Project Loved: Week of July 28th

Project Loved returns yet again for its (mostly) regularly scheduled programming.

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.

In case you don't read to 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!standard
• osu!taiko
• osu!catch
• osu!mania

osu!standard

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

kors k vs Camellia - The Rolling by Akali
170 BPM, 4:09 | 7.38★
description written by BeasttrollMC

It's been a few weeks since we've seen Akali here, but that changes today! Known for his tech-styled mapping and signature slider velocity manipulation, his mapping has become a staple for all players looking to have some fun.

This week in Project Loved, we are featuring his take on The Rolling, a song by both kors k and Camellia. The map itself is a blast to play, but what's more impressive is Bubbleman's insane run on it back in March. Since then, this map has garnered almost 100 favorites and sits here today for your vote. Check it out!

Joji - YEAH RIGHT by Ksardas
85 BPM, 2:18 | 5.39★
description written by BeasttrollMC

osu! is a great way to blow off steam. Whether it's to relax after a long day or to get your mind off of something else, it's so easy to just chill and click some circles. This is the perfect map to do so. With the rise of Joji's popularity and the popularity of the LoFi music genre in general, it's apparent that more and more people are looking for songs to help unwind and relax. Ksardas's take on YEAH RIGHT makes this goal easier with patterns that follow circular flow and jumps that ride the vocals.

Various Artists - Arphimigon Collection Two by Arphimigon
170 BPM, 3:49 | 4.55★, 5.11★, 5.29★, 6.50★, 7.19★
description written by -Roxas

Another fun collection of maps by Arphimigon appears after a couple of months—this time being his second collection! With songs like Techno Kitty, Electronic Bitch and an... interesting remix of The Big Black, why not give it a shot? The map set starts off pretty simple with 4.07 stars on the lowest difficulty but the set peaks at 7 stars as you go through! With the map reaching over 150 likes, this set is definitely worth your time.

$44,000 - #pumpmycrunkbeetz by Silverboxer
220 BPM, 1:54 | 2.39★, 4.73★, 6.31★, 6.81★
description written by -Roxas

Projet Loved is back with another Silverboxer map—one that many of the older players may know. This map is great if you're looking to train your speed or aim as this map is over 200 BPM and 6.89 stars! Although it may not be for the newer players, this map is one to enjoy if you can play it. Have a crack at it!

Porta - Dragon Ball Rap by Tatan et al.
110 BPM, 1:58 | 6.76★, 7.20★, 7.72★, 7.92★
description written by DigitalHypno

A household classic to some of you, Porta's Dragon Ball Rap has made its way to the gates of Project Loved! If this tune isn't familiar to you, check out the beatmap description for a well-written explanation of the song's history. The mapset features four difficulties all falling between high-6 and high-7 stars in difficulty. They're each jumpy in their own way, letting you bounce your cursor around to the beat of the song just like you'd jump around if it came on at a disco. Relive your younger days (or expose yourself to some cultural history) by playing this map yourself!

Dalas Calvo (Joan Sebastian y Alberto Vazquez) - Maracas by Mantecolky
187 BPM, 2:13 | 4.95★
description written by DigitalHypno

This map—or more importantly the video that goes along with it—is based on a popular Spanish Youtuber named DalasReview. Due to his controversial reputation around the internet, many memes have been made of him over the years, one of which being the osu! beatmap this description is attached to! An image of DalasReview was edited into a video that went along with the story of the song Maracas, which tells a tale of two men reflecting on their teenage love affairs. The map itself is just under 5 stars, making it friendly enough for most experienced players to play through. This map has gained a lot of attention over the last few months, so check it out if you'd like to see this gem for yourself!

Balduin & Wolfgang Lohr (feat. Alanna) - Dizzy by Arastelia
125 BPM, 2:44 | 5.51★, 7.24★
description written by waywern2012

Enjoy some circle clicking with this electro swing song made by Baldiun and Wolfgang Lohr. The beatmap is mapped by a lesser known mapper Arastelia. The map plays really well together with the song, containing some back-and-forth jumps and sliders that go round and round. Don't get too addicted to the song, you'll need to hit some jumps that are pretty far apart! The map also has some custom hitsounds as well as being polished enough to merit it appearing on the Loved voting. Don't get dizzy!

