Project Loved: Week of March 10th

It's time again for Project Loved! We have twenty new maps for you to try, and now it's your turn to decide whether or not they should be moved to the Loved category!

Welcome back to Project Loved! Every two weeks, we pick out a few beatmaps from each game mode that will get their shot at making it into the Loved category. From the maps we selected, you can now vote whether or not you want them to be Loved! Click on each map's header image in this post to be taken to its voting thread.

Not much too interesting has been happening for the past few rounds, but we hope to have some good news for you all soon! ;)

In case you don't read the end of this post, be sure to submit suggestions for beatmaps to be added to Loved using the Google form! All of the nominated beatmaps are chosen from submissions on this form, which you can view in the corresponding Google sheet. For osu!mania, please use this Google form and this Google sheet instead.

Navigation

• osu!
• osu!taiko
• osu!catch
• osu!mania

osu!

osu! Loved candidates were chosen by -Roxas, BeasttrollMC, Bubbleman, DigitalHypno and waywern2012!

Seiryu - AO-Infinity by Mordred and Telomere
191 BPM, 3:12 | 6.52★, 7.09★
written by BeasttrollMC

A map almost lost to time resurfaces to participate in this week's Project Loved voting! Some may recognize this song from a previous Loved map by RyuK, however this mapset by Mordred is considered by many to be the first successful and widely accepted rendition of Seiryu's AO-Infinity. This set comes with two difficulties: Vill's EXHAUST at 6.52 stars, and Mordred's INFINITY at 7.09 stars. Each difficulty does a great job at emphasizing the streamy and jumpy nature of the song and creates a perfect environment for players looking for a challenge on some good tunes.

Aimiya Zero - -ERROR by Yusomi
200 BPM, 3:45 | 7.48★
written by BeasttrollMC

Known for her high difficulty and jump-based maps, Yusomi returns again with her take on Aimiya Zero's "-ERROR". The song tells a story of a character drowning from their emotions after a heartbreaking separation. Although trivial, the mapset does a clean job of simulating a similar experience. Instead of emotions, any player who attempts this map will find themselves drowning in a barrage of increasingly difficult 200 BPM jumps and bursts. I think it's a fitting theme for the song. The map itself has amassed over 100 favorites since its submission in March of 2016, and is has been recognized by many top players for its difficulty. However, its survival in the voting depends on you. Check out the map and come back to decide its fate in Project Loved!

YUC'e - Night Club Junkie by Nathan and fanzhen0019
240 BPM, 2:50 | 5.13★, 5.62★
written by DigitalHypno

Gather 'round the nightclub, everyone! Rumor has it that there's a spicy new YUC'e song trying to make its way into the Loved category. The mapset is hosted by Nathan and has one difficulty from him and a guest difficulty from fanzhen0019. Seems promising—let's check out the details. Both difficulties are centered around slider overlap reading, each with their own overlap gimmick that's executed throughout the entire map. Well, give me your thoughts! Check out the map for yourself, then come on back and drop your vote on whether or not this mapset should be brought to the Loved category.

forest - 60th Summer of Love by Fushimi Rio
158 BPM, 4:16 | 3.62★, 5.02★, 7.19★
written by DigitalHypno

Many of you may already recognize the mapset owner, Fushimi Rio, for their various ranked maps over the last few years. Their mapset of "forest - 60th Summer of Love" features three difficulties: a 3-star, a 5-star, and a 7-star, the lower two being guest difficulties. With a BPM of 158, this catchy song lends itself to a very alternate-heavy mapping style, which can be seen in the highest difficulty. The two lower difficulties feature more conventional mapping, catering the mapset to all kinds of players. Whether you want to challenge your mechanics or just improve your general gameplay skill, this mapset has a difficulty for you to try—give it a go!

