DJMax Respect can be hard, but there are certainly tricks to improve your game. Some are obvious, others not so much, but with this guide you should start to get better. That being said, there is no better way to improve than memorizing songs and getting better at doing them.
Speed can have a huge impact on difficulty
At glance speed might seem pointless, though it impacts how quickly inputs appear on the screen. This is important for two reasons. The first is that it’s easier to focus on a couple inputs than 10 or more, with the other big one being timing. Slower speeds tend to break the second inputs are out of blue, where as faster speeds won’t break, even if the input is slightly out of the blue.
Obviously different songs and sections will require their own speed, this will just make it easier to overcome some sections. Like, I can max combo some songs at 2x speed, where as I can’t do the same song at 1x. It’s also important to note speed can be changed during a song, so if you do better at X during Y and A with B, you can make it so.
Difficulty rating isn’t absolute
Even though some songs have a lower rating, such as five Xs, this won’t always tell you how difficult it is to do. You should always check out the beats per minute or BPM before starting a higher difficulty song. Those with a higher BPM will have more inputs than those with a lower BPM, making them more challenging. The same is true for certain tones, which will make sense the more you play.
At times, five button can be the hardest
Out of the four button tune types, five is likely the hardest. Unlike four, six and eight, five shares a common button in the middle that can throw players off. This is largely due to four, six and eight always knowing where your fingers should be, where as five might have the right or left thumb and that choice may or may not work out for you. So, if you’re having issues with five, try six and return to it later.
Inputs are color coordinated
With up to eight possible inputs and lacking the color and design indicators of Hatsune Miku, it can be extremely difficult to gauge what you need to press. However, the developers thought of this and coordinated the colors and designs. White will always, with the default button scheme, be an outside or inside button, with blue indicating the top most button, red bars being a trigger and mint blocks requiring thumbstick swirling. Getting the scheme down can be hard, especially for newcomers but the sooner you realize what the game is telling you, the better.
Take it slow and have fun
The quickest way to lose interest, get frustrated or stop having fun is to prioritize improvement over fun. It’s better to spend 10 hours mastering four before going to five or beating a song on normal prior to hard. Winning shouldn’t be a race, just a journey, one that will vary from player to player. Especially since some players have been playing these games for years and/or have different backgrounds that make them good at this particular genre. The faster you stick to what is fun and slowly work on progressing, likely the better experience you’ll have.