Have you ever wanted to see a real android sing? Throughout many franchises, we’ve seen our fair share of “android” characters who also happen to be great singers. But working as one of their managers seems to be a new business and that’s what you will be doing in Technoroid Unison Heart.
For those who are unfamiliar with this title, Technoroid is a media mix project co-developed by CyberAgent, Avex Pictures, and Elements Garden. It focuses on the live battles at the entertainment tower “Babel”, a new facility for those who have lost joy due to the limited activities after large-scale climate change caused by the bloated sun. It tells the story of the Android in Babel, who strive to become the top performer in this desperate world.
The project will include an anime by Doga Kobo and a game by WonderPlanet, which is our main focus today.
▍Charm Your Audience With Live Shows!
Let’s not waste any time and get straight to the main game system: Lives. One of the pros is that you don’t need to force yourself to listen to a particular song. You can configure a playlist, that will let the game know which songs you want it to shuffle.
During Lives, you have a puzzle field with five different shards, and you must earn points in order to make the performance successful. The more shards you match, the higher your score. If your HP reaches 0, the live show is considered to be a failure.
Clearing live shows are fast and easy, and it all comes down to how you build your team. The game doesn’t limit how many moves you can do unlike certain puzzle games, and there’s no achievements that require you to finish the live in say, 20 moves or less, which makes this a very nice and casual puzzle to solve.
And of course, if you just don’t feel like matching puzzles, the game has an AUTO mode that will automatically search and tap the “best” part of the field for you. It’s undoubtedly a handy option if you’re a multitasker, like me.
▍Ikemen Androids With Colourful Personalities
Clearing live shows will get you the materials needed to train the Androids, and there are also dedicated stages for training materials that rotate daily. To save you the time for grinding, you can skip already cleared stages with a multiplier.
The Memory Tree is where you’ll go when you want to upgrade your Android Skills, as well as unlock new story quests. These story quests provide a private glimpse into Android’s daily life.
And even though about 60% of the tree can be unlocked after you pull another copy, you can still unlock all three of their story chapters without uncapping the characters! Which, if you’re more into the story, this means you don’t have to literally break the bank just to get to know your Android more.
▍Get to Know the Android with Their Individual Stories
Stories are divided into four categories: Main Story, Android Story, Event Story, and finally, the Mini Story. As of the time of writing, only four chapters out of the promised twenty are available in the main story. Android and Event Stories also offer a change of pace from the main story.
There are six units in the game: KNoCC, formed by a quartet of Androids you suddenly activate, STAND-ALONE, Mechanica Metallica, Frankie♡Not, D.M.A. and finally Karakurishinshi. While not all songs of all of these units can be unlocked, I personally enjoyed the upbeat tracks of KNoCC. Their song “IDempty” has been my top choice when configuring the playlist. A sample of the song can be found below;
Throughout the story, you’ll meet all sorts of different android units, and while I liked their interactions…I felt something was missing with the fact that the protagonist is not voiced. You see, the protagonist has an interchangeable gender, and they talk…A lot. But they don’t have a face, let alone a voice, which makes it difficult for players to immerse in the world of Technoroid. Don’t get me wrong, you can still what the MC thinks or feels, but all these are depicted from the text alone.
A mute protagonist is not hard to find in otome games. But in the case of Technoroid, in which the protagonist is heavily involved in conversations, more effort (at least a face) is needed to picture him/her out.
▍Final Thoughts on Technoroid Unison Heart
Technoroid Unison Heart is an amazing game. Though more elements are required to make the story more immersive, the game makes up for it with interesting interaction among the Androids, as well as easy-to-understand game mechanics. All of the songs are also a joy to listen to, and I can’t wait to see what else this project has to offer. I give this game a 4.3 out of 5.