Renard - Dash Hopes 3 by Rizumu Tenshi
300 BPM, 1:04 | 8.35★, 9.57★
written by -Roxas

Now here's a big boy map appearing in voting, Rizumu Tenshi (formerly Baka Tenshi)'s "Renard - Dash Hopes 3". It's far from the easier side of maps and more close to the "completely insane" side. This map is not for the faint of heart, as it is an intense workout for the fingers: if you didn't know already, this map is just 300 BPM burst streams, and if that wasn't scary enough, the star rating ranges from 8.3 to 9.5. If you do give this map a bash, be sure you are very prepared before taking on this monster!

Camellia - PLANET//SHAPER by 09kami and Leader
147 BPM, 5:47 | 6.98★
written by -Roxas

We're back with another fun 09kami map, this time being "Camellia - PLANET//SHAPER". This map, similar to his other maps, is very slider and tech heavy. In addition, this map also has 2B patterns chucked in throughout the map, making it a bit more unique than the rest. If this is your type of map, then what are you waiting for? Give it a try! With the map being favorites by many players, including notable names like rrtyui, Akali and yf_bmp, you won't be let down. The star rating almost hits 7, so it may be a bit of a challenge, but don't be afraid! You never know how well you'll do until you play it.

a_hisa - Snow Prism by Yoshimaro
180 BPM, 1:51 | 6.75★, 6.75★
written by waywern2012

Spring is slowly coming our way, and the last snowflakes are falling from the sky. One of those snowflakes is a map called "Snow Prism", mapped by Yoshimaro! This is a beautiful song, and the map has an "Aspire" kind of feeling to it. It's intended to be as playable as possible while maintaining its interesting style. The tricky combinations of disconnected streams, triples and slider streams may seem hard, but it definitely is worth going through for the small eye-candy reward at the end! Try it out and don't worry too much about accuracy!

lapix - Labyrinth by Akali
175 BPM, 3:55 | 6.51★
written by waywern2012

A technical map with interesting patterns is coming in from Akali once again! This time on the song "lapix - Labyrinth". He is using long sliders at calm parts, and streams and triples on the more intense ones. The map requires you to be jumping from one slider to another, hitting some notes or streams in between them, making it straining at times. The map isn't all technical; right after the intense part there is a small jump section. Then, a bit of a streamier one. It is a great technical map containing a touch of everything. Let's see who will be the gangster!

Camellia as "Bang Riot" - Blastix Riotz by Reol
256 BPM, 2:06 | 8.66★
written by Bubbleman

This map is one of the oldest (playable) 8 star maps, and its star difficulty is high for good reason. Reol's Blastix Riotz map is full of high-velocity jumps and bursts, and at its climax has a 256 BPM spaced stream in excess of 100 notes long. This map is more than three years old, and it's only recently that players have started to become competent enough to even consider going for a good pass. Think you're up for the challenge?

Yooh - LegenD. by toybot et al.
205 BPM, 1:58 | 1.85★ – 7.32★
written by Bubbleman

toybot's mapset of "LegenD." was updated and revised for a year after its creation before being abandoned and left to the throes of the graveyard. It's seen a constant inclusion in tournament map pools recently, and was never unpopular to begin with. Adding its full difficulty spread to this, I see no reason such a diverse mapset can't be enjoyed by many players of all skill levels. Give the mapset a spin; there's a lot of enjoyment to be had within its many difficulties!

osu!taiko

osu!taiko Loved candidates were chosen by -Kazu-, iceOC, jyake and nyanmi-1828!

Camellia feat. Nanahira - We Love Hardcore by katacheh
180 BPM, 4:47 | 8.08★
written by -Kazu-

We never get tired of bringing more gimmicky maps with the most pure katacheh style, filled with yellow notes, covered patterns and crazy SV manipulation. We picked "We Love Hardcore" for this week's gimmick map, a very energetic song with Nanahira's cute vocals, paired with a super well-done map overall. Enjoy!

katagiri - Katagiri by 7_7
320 BPM, 3:18 | 6.81★
written by jyake

This week, we have katagiri... but this isn't only a katagiri song: It's Katagiri by katagiri! The map offers simple patterns with high speeds, essentially emphasising how fast you can hit. If you want to put your speed to the test, this is the map to play!

