Cytus II

Review by eFreeware

Cytus II is a rhythm game from Rayark, the studio behind Cytus, DEEMO and VOEZ, and it is the direct sequel to the first Cytus. The original team came back for it, and the game has been out since March 2018, which makes the ongoing updates worth noting. It costs $1.99, carries no ads, and offers in-app purchases. More than a million people have installed it, and its average sits at 4.1 from over 136,000 ratings.

The main reason to consider it is the combination of a large song library and a story that unfolds between songs. The developer describes more than 100 tracks in total, with 35 or so included and the rest sold as purchases, plus over 300 charts spread across difficulty levels. That is a lot of material for a rhythm game, and it is the kind of library that rewards returning to it rather than finishing it once.

The setting is a virtual internet space called cyTus, where a masked DJ known as Æsir announces a concert and draws an enormous crowd. That premise frames the music, so you get context for the tracks.

Tapping to a line that moves with the beat

The core mechanic is what the developer calls the Active Judgement Line. Instead of notes falling toward a fixed bar at the bottom of the screen, a horizontal line sweeps up and down the playfield, and you tap notes at the moment it crosses them. It is a small change in theory, but it alters how you read a chart, because your eyes track a moving reference point rather than a static one.

That line also changes speed according to the beat, so the pacing of a song is built into the way you play it. Five note types are in play, and the charts use them to express different parts of a track. The stated goal is to tie the gameplay to the music rather than layer it on top, and the moving line is the clearest expression of that idea.

If you have played other rhythm games, the adjustment period is mostly about timing your taps against a target that will not stay still. The developer says the design makes it easy to lose yourself in the songs, and that is the sort of claim only playing can settle. The mechanic gives the game a distinct feel compared with a conventional falling-note setup.

A library built for long sessions

The song list draws on composers from Japan, Korea, the US, Europe, Taiwan and elsewhere, and the genres run from electronic to rock to classical. Each in-game character is tied to a particular selection, so working through the cast is also a way of working through different styles of music. That structure gives you a reason to move between characters beyond simply chasing a higher score.

Difficulty is handled through the charts rather than separate modes. With over 300 of them spanning easy to hard, there should be a sensible entry point for a newcomer and enough headroom for someone who already plays rhythm games regularly. The spread is meant to give players at different levels something to work with, and the numbers back that up.

The iM system is where the story lives. It presents the narrative through something resembling a social feed, with the world pieced together gradually through the characters. Visual presentation is cinematic in style.

What the $1.99 actually covers

The game costs $1.99 up front and contains no advertising. It does offer in-app purchases: the base game includes 35 or more songs, while another 70 or more are sold as purchases. So the initial price buys a working game with a real library, and the extra tracks are optional additions rather than something the base package depends on.

The developer's own note asks players to buy according to their interest and means, which is a reasonable way to frame a catalog that can grow well past the included material.

For anyone weighing it up, the practical question is whether 35 or so songs and the associated charts are enough. That is a substantial starting library by the standards of the genre, and the paid packs are there if you want more once you have worked through it.

The audience this fits

This is a game for people who already like rhythm games and want a large, varied catalog with a difficulty range that stretches in both directions. The Active Judgement Line gives it a character of its own, so if you have grown tired of the standard falling-note format, the change in how you read a chart is the appeal.

It also suits players who like a narrative attached to their music. The iM system turns the story into something you uncover as you play, which gives the sessions a sense of progression beyond scores and rankings.

The content rating is Teen, and the developer's own note points to mild violence and vulgar language with a suggested age of 15 and up. That is worth knowing if you are considering it for a younger player. Otherwise, the price is low enough that the decision mostly comes down to whether the song library and the moving-line mechanic sound like your kind of thing.

Recent additions worth knowing about

The most recent update is tied to Rayark's 15th anniversary and adds six songs at no cost, along with a free track from something called In Falsus. A further song joins The CAPSO, and a new bundle called Bundle II is available. Song covers for some tracks were also refreshed.

The update also resolved a bug that could block players from starting a song during parts of the story.

For anyone picking the game up now, the free additions mean the included library is a little larger than it was. It is a reasonable moment to start if you have been considering it.

A rhythm game with a library worth growing into

Cytus II is easy to recommend to anyone who plays rhythm games regularly and wants a catalog with genuine range. The $1.99 price gets you a full game with no ads, a mechanic that sets it apart from the usual falling-note approach, and a story that runs alongside the music rather than interrupting it. The 4.1 average from a large body of ratings suggests it has held up over the years since its 2018 release.

The caveat is the song library split. If you want everything, the extra 70 or more tracks come as purchases on top of the initial price, and that is a cost you should factor in before deciding.

If you are new to the genre, the difficulty spread should give you room to learn without being thrown in at the deep end. If you already play, the Active Judgement Line and the chart count are the reasons to look at this one rather than a simpler alternative. Either way, the entry price makes it a low-risk thing to try.

What's new in version 5.2.21

--- Rayark 15th Anniversary Update --- - Fixed an issue where players were unable to start a song at certain points in the story - 6 new songs added for free: Nebula184 Satellites Ververg III Clockwork Afterhours MESSiΛH COMPL3X Mezereon - Free single added from "In Falsus": Cryogenic - New song added to The CAPSO!: Holy Knight - New bundle "Bundle II" - Updated song covers for some songs