing your typical BMS skillsets, streams, density and an insane amount of bracketing on 7K Extra difficulty. It will test your physical abilities as well as your mental stamina and general prowess at the keymode of your choice. Good luck and don't get lost in the rice!
Halozy - Starry Presto by Entozer and jnnno
written by aitor98
More Long Notes! This time we have Entozer coming up with a very special beatmap called Starry Presto by Halozy. Featuring two different keymodes, this set mixes both Long Notes and Chordstreams making it really hard to hit and read properly. Talking a little bit about Entozer, he has been around osu!mania since 2010, being able to rank one of the firsts non-converted beatmaps in the history of this gamemode. He does have a few other remarkable charts such as Music Revolver, Little Star and polygon which are definitely worth to give it a shot.
xi - over the top by ArcherLove, AncuL and Eternalie
written by aitor98
xi - over the top is a beatmap created by ArcherLove that is mainly focused in 7K, with a wide range of difficulties that makes this set accessible for every kind of player, no matter how skilled you are. It does have a few Guest Difficulties as well, done by AncuL and Eternalie, which helped this set a lot in terms of pattern variety. The beatmap has both Chordstream and Long Note based difficulties, so even if there is a difficulty that you might not like due to the patterns, pretty sure you'll find another one that will meet your standards.
From everyone on the Project Loved team, we hope you enjoy this week's selection, and look forward to the next! The winning beatmaps will hit the beatmap listing sometime next week and will be announced via the osugame twitter.
If you have any suggestions for beatmaps to be added to the Loved category, please submit them using the Google form!
—clayton
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