Noam Lederman - Nosso Samba by mangomizer and Midnaait
110 BPM, 3:09 | 2.42★, 4.14★
written by iceOC

Nosso Samba... 1, 2, 1, 2. You may know this map if you've been active recently. This map was a DT pick for the Ro16 in the osu!taiko World Cup 2018. Although calm for the most part, the map has some characteristic 1/12 and even-number patterns, making the map more challenging than it looks. Let's practice this map, and prepare for this year's osu!taiko World Cup too!

osu!catch

osu!catch Loved candidates were chosen by Ascendance, Sartan, Tenshichan and Wesley!

Alex S. - Game Grumpy by Blaster812
128 BPM, 4:31 | 5.69★
written by Wesley

Blaster812's "Game Grumpy" is a pretty old map from 2013. I remember this being one of my first osu!catch maps back in the day when I started out playing the mode. The map itself is a lot different compared to the new maps being created nowadays, giving it an entirely new feeling when playing it. The map starts out fairly calm, while ramping up later on in the song. As most people know, the older maps in osu!catch usually contain a lot of wide jumps and edge jumps; surprisingly enough, this map doesn't have that many of them. While it doesn't have a lot of those wide/edge jumps, it still contains a couple of small hyper chains that could throw you off. Can you FC it?

LADYBABY - Nippon manju by Michael Jordan
186 BPM, 4:14 | 8.03★
written by Sartan

Despite it not being quite as big of a leap back as the other map featured this week, this map is also a throwback. Michael Jordan, having started mapping in early 2015, has not been in the spotlight for quite a while now. With a large number of maps under his belt, there is definitely some good stuff to be revived and more fun to be had here. Nippon manju was quite popular in multiplayer back in the day, it being a fairly hard map for its time (and even now) due to how dense some parts of the map feel, combined with a lot of left-right jumps. The map also includes a decent amount hyperwalks—they weren't that common of a pattern back in those days, hence why they feel a little experimental here, but they're still pretty cool. All in all, this map makes for a nice nostalgic trip, and will definitely be enjoyable to a lot of you!

osu!mania

osu!mania Loved candidates were chosen by Lenfried-, Pope Gadget, Shoegazer and Toaph Daddy!

Murasaki Hotaru - Re:TrymenT by shuniki
190 BPM, 4:04 | 4K 6.97★

Re:TrymenT is a chart all about buildup in the verses and payoff in the choruses, a chart where the calm verses prepare you for an onslaught of long notes in the intense peaks. A chart that pays homage to popular 7K LN charters like Niima as well as O2Jam-centric charting as a whole. A chart that proves to be a satisfying experience for players and long note enthusiasts, and one that remains extremely popular more than a year after its release.

The intensity of each section is exaggerated to satisfying effect, clearly representing the different sections and keeping players on their toes, ready to shift from the calming verses to the exhilarating choruses at a moments notice. This proves to make for very fun gameplay and a great representation of why long notes are loved by so many. The mix of satisfying gameplay and mapping choices as well as its popularity makes it a no-brainer for the Loved section.

Various Artists - Wh1teh Pack #3 by Wh1teh
210 BPM, 5:32 | 4K, 3.96★ – 5.87★

Wh1teh Pack #3 is a 15-chart pack filled with everything that you would expect from Wh1teh: Short jumpstream charts (Death Waltz, Moon Gate), stamina jumpstream charts (Blue Noah 2006), chordjacking (Glucagon), and even a technical chart (Devilz Staircase) on the side. The charts are also very varied in difficulty, so there's at least two charts or three for most players to try out.

These charts are not only instantly gratifying to players, but there is a lot of nuance hidden in a good portion of the charts in the map pack. For instance, astute players might be able to notice how much deliberate repetition Wh1teh uses in Moon Gate and Blue White Crazybits, and that repetition doesn't hinder those charts' linearity in the slightest. In fact, that repetition accentuates the gameplay experience.

