Overview
バーチャルダム ネーション (Virtualdam Nation) is a high-octane original track by Sampling Masters MEGA, the alias of veteran Namco composer Shinji Hosoe, featuring vocal shouts by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi. Released for maimai でらっくす on July 11, 2019, the song marked Hosoe's second contribution to the maimai series after Moon of Noon. At 210 BPM, it fuses hard-edged Rotterdam techno with the propulsive energy that defined Hosoe's earlier arcade-racing compositions, most notably ROTTERDAM NATION from the original Ridge Racer.
The title itself is a portmanteau: "バーチャルダム" blends "バーチャル" (virtual) with "ロッテルダムテクノ" (Rotterdam techno, a genre Hosoe is closely associated with) or a direct callback to his own Ridge Racer track ROTTERDAM NATION. The jacket art and music video, directed by TOHRU MiTSUHASHi (Seiichi Itagaki), are thick with visual homages to Sega's 1992 arcade racing game Virtua Racing, car silhouettes, checkerboard panels, and general retro-arcade aesthetic. Players have also noted a resemblance between the MV's style and the infamous "インド人" misprint credit from another maimai track, The wheel to the right.
Originally locked behind the Beginning Area (はじまりのちほー), requiring 2,900 meters of area progress to unlock, the song became available by default starting with maimai でらっくす Splash. Its in-game genre was initially listed as ORIGINAL before being moved to the maimai category during the でらっくす PLUS update. A Re:MASTER chart was added on December 3, 2021 as part of the maimai でらっくす UNiVERSE update, coinciding with the release of the maimai でらっくす ベストアルバムちほー soundtrack area.
Videos
Charts
DX
BASIC
4(4)
175 notesDesigner: -|Tap 141Hold 13Slide 4Touch 14Break 3
ADVANCED
8(8)
351 notesDesigner: -|Tap 279Hold 31Slide 13Touch 26Break 2
EXPERT
10+(10.6)
653 notesDesigner: サファ太|Tap 483Hold 89Slide 10Touch 60Break 11
MASTER
13+(13.6)
909 notesDesigner: はっぴー|Tap 609Hold 67Slide 79Touch 148Break 6
Re:MASTER
14(14.4)
984 notesDesigner: ぴちネコ|Tap 640Hold 71Slide 129Touch 100Break 44
Trivia
- バーチャルダム ネーション is Sampling Masters MEGA (Shinji Hosoe)'s second original composition contributed to the maimai series, following Moon of Noon.
- The title is a portmanteau of "バーチャル" (virtual) and "ロッテルダムテクノ" (Rotterdam techno), a hard-edged electronic genre Hosoe is known for, or directly from ROTTERDAM NATION, his track from the original Ridge Racer arcade game.
- The jacket art and music video are packed with visual references to Sega's 1992 arcade racing game Virtua Racing, including car silhouettes and checkerboard motifs.
- The music video was directed by TOHRU MiTSUHASHi (Seiichi Itagaki), whose distinctive style on this track reminded players of the misprinted "インド人" credit seen in the maimai track The wheel to the right.
- The track features vocal performances by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, a fellow Namco/Bandai Namco composer known for his work on Ridge Racer, Tekken, and Ace Combat soundtracks, though the song contains no structured lyrics.
- The MASTER chart, designed by はっぴー, opens with eight consecutive Touch Hold notes and features flashy EX note patterns timed to 12th-note rhythms, giving players a brief recovery window between dense sections.
- The Re:MASTER chart, designed by ぴちネコ, reuses a distinctive bent-then-retrieve slide pattern first seen in the MASTER chart of Moon of Noon, though the slides in this chart are not ear-slides (イーチスライド).
- The Re:MASTER chart was added on December 3, 2021 as part of the maimai でらっくす UNiVERSE update, celebrating the release of the maimai でらっくす ベストアルバムちほー soundtrack area.
- The in-game genre was originally listed as ORIGINAL at launch, but was moved to the maimai category during the でらっくす PLUS update.
- The song's BPM of 210 and hard techno style place it among the fastest and most intense original tracks in the maimai DX lineup.
FAQ
- Who composed バーチャルダム ネーション?
- The track was composed and arranged by Shinji Hosoe under his alias Sampling Masters MEGA, with vocal shouts by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi and a music video directed by TOHRU MiTSUHASHi (Seiichi Itagaki).
- What does the song title バーチャルダム ネーション mean?
- The title is a portmanteau combining "バーチャル" (virtual) with "ロッテルダムテクノ" (Rotterdam techno), a genre Hosoe frequently works in. It also directly references his own track ROTTERDAM NATION from the original Ridge Racer arcade game.
- Which maimai version introduced バーチャルダム ネーション?
- It debuted in maimai でらっくす (maimai DX) on July 11, 2019, as part of the Beginning Area (はじまりのちほー). It became available by default starting with maimai でらっくす Splash.
- Does バーチャルダム ネーション have lyrics?
- No. The track contains vocal shouts by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi but has no structured lyrics.
- What do the jacket and music video reference?
- Both the jacket art and music video are filled with visual homages to Sega's 1992 arcade racing game Virtua Racing, including car silhouettes and checkerboard racing motifs.
- Who designed each chart difficulty for バーチャルダム ネーション?
- The Expert chart was designed by サファ太, the Master chart by はっぴー, and the Re:Master chart by ぴちネコ. The Basic and Advanced charts do not have credited designers.
- When was the Re:MASTER chart added?
- The Re:MASTER chart was added on December 3, 2021 during the maimai でらっくす UNiVERSE update, alongside the release of the maimai でらっくす ベストアルバムちほー soundtrack area.
- What genre is バーチャルダム ネーション classified under in maimai?
- It was initially categorized as ORIGINAL at launch, but was moved to the maimai genre category during the でらっくす PLUS update, where it has remained ever since.
