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Project Loved: November 2022

by clayton

You know how this goes: we've got the picks, you've got the votes, and together we'll get some awesome maps added to the Loved category. Come see what the captains are bringing forward in November's round of Project Loved!

...or if you don't know how this goes: Project Loved hosts monthly votings to decide which nominated maps get added to the Loved category. You can click on each map's banner in this post to go to its poll on the forums, or visit the forum for a list of all of the polls. Polls will be open for 10 days, so make sure to cast your votes in time! More info can be found on the wiki page and website!

Detailed results for the previous round can be found on the poll results page of the website or in the following forum posts:

Remember how the osu!catch and osu!mania captains were taking applications for more people to join their ranks? Both of those have now concluded, and they've decided on who will be helping going forward.

For osu!catch:

And for osu!mania:

They'll start picking maps to put up for voting in the coming months. Hopefully you'll enjoy what they bring to the table! Give them a warm welcome. :)

That's all for updates this month! Don't forget that we've got Discord servers for each mode where you can discuss, give feedback, or ask questions about all things Loved:

osu!
osu!taiko
osu!catch
osu!mania

The osu! Loved candidates were chosen by DeviousPanda, DigitalHypno, Doomsday, Mismagius, rHO, Skill and Wixonater!

Kotoha - God-ish by IOException, ConsumerOfLean, Crystal, Defy and Len
142 BPM, 3:22 | 2.06★ – 8.43★
description written by DigitalHypno

We won't let the ranking criteria stop us from giving high-quality maps the leaderboards they deserve! This full-spread mapset of God-ish features everything you would expect in an IOException set: an alt and tech player's heaven, multiple difficulties featuring accelerating slider velocities for * ~ * u l t r a ~ e m p h a s i s * ~ *. If that's not quite your style, there are many other more conventional difficulties available for you to enjoy!

Sithu Aye - Spiral by saiyo
145 BPM, 4:08 | 6.60★
description written by DigitalHypno

Sometimes, mapping isn't all about being "polished" and "objectively aesthetic". Sometimes, it's just about placing circles and sliders to the beat of a song, and this map is the perfect reminder of how enjoyable this game can be when all the pressure is taken away. Don't let your guard down, though — this map features tons of fast and tricky streams mixed into all the other freeform patterns. This map works super well in multiplayer if you're looking for a map that can change the pace a little. While it's not the most popular map in the world, I highly recommend checking this one out.

supercell - Great Distance by elchxyrlia
216.9 BPM, 4:00 | 8.01★, 8.01★
description written by Skill

After a 3-year-long hiatus, Arles maps are back in the Project Loved voting! We bring to you one of the most notable Arles maps back in the early days of 2016, Great Distance.

elchxyrlia never fails to provide one of the best experiences for players who are looking to up their mechanical skill. This map provides 217 BPM spaced streams with absolutely killer jumps, topped off with being consistently difficult for 4 minutes. This really pushes your limits while also being an absolute tune to listen to while you play, because supercell never disappoints. Be sure to also check out chocomint's 1x100 HD FC, ThePooN's 99.89% NM FC, and Enumi's HR FC choke on this map.

Vote and decide if this map should enter the Loved section, I really enjoy this map and I hope most of you can too.

Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets - HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD (Speed Up Ver.) by apoq
212 BPM, 2:59 | 8.06★
description written by Skill

Another apoq map enters Project Loved voting!

This map of The Akeboshi Rockets' HIGHSCHOOL OF THE DEAD (Speed Up Ver.) is a jump map fiesta. Littered with 212 BPM 8* jumps and bursts for 3 minutes, this map is a relentless test of mechanics. apoq always finds songs that can actually fit this type of mapping style and executes it perfectly. Watch and see how your skills have come together after years of training and give this map your best shot.

Give your honest vote for this map and help my cause to push more mechanics maps for Project Loved!

Hakushi Hasegawa - Doku by Halgoh and Sharu
203 BPM, 2:51 | 6.92★
description written by DeviousPanda

Now for a map that most likely needs no introduction for anyone familiar with the mapping scene recently.

Widely regarded as one of the best modern tech maps in the game, Doku highlights the exceptional level of detail that Halgoh and Sharu put into representing complex songs such as this, while also managing to keep the map fun and engaging throughout.

This map presents a very interesting experience to any player that enjoys challenging themselves with difficult tech maps, so if this is your type of map then make sure to vote it for Loved!

