Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat Game Releases for Apple Devices

Over the years, mobile games have really come into their own. Arguably, they may not be as popular as console or PC gaming systems, but the likes of Candy Crush have generated hundreds of millions in revenue. Even mobile versions of console games seem to do pretty well. With that, Apple announces that it's just released an iOS version of Bandai Namco's rhythm game Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat.

The game is available via the Apple app store and is compatible with iPhones, iPads and even Apple TV. It's also available for Apple Arcade subscribers, costing $4.99 per month. For those not in the know, the game works by players drumming along in time to various songs, not too dissimilar to previous rhythm games. The game also comes with a multiplayer mode, so friends can play together.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat is just one of many different iterations of the Taiko no Tatsujin games that Bandai Namco have been developing and publishing since 2001. The games themselves tend to release to fairly decent reviews, but they seem to be relatively lost amidst Western audiences.

As recently as last August, Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack was announced for the Switch, releasing at the end of 2020. Other than that, and this latest development, the games generally seem to launch with little fanfare outside its original Japanese market. The series stands as one of the last remaining popular rhythm games going and with Pop Tap Beat now out on Apple devices, it could be a way of introducing the franchise to a whole new audience.

Apple announced today that it added more than 30 new games to its Apple Arcade subscription service today. The Apple Arcade additions feature some great classics, but also a few surprise heavy hitters.

Apple Arcade is a monthly subscription plan similar to Xbox Game Pass that gives users access to over 150 games for $4.99 a month. The service has always had an interesting mix of titles, ranging from more traditional mobile titles like Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows to mobile ports of popular indie games such as Cat Quest 2 and Enter The Gungeon.

The newest slate of games added to Apple Arcade continues the trend, with a splattering of classic mobile titles mixed in with some larger releases that definitely catch the eye. For the more nostalgic side of the classics, Apple is bringing Cut the Rope Remastered as well as Fruit Ninja Classic just in case any players wanted to forget all about 2020 and feel like they are a decade in the past again. The additions also bring great titles like Mini Metro, Monument Valley, Reigns, The Oregon Trail, The Room Two, and Threes! to the service, which is a pretty strong list already.

The less traditional mobile additions come from the likes of vaudevillian survival-sim Don't Starve: Pocket Edition as well as NBA 2K21 Arcade Edition. Real heavy-hitting highlights of the list however are the additions of Fantasian from the creators of Final Fantasy as well as the surprise launch of PlatinumGames' World of Demons that was announced and then not heard from much back in 2018. For any Apple fans that are looking for something really old school, the list also includes the likes of Backgammon, Checkers Royale, Chess - Play & Learn, FlipFlop Solitaire, Mahjong Titan, Really Bad Chess, Sudoku Simple, and Tiny Crossword.