rating

4 /5

Osu! is a freeware rhythm game based on commercial titles including Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents, Taiko no Tatsujin, beatmania IIDX, O2Jam, and DJMax.

Game levels are called beatmaps. In each beatmap, a song will play and different rhythmic hit elements (hit circles, sliders and spinners) will appear on the play field. Players must use a pointing device to manipulate these elements in time with the playing song's rhythm in order to earn points. The use of a graphics tablet in combination with a keyboard is common in osu!, although some players do use a mouse.

The game uses player designed "beatmaps", which are the files containing the actual gameplay data. These are created using an in-game editor, allowing the user to pick any song they like and produce beats for it. Beatmaps for specific songs can then be shared through an in-game uploader directly linked to the main site.