In the indie space there are absolutely loads of oddball titles of all sorts. Whether the subject matter is just odd, it has an art style that blows your mind, or it shoves together genres or styles of play you weren’t expecting, the Switch probably has you covered. In the case of ICHU, the combination in question mixes together a talent management sim with a relatively simple-but-effective rhythm game, featuring some decent poppy tunes.

On the management side of the coin, after quite a lot of explanation, you’ll find that for the most part everything is done in a trading card sort of setup. You’ll be able to gain character cards by performing, there are options for training your current talent, and you’ll even be able to scout out new artists. Honestly, it got a bit overwhelming for me and some elements of the complexity felt more for show than easily measurable effects, but for trading card fans this aspect may still be a fun exercise.

Then, on the rhythm game side, you’ll essentially be able to put together the performers you have, I suppose trying to form a super group of sorts. The fundamentals of the gameplay don’t seem to change too much outside of the effects of some skill use, but I’m sure the deeper you get the more nuance in how you set things up will get to be more essential. In terms of the actual play, you’ll be using both the D-Pad and some buttons, trying to keep up with 4 tracks of notes that will come by. The timing generally feels good by default, which is nice, and for the most part the different skill levels feel pretty distinct and fair in how they play out.

All that said, unless you’re really invested in the game’s style, and trying to patiently get through the time it takes to try to luck into or unlock everything, it may not be a great match. Sure, the rhythm elements work nicely, but there are better titles out there with more diverse music and greater complexity. You may enjoy the management aspect, but there are also more accessible and fun management titles of various kinds out there too. This feels like it could make a niche audience very happy, but for everyone else it may be a tough sell.