There are many charts in this pack that are like that: complements the music wonderfully, yet linear and simple on the surface. Those properties make this pack extremely appealing to players and charters alike.

Venetian Snares - Contain by Halogen-
188 BPM, 3:39 | 4K 5.55★

Contain: a technical nightmare made for the osu!mania 4K World Cup 2018: sequences of fast jumpgluts, fast bursts, difficult LN releases and overwhelming SV usage. It's also absolutely brilliant in its execution. You can make an argument for this chart being a bit overkill with some of its SVs or bursts, but the design choices are deliberate and undoubtedly effective.

The chart has a tight structure—every prominent sound was captured consistently and effectively. LNs that go to grotesque vocal samples have uncomfortably long inverse-like releases, which accentuate the harrow of the vocal samples. The percussion is patterned in a way that accentuates the consecutive heavier kicks and snares (heavy jack and trill usage). Shrill buzzes and sudden increases in pitch are accentuated through sudden speedups. Distorted snares are captured through heavy inverse-esque LNs. You get the idea: Almost every single nuance in the song was captured in a way that matches the texture of the nuance. Add on to the fact that the song is very dynamic and unnerving, and you get a chart that is extremely rich and beyond unmerciful.

There are very few charts at this difficulty level that I can say make gameplay more than just "hit the notes while listening to the music". Contain stands out as a chart that not only outshines its tech contemporaries in its division, but as an exemplification of a chart that can be every bit as spine-chilling as its complementing song. If you have the ability for this chart and are a tech chart enthusiast, you absolutely don't want to miss this.

Kurenainagi Tabibito - Otenba Koimusume by Kawawa
168 BPM, 2:05 | 7K 5.27★, 7K 6.32★

After a long run, with some demand, we finally have Kawawa for Project Loved! For this pick, we have a BMS-style set. No noodles in this one! The lower difficulty transitions pretty well into the high difficulty, and they both serve well as chordstream practice charts.

Both diffs start off with dense but comfy chordstreams followed up by a mild rest section which starts to present denser chord usages which then enters into the highlight of the chart. The overall comfiness is toned down as the chart now throws brackets, chord minijacks, and extensive anchoring. Either as a warmup or a fair challenge this set will definitely satisfy the rice cravings of anyone trying this out.

40mP feat. yuikonnu - Ame to Asphalt by MisterLuka, eZmmR, shuniki and [R]
190 BPM, 4:09 | 4K 6.37★, 7K 8.78★

We have another fresh face coming to Project Loved. For those who want more noodles, we have MisterLuka's Ame to Asphalt which is not just a 7K pick, but it also presents a 4K map with the collaboration with two notable mappers in the 4K LN scene: eZmmR and shuniki!

Starting with the 4K map, the chart generally highlights expressive LN usages and draws heavily from the overall O2Jam approach to charting. From the usage of varying LN lengths, to introducing an intense stream of LNs and rice with the occasional inverses and snap increases. Even with a seemingly formulaic approach in places, the three mappers do a good job on expressing the choruses with their own style to a certain degree.

Entering into the 7K map, we get to see MisterLuka's style in full view. Following the same degree of chart progression as the 4K diff, we get to see the same expressive nature of the LN usages here. Going from the varying LN lengths for the same sound, to interesting LN and chord usages as transitions from inverses, and usages of 1/6 snaps, each chorus manages to stand out from each other and so the artistic flair and enjoyability of this chart makes the set a very strong candidate for Project Loved!

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 Loved beatmap listing sometime next week and will be announced via @osugame on Twitter.

In addition to all of the Loved captains that choose the maps and write the descriptions, make sure to thank Ephemeral, huu, Noffy and Toy for their miscellaneous help in managing Project Loved.

If you have any suggestions for beatmaps to be added to the Loved category, please submit them using the Google form! You can view the current submissions on the corresponding Google sheet. For osu!mania, please use this Google form and this Google sheet instead.

—clayton