Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage!
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! is a rhythm game developed by Colorful Palette in cooperation with, and published by, Sega. The game features the 6 Virtual Singers of Crypton Future MediaHatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, Kagamine Rin and Len, Meiko, and Kaitoalongside the cast of twenty original human characters that are split into five themed units. Set in the real world where Virtual Singers only exist as fiction, the characters come across another dimension called "Sekai", which is created by the members' "true feelings".
The game was released for Android and iOS devices on September 30, 2020 in Japan. A Taiwanese server, published by Nuverse, was released on September 30, 2021. Sega released an English server of the game worldwide on December 7, 2021, with expansion to 5 countries in Southeast Asia on September 25, 2023. A Korean server was released on May 20, 2022, in South Korea, published by Nuverse. A Simplified Chinese server was released on March 27, 2025, in mainland China.
Gameplay
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! gameplay consists of tapping notes as they slide toward the bottom to the rhythm of a chosen song; players have to tap, slide, and flick to match new free-form rhythm notes, and special yellow notes that are worth more points towards the score. The overall gameplay is similar to Sega's Persona Dancing, Chunithm and Bandai Namco's The Idolmaster-themed rhythm games, the players are given 1,000 health points to clear a song with the ability to heal through character skills, and one can adjust song speed and difficulty to their liking. Instead of an energy system that is prevalent in most free-to-play games, this game utilizes Live Boosts that increase rewards for completing a song, and players can continue playing even when they run out of boosts.Players gain experience points by clearing songs and listening to overworld conversations between characters. Such conversations are fully voiced with 2.5D movement via Live2D technology, and their conversations are depicted in a visual novel-style presentation that is prepared for each group, including Virtual Singers, such as Hatsune Miku. Further conversations are added over time through events. EXP also improves a unit's rank, which unlocks additional chapters in group stories. Cards, which use a star ranking system to determine rarity—four stars being the rarest, are acquired via the gacha system, a luck-based mechanic in which players spend the in-game currency Crystals with the hope of winning their desired cards. Although this is a free-to-play game, players can spend real-life currency to acquire in-game currency.
The game also features virtual lives, which is a mode where players can go to a virtual concert, similar to augmented reality or a Vocaloid-themed live concert, where players can interact with one another. They can see other players all around the world and their favorite group performing via 3D animation.
The game initially launched with 28 songs, with around four new songs added per month to the game, with over 500 songs currently included. The tracklist mainly consists of Vocaloid songs or those from Vocaloid producers, with most songs having two versions: the original version, and Sekai versions, having the song covered by the original characters, and sometimes joined by a virtual singer. Some songs also have a 3D-animated and/or 2D-animated music video, with animated MVs either being newly created for the game or original. Songs without an official MV are played with a static 2D background, commonly known as "Lite" in-game.
Plot
Setting
Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage! is set in the real world, specifically in Shibuya, Tokyo. In this game, Hatsune Miku and her friends are famous fictional singers existing in the real world as Virtual Singers. They sing songs from creators all over the world, but they also exist in "Sekai", a mysterious world different from the real world that is created from a person's "true feelings", featuring various visual appearances based on the person. There are as many Sekai as there are emotions, and their form changes depending on the person's emotions. Therefore, the focus of the game is on the original characters and their journeys to find their "true feelings" with the help of the virtual singers.To enter Sekai, one user must find and play the song "Untitled". A silent song with no melody or lyrics was created at the same time as every Sekai, and is mysteriously inserted on their devices. It can be done on anything, such as a handheld game console, a smartphone, a smartwatch, a television, a tablet, or a computer. When a user plays an "Untitled" song, they'll travel between the real world and the Sekai. When one user manages to discover their true feelings, the song will contain a playable melody, lyrics, and even get its own title.
Story
Each of the five groups and members has their own story, focusing on their journey to convey their "true feelings":- Leo/need: Ichika Hoshino wishes to recover her memories with her childhood friends—Saki Tenma, Shiho Hinomori, and Honami Mochizuki—to make them come together again as their friendship had become strained in the aftermath of various circumstances that occurred during middle school. She entered the School Sekai and met a punk-rock-styled Miku, who told her to convey her feelings to her friends and overcome their differences. Ichika and her friends eventually formed a band to restore their friendship and discover their shared memories through music.
- More More Jump!: Minori Hanasato has dreamed of becoming an idol ever since she saw Haruka Kiritani when she was very young. Despite having failed auditions multiple times, she never gives up and hopes to pass an audition one day to achieve her dream. One day, on the school rooftop, she met Haruka when the latter was practicing her dance moves, only to find out Haruka had retired from her idol career. The two entered the Stage Sekai along with Airi Momoi and Shizuku Hinomori, where they met an idol-like Miku, who encouraged Minori to make her dream come true.
- Vivid Bad Squad: Kohane Azusawa has been deeply passionate about street music ever since she stumbled upon a singing session by An Shiraishi. Captivated by her singing, Kohane joined An to become a street musician herself and later teamed up with former rivals Akito Shinonome and Toya Aoyagi. They entered the Street Sekai and met a hip-hop-styled Miku, and together they began the quest to surpass a legend.
- Wonderlands x Showtime: Tsukasa Tenma has always wanted to make his sickly sister, Saki, happy, but as time passed, he couldn't remember why he wanted to be a star in the first place. He was hired to work part-time at the theme park Phoenix Wonderland, but the once-popular Wonder Stage theater he is assigned to has been deserted, unable to attract any visitors for years. There, he met Emu Otori, who desires to restore the theater to its former glory, considering it her grandfather's legacy. Joined by Nene Kusanagi and Rui Kamishiro, they formed a musical theater troupe as they entered the Wonderland Sekai and met a clown-like Miku, hoping to revive the theater's glory and make people happy.
- Nightcord at 25:00: Kanade "K" Yoisaki has been homeschooled and has become reclusive due to a trauma she sustained from an incident that happened in the past. She formed an underground music circle with her three online acquaintances—Mafuyu "Yuki" Asahina, Ena "Enanan" Shinonome, and Mizuki "Amia" Akiyama. They communicated via a voice-chat platform named "Nightcord", meeting every late night at 25:00. None of them knew each other's true names or identities, only knowing each other by online aliases and through voice chat. Kanade was pulled into the Empty Sekai by a mysterious-looking Miku, who urged her to help save Mafuyu, the group's lyricist, who had mysteriously disappeared a week prior.
Characters