DM DOKURO - Roar of The Jungle Dragon by Wolftyui, _Misti and gaiooipuaerg
250 BPM, 4:00 | 8.02★, 8.65★
description written by Wixonater

You've finally brought Yharon to Phase 2, you're at your wits end, and then DM DOKURO starts singing.

The theme of the greatest Calamity boss requires an absolute monster of a map, and this set delivers. The top difficulty sits at 8.65 stars and is filled to the brim with 250 BPM jumps, never letting up. Only increasing in difficulty into the instrumental section, this map feels like a final boss fight within itself. There is not much more you can ask for — it finds its identity and delivers.

If you wish to challenge this map yourself, then give it a vote to hopefully see it in Loved!

Senpi- - The First Part of Touhou EX Boss Rush!! by Strawberry, _Kiva, Galaxy_old_1, ljzljc, Megurine Luka and Shinki
185 BPM, 11:33 | 6.15★
description written by Doomsday

Who doesn't love a good Touhou marathon? I know I do, and this is a classic one that has been waiting for this chance since 2011!

Strawberry and five other mappers were brought together for this 11-minute arrangement of Touhou boss themes by Senpi-. It embodies everything that makes old collabs what they are — linear patterns, streams, distance-snapped jumps, and a variety of styles that switch like a hammer drop whenever the mapper changes. It even has a full storyboard, and it's one of those cheesy storyboards full of art and scrolling transitions that could only have been made back then. That alone makes this set feel like a timewarp to a different era.

This is certainly not a perfect map, but what it lacks in polish, it makes up for with bundles of character, and it's hard not to love it. Do you agree? Let us know in the vote above!

(This set also contains a taiko collab difficulty by OnosakiHito and DarkDunskin, which although isn't included in this nomination, I urge you to check out too!)

Dustvoxx & Laur - FireLight (Neokontrol remix) by OKSY
190 BPM, 5:34 | 5.32★, 5.82★, 6.42★
description written by Doomsday

Some of you might be having déjà vu right now, as an infamous map of this song was nominated for Loved in 2020. That version was incredibly difficult, and not very approachable. If that one was unplayable for you, this version might be up your alley!

This three-difficulty set for FireLight (Neokontrol remix) plays like a continuation of the Nattu set, except at a lower level of difficulty. It has streams, bursts, more streams, and kicksliders, as well as the now iconic 1/3 drop with fast tap jumps. The three difficulties range from 5.3 to 6.4 stars, making this set much more doable for those who want to experience what the original set has to offer.

You can't go wrong with a map like this, and with over 390 favourites, it has gone down a treat with the community. Why not give it a go yourself and see what the fuss is about?

X2N_ - Smile of the End by Mirash
200 BPM, 3:53 | 7.14★
description written by rHO

If you know me, you know that I love delicious guitar riffs. On top of that, I also like playing streams a lot. When I found out about Mirash's Smile of the End beatmap, it was like a match made in heaven; like I was being treated my favorite ice cream when I was a kid, but this time in beatmap format. 😝

I don't think I have to introduce who Mirash is, since he is already one of the most iconic mappers out there. This time, I'm bringing one of his older maps to the Loved votings, which is packed full of almost nonstop bursts and streams sitting at 7.14 stars for 4 minutes of rock music greatness. This map is a bit of a cult classic, but I have a feeling a lot more of you would love to play and appreciate this map like I do.

SOUND HOLIC feat. Nana Takahashi - XINOBIKILL by Yusomi
164 BPM, 2:03 | 7.30★
description written by rHO

When I think of Yusomi's maps, I immediately think of CS 5 maps with amusing and challenging rhythms and patterns. With their XINOBIKILL map, Yusomi has done it again; making one hell of a challenge map, filled to the brim with alternating/wiggle and aim control patterns, making sure to work your aim and tapping to its best potential. If that sounds like your groove, make sure to vote for this map!

The osu!taiko Loved candidates were chosen by -Kazu-, Boaz, Horiiizon, POCARI SWEAT and Roxy-!

sabi - true DJ MAG top ranker's song Zenpen (katagiri Remix) by KawaiiBass, aHTaoN and syaron105
170 BPM, 6:15 | 8.10★
description written by -Kazu-

It's no surprise that high-end Japanese maps get this crazy considering the kind of unthinkable scores they seem to easily achieve, so we're bringing up sabi - true DJ MAG top ranker's song Zenpen (katagiri Remix), consisting mainly of outright unreadable barrages of notes (hopefully the reasoning behind the difficulty name), effectively becoming a perfect mix of both speed and tech requiring players to be proficient at both to accurately hit all these bursts, so with some luck this will be a tasty treat to all our beloved key mashers!

