A March visit to Level 419

Just before the social distancing mandates set in, I was able to take in a fresh visit to Level 419 arcade in Northwood, Ohio, which allowed me to gather more media and get my hands on a few more rhythm game titles that are new to the area.

First up is an updated walkthrough of the arcade, featuring all of the cabinets new to the location since our last overview at the end of 2019:

In focusing on rhythm game titles, first up is the unique Museca cabinet. Not only is there a set of buttons to press in time with the music, but these buttons also spin to create a few additional commands for players. It’s always been said the game never fared well in arcades and is now a defunct Bemani series. Word came out in the past few years that Konami released a new Bishi Bashi game for which these cabinets could be converted to. It’s unfortunate as the game is still quite fun to play.

The final Glass City Con I operated had a Museca cabinet on the floor, and this was my one chance I’ve had to play Museca. It was nice to be able to get my hands on the game once more nearly four years later.

And, lastly, I got my hands on a MaiMai Finale cabinet by SEGA. I had a very, very brief experience with the game at the recent C2E2 event in Chicago, so this marked my first real opportunity to take in the game. Much like how I never thought about how cool a Capcom rhythm game would be until a Crossbeats was in front of me, the SEGA approach brings in a load of really great songs from the company.

I gave my best efforts in learning how to play MaiMai, but I’ll need more experience with the game to be able to tackle the higher difficulties!