Ontamarama is a rhythm game

Rhythm game

Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to press buttons in a sequence dictated on the screen...

 published by Atlus

Atlus

is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...

 for the Nintendo DS

Nintendo DS

The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...

. The game uses both of the DS's screens, touch functionality, and the microphone during gameplay. The story revolves around spirits called Ontama, who live on a tropical island and can create music.

Gameplay

Ontamaramas gameplay is a combination of games like Dance Dance Revolution

Dance Dance Revolution

Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...

 and Elite Beat Agents

Elite Beat Agents

Elite Beat Agents is a music video game developed by iNiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was first released in North America, and has since been released in Europe and South Korea . It is the spiritual sequel to Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, a Japanese rhythm game...

. The player must hit a D-pad direction as it passes through a circle, similar to DDR, but with the stylus. Each arrow has a color and will only register if enough colored energy is stored. To store energy, the player must touch colored Ontama that move across the touch screen. Black Ontama's may appear and block the colored ones, and some Ontama need to be touched twice. Blowing into the microphone allows the player to clear the screen of all Ontama, but this can only be used a limited amount of times.

Story

Taking place on a tropical island, the focus of the story are the Ontama spirits. Someone steals the Ontama by hypnotizing the island's people. Beat and Rest, the main characters, are both "Ontamaestros" and they attempt to free the Ontama by battling the islanders in musical fights.

Reception

Ontamarama received fairly good scores, averaging a 71% at Metacritic.com. IGN.com, who gave the game a 7.3, felt that the gameplay was too complicated, but that the game had plenty of charm. Aaron Kaluszka, a reviewer from Nintendo World Report, gave the game a 70/100 and said that "Ontamarama is certainly no Elite Beat Agents, but its style of gameplay is definitely unique."