Starset - My Demons by Nightsky
173 BPM, 3:55 | 2.20★, 3.64★, 4.71★, 5.49★
description written by waywern2012

y Demons! The popular song from Starset is mapped on osu! and waiting for its chance to be Loved. The mapset is well spread out. If you're a player who wants to relax or a hardcore one that likes hard jumps, this mapset has you covered. Each difficulty offers something unique. The lowest difficulty is Normal, with interesting slider shapes and simple, relaxing rhythms. The highest difficulty sits at almost 5.5 stars, containing some jumps and difficult rhythmic patterns. It's generally quite spaced, with a small amount of density throughout the map. Be prepared for the ending, as it gets really heavy with the jumps! Try the map out and see if you can scare away your demons!

RYO - Shuffle Heaven by AngelHoney et al.
190 BPM, 1:53 | 1.57★ – 6.60★
description written by Bubbleman

Many players already know of Nemis's set for Shuffle Heaven, but did you know AngelHoney made one too? Submitted back in 2011 and updated up until 2014, this set showcases his signature streamy style and even includes a guest difficulty from rustbell. The set is full of multiple tests spanning many different aspects of play, so give each map a try and see what you think!

The Quick Brown Fox - Coward Killing Time by theowest, OzzyOzrock and Medi-chan
200 BPM, 1:48 | 1.62★, 2.39★, 2.44★, 3.72★, 5.62★
description written by Bubbleman

Ever wondered how speedcore would have been mapped in 2010? Wonder no more! Hailing from a time long past, it may be speedcore, but not as we know it. TQBF has a real knack for springing some incredibly creative tunes from unlikely places and with this track he turns samples from Team Fortress 2's Heavy into a fast paced banger. Coupled with old-style mapping, it takes you on a trip back to when hats were statements and refined metal was actually worth something. Fancy a trip down memory lane? Give this set a play!

osu!taiko

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

Chorogons - Ishukan Communication(TV size) by Skylish
108 BPM, 1:29 | 0.88★, 2.36★, 3.12★, 4.40★, 5.63★
description written by nyanmi-1828

この譜面は、ほとんどのノーツが5/16と3/16の間隔でスナップされているだけの簡単な譜面にもかかわらずSRが高い、全てのpp譜面の元凶ともいえる譜面です。
ただ、1/16を使ったスナップは、当時では斬新なもので、譜面とppの関係を大きく変えたのは、この譜面と言っても過言ではありません。
斬新性だけでなく、ほぼ2連符のみでここまで表現の幅を利かせられるのは、マッパーのセンスが光っているということでしょう。

You could probably call this the foundation of all pp maps as it has high star-rating despite being a simple map mostly composed of just 5/16 and 3/16 rhythms. But because maps using 1/16 snapping were something of a novelty at the time, it wouldn't be saying too much even if I said this map changed the relationship between maps and pp. You can feel the mapper's skill not just from originality, but how much they're able to express using just doublet note patterns.

Shiron - Deadly Dolly Dance by butter0414 and komasy
160 BPM, 1:58 | 4.03★, 6.83★
description written by jyake

Make your fingers dance with Shiron's Deadly Dolly Dance—by far one of the grooviest taiko maps out there! butter0414 fully utilizes the often underemphasized 1/3 rhythms, making for one of the most satisfying beats you'll ever hit. Just be careful of those tricky long streams!

w_tre respect for AT&HU - Schur's Theorem by Raphalge
185 BPM, 1:38 | 7.63★
description written by jyake

Hope you studied for your tests because w_tre respect for AT&HU's Schur's Theorem is going to test your taiko math skills! Ralphage filled this map to the brim with absolutely mind-bending 1/6 patterns, often consisting of many off-hand patterns and complex rhythms. Underestimate this map, and you're in for a tough one.

osu!catch

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

Cres - End Time by Callionet and ZHSteven
180 BPM, 2:09 | 5.16★, 6.08★
description written by Yumeno Himiko

Streamy maps, which are mostly seen with modern styles, are always considered easy and comfortable for play. However, the map End Time reveals the more difficult side of streamy maps. Both two difficulties have their own styles. Steven's difficulty, which is done by well-known mapper ZHSteven, showcases the beauty of old styles, being featured in the CWC 2018 Semifinals. The RequiemTrance difficulty, by top player Callionet, has a rather high circle size 5.7, and is a real challenge for catch players. This map will give you a brand ew view of hard maps.

