What is The Great Journey about?

The song is the theme of the SEGA medal game Horka Torka and follows an interstellar treasure-hunting narrative. The lyrics reference four worlds spread across the heavens, mirroring the medal game's multi-world digging mechanic.

When was The Great Journey added to maimai?

The Great Journey was added to maimai ORANGE on October 9, 2014.

Is the maimai version of The Great Journey different from the original?

Yes. The maimai version is a distinct arrangement reworked from the original Horka Torka medal-game track, with trickier tempo and gimmick adjustments to suit rhythm-game play.

Who designed the MASTER and EXPERT charts for The Great Journey?

The MASTER chart was designed by rioN, and the EXPERT chart was designed by mai-Star. Both are standard (non-DX) charts introduced in maimai ORANGE.

What genre is The Great Journey in current maimai versions?

The Great Journey is classified under GAME & VARIETY (ゲーム＆バラエティ). Its genre has changed over time: originally GAME in ORANGE, SEGA from PiNK through FiNALE, ORIGINAL in early でらっくす, and GAME & VARIETY from でらっくす PLUS onward.

The Great Journey, maimai ORANGE Song (光吉猛修「ホルカ・トルカ」)

All songs

Overview

The Great Journey is the English-language theme song for Horka Torka (ホルカ×トルカ), a SEGA medal game built around a digital smart-ball physics system in which players dig for treasure while weighing the risk of pushing further or cashing out. Composed, arranged, and performed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi (光吉猛修), a veteran SEGA sound-team composer whose credits span arcade hits, console titles, and amusement machines, the track features English lyrics co-written with Jon Rodgers, written with an eye toward international release. The song found its way into maimai ORANGE on October 9, 2014, through a chain of behind-the-scenes connections: the director of the original Horka Torka medal game later became the director of maimai, and Mitsuyoshi repeatedly urged him, "let's put Horka Torka's vocal song in maimai, let's put it in", until it was greenlit. The maimai version is a distinct arrangement from the medal-game original, reworked with added rhythmic trickiness to suit the rhythm-game format. Its chart designers, mai-Star (EXPERT) and rioN (MASTER), each brought distinct approaches to translating the song's upbeat, treasure-hunting energy into playable patterns.

Videos

Master chart

Open

Expert chart

Open

Charts

STD

BASIC

6(6)

184 notesDesigner: -|Tap 160Hold 10Slide 8Break 6

YouTube

ADVANCED

6(6)

255 notesDesigner: -|Tap 227Hold 16Slide 9Break 3

YouTube

EXPERT

10(10)

341 notesDesigner: mai-Star|Tap 248Hold 57Slide 25Break 11

YouTube

MASTER

11+(11.6)

520 notesDesigner: rioN|Tap 417Hold 51Slide 33Break 19

View chart YouTube

Trivia

The Great Journey is the theme song of the SEGA medal game Horka Torka, a digital smart-ball machine where players dig for treasure using a physical ball-draw lottery mechanism. The game's core decision, dig further (Horka) or pull out and collect (Torka), defines its risk-reward loop.
Takenobu Mitsuyoshi wrote the English lyrics together with Jon Rodgers, aiming for an international audience. The lyrics describe an interplanetary treasure hunt across four worlds, directly mirroring the medal game's setting.
The maimai version of The Great Journey is a distinct arrangement from the original medal-game track. Mitsuyoshi has noted that the tempo and structural gimmicks were made trickier to fit the rhythm-game format, giving it a noticeably different character.
The song's inclusion in maimai came about through a personal connection: the director of Horka Torka later became director of maimai, and Mitsuyoshi persistently pitched the idea until it was accepted.
Over successive maimai versions, The Great Journey's genre label has shifted several times: GAME during ORANGE, SEGA from PiNK through FiNALE, ORIGINAL in early でらっくす, and finally GAME & VARIETY from でらっくす PLUS onward.
The original Horka Torka medal game became relatively rare in Japanese arcades, with many surviving units converted to 100-yen-only operation. It was later re-released on SEGA's GAPOLI (ガポリ) platform, improving accessibility.
In Asian English versions of maimai, the artist credit is romanized as Takenobu Mitsuyoshi 'HORUKA × TORUKA'.
The MASTER chart by rioN at level 11+ (constant 11.6) features 520 total notes, with 417 Taps making up the majority of its dense patterning.

FAQ

Who composed The Great Journey for maimai?: The Great Journey was composed, arranged, and performed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi (光吉猛修), a veteran SEGA sound-team composer. The English lyrics were co-written by Mitsuyoshi and Jon Rodgers.
What is The Great Journey about?: The song is the theme of the SEGA medal game Horka Torka and follows an interstellar treasure-hunting narrative. The lyrics reference four worlds spread across the heavens, mirroring the medal game's multi-world digging mechanic.
When was The Great Journey added to maimai?: The Great Journey was added to maimai ORANGE on October 9, 2014.
Is the maimai version of The Great Journey different from the original?: Yes. The maimai version is a distinct arrangement reworked from the original Horka Torka medal-game track, with trickier tempo and gimmick adjustments to suit rhythm-game play.
Who designed the MASTER and EXPERT charts for The Great Journey?: The MASTER chart was designed by rioN, and the EXPERT chart was designed by mai-Star. Both are standard (non-DX) charts introduced in maimai ORANGE.
What genre is The Great Journey in current maimai versions?: The Great Journey is classified under GAME & VARIETY (ゲーム＆バラエティ). Its genre has changed over time: originally GAME in ORANGE, SEGA from PiNK through FiNALE, ORIGINAL in early でらっくす, and GAME & VARIETY from でらっくす PLUS onward.