Warm tropical synths washing over you like a beach breeze made of drum and bass. beatmania IIDX 18 Resort Anthem landed in 2011 and fully committed to the vacation aesthetic. Mermaid girl is an instant-classic vocal trance track, the kind that makes you feel feelings at an arcade cabinet.
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BLUST OF WIND keeps that breezy energy going, while BROKEN EDEN flips the mood dark with intense, driving electronica. The resort theme gave composers permission to go places IIDX usually does not. Golden Palms sounds legitimately sunny, and La Mar has this laid-back house groove.
But Destiny Sword shows up with battle energy because this is still IIDX. That tension between paradise and intensity is what makes it work. For anyone who wants rhythm game music that sounds like a vacation going sideways.