Mitchie M - Suki ! Yuki ! Maji Magic by Nucoin
167 BPM, 3:17 | 5.89★
description written by Tenshichan

Even though Nucoin doesn't play osu!catch anymore, they created a very fun map when they were active: Suki ! Yuki ! Maji Magic. The map mostly consists of very snappy patterns which go well with the rhythm of the song. However, because of the snappy patterns it requires advanced catcher control to not miss due to mistimed dashes. Especially if you also want to go for an SS, there are some snappy hyperdashes onto sliders which might cause one or two droplet misses. Overall though, the map shouldn't be too difficult for experienced players, but it's increasingly harder with any additional mod(s), so players who think nomod is too boring can challenge themselves.

osu!mania

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

Imperial Circus Dead Decadence - Uta by Evening and XeoStyle
140 BPM, 8:48 | [4K] 4.74★, [4K] 5.64★, [4K] 5.77★

"Return of the king" is a phrase one may use seeing this nomination to the Loved section. Evening, one of the most well-known and influential mappers to ever grace osu!mania, is back in the nominations with an even more well-known and popular song from a recently added Featured Artist—Imperial Circus Dead Decadence.

The Everlasting Duet is an exhausting mix of dense jumpstream with occasional minijacks to the percussion along with dumped-out, blazing-fast streams mixed in to intensify the screaming vocals. Not to mention that the map, fitting to the difficulty name, is a daunting near 9 minutes in length, only serving to exemplify the extreme strain that the fast, awkward, never-ending patterns have on players.

If this 9 minute beast is too much to handle, then the Bloody Hopeful Romantic difficulty or XeoStyle's Blind Immortality will definitely be more approachable. The former is similar in structure to the top difficulty, with the latter being significantly easier, both stopping at the 5 and a half minute mark to ease the stamina drain of the usual onslaught.

Back when this was first released, it gained significant notoriety through the community, going as far as being used as a tiebreaker in the first edition of SOFT, osu!mania's biggest 1v1 tournament, and even now still maintains a level of relevance due in no small part to the challenge and satisfaction that the chart gives,in addition to the popularity of the song keeping people interested despite its length. This gives more than enough reason for Uta to be nominated for the Loved section.

ueotan - Mario Paint (Time Regression Mix for BMS) by Fullerene-
155 BPM, 1:29 | [4K] 4.91★, [4K] 5.68★, [4K] 6.74★

There aren't many mapsets that are as notorious as Fullerene's Mario Paint (Time Regression Mix for BMS). Its D-HYPER difficulty is part of one of the harder 4K dan courses, and even outside of Dan courses, D-HYPER has been a benchmark for many players for many years. D-NORMAL has also been a popular chart for lower-level players, and D-ANOTHER, while originally a joke difficulty meant to emulate a chart from BMS, has been played frequently by the very best players today.

D-NORMAL contains 1/6 jumpstream, with a maximum density of doubles every 3 notes. The patterns in D-NORMAL are fairly difficult, with frequent minijacks and one-hand minitrills. D-HYPER contains 1/8 jumpstream with very difficult patterning. If you slip up once, you'll practically never recover. D-ANOTHER contains 1/12 streams, which means that the streams clock 465 BPM 1/4s, or 31 notes per second. D-ANOTHER's stream patterns are easy, but its sheer speed makes it near-impossible for any player to attain an S-rank on.

Mario Paint, as a mapset, has sustained popularity for over four and a half years, and you'll practically never meet anyone who has been playing osu!mania for a while and not know what Mario Paint is. Its popularity, alongside its general accessibility towards a wide range of players, makes this mapset a contender for the Loved section of the highest caliber.

Kurosaki Maon - Gravitation by tangjinxi
200 BPM, 4:22 | [7K] 10.38★

For this round, 7K gets to see another welcome face known for their O2Jam charts. This is tangjinxi's Gravitation.

Taking the creative liberties of extensive LN usages, tanjinxi manages to incorporate heavily varying concepts into a dense 4 minute song. O2Jam at its core takes ideas that are more present in other charting metas like strict lane allocations and pattern repetitions, not to mention the usage of both SVs and extreme valued red line gimmicks which are surprisingly very sightreadable to play! And at 200 BPM, the map is exactly what you would expect with large chords and chordstreams accented with LN usages. One major point of consideration is the usage of OD5 which may very well prove to be a challenge to get good accuracy while playing a near top level difficulty chart.

Gravitation might as well be considered a mildly modern take on a very well established meta.

From everyone on the Project Loved team, we hope you enjoyed this week's selection, and are looking 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 Noffy, huu and Ephemeral 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.

—Toy