Veer - Migraine by Wadsy
145 BPM, 2:40 | 5.45★
description written by Horiiizon

Famously used in osu!taiko World Cup 2022 as a No Mod pick, Migraine lives up to its name both in map and song title, consisting of complex and sporadic polyrhythms over frantic and dissonant noises, ever-changing snappings to keep the map thoroughly engaging and forcing the player to pay full attention for the sake of their accuracy. While the map isn't especially hard technically, it certainly makes up for this in difficulty of timing hits accurately, because despite being just OD 6.5 the map still feels like a serious challenge to retain accuracy on.

Do you have what it takes to get good accuracy or will you succumb to a headache?

YUKIYANAGI - ALERT by Megafan
160 BPM, 3:46 | 7.18★
description written by Boaz

ALERT is a map many of you will probably recognise as the osu!taiko World Cup 2022 Grand Finals FM1. Infamous for its extreme anti-mod slider velocity ranging from 64 to 400 BPM scroll and including everything in between, ALERT might as well be one of the most exciting freemod picks we've ever seen in osu!taiko World Cup history! Not only is this map very unforgiving to play with any mods, it's also a good technical challenge without mods. Do you think you have what it takes to conquer the 400 BPM ninja finishers with Hard Rock, or would you rather try to RNG your way through the exhausting 128 BPM 1/6-in-1/4 streams with Hidden?

PHQUASE vs DJ TOTTO - TWO-TORIAL by Firce777
213 BPM, 2:02 | 6.16★
description written by POCARI SWEAT

LISTEN! ... ♪♬.. ♬... GO!

From the famous arcade game, Firce777 took most of the gimmick idea and then recreated it into osu!taiko. PHQUASE vs DJ TOTTO - TWO-TORIAL includes a gimmick that requires you to carefully listen to the taiko hitsounds, and play it without visible notes. Respecting the original chart, many details are implemented into the storyboard such as field spinning at blast sounds, and the background effects too. Challenge your rhythm memorisation skills with this fresh osu!taiko concept!

katagiri - Heisei saikyou no Curry Ya by KTYN
250 BPM, 3:43 | 7.22★
description written by Roxy-

Time to introduce everyone's favorite Katagiri map. Do you know this map of Heisei saikyou no Curry Ya made by KTYN? This map is composed of clean patterns, which is a characteristic of KTYN's maps, and is challenging enough to be enjoyable without stress. Why don't you give it a try even if you are not confident in your skills? Many of the patterns are basic, so they should help you improve your skills.

The osu!catch Loved candidates were chosen by fuhie, Sartan, Tenshichan and Wesley!

onoken - K8107 by Terano Minami
180 BPM, 1:56 | 6.11★, 6.75★
description written by Tenshichan

Not to be confused with P8107, K8107 is another song by onoken in a very similar style which sort of fell under the radar due to P8107 being the more popular one in the community. However, that did not stop people, such as Terano Minami, to make maps for K8107 instead.

If you know how the song sounds like you probably know what to expect: streams. Lots of them. The general style are streams with hyperdashes scattered throughout them and the occasional wiggle pattern here and there. If you misread a pattern or lose your rhythm you might die because the HP drain isn't very forgiving, thus it does not allow many mistakes to be made at once. The streams can be quite tricky at times, so be prepared.

The map set also comes with a second Overdose difficulty which is very similar in style but significantly easier. If you have a lot of trouble playing the top diff, maybe give that one a shot!

Camellia - Qyoh (Nine Stars) by GiGas
242 – 290.4 BPM, 6:36 | 8.41★, 8.72★, 9.01★, 9.62★
description written by Wesley

Well, here is a challenge to say the least. The deathly combo of a Camellia song mapped by GiGas, what could possibly go wrong?

The map is filled with sliders that force you to stand still for just a little bit while immediately jumping to the next pattern, in repeat! And to make it just a tad bit harder, there are also a bunch of long sliders with quite a few awkwardly placed droplets.

Now obviously this map is more focused towards the higher-end players, and to take this a small step further, this mapset also offers a whopping three difficulties that are identical to the original A March Through The Galaxy, except they are at a rate of 1.05x, 1.1x and 1.2x.

Enjoy and good luck!

Tyrfing - Verflucht by INO
180 BPM, 1:50 | 7.81★
description written by Sartan

Holy smokes do my fingers hurt. Whenever I play maps such as Verflucht by INO, I truly wonder whether I should start hiring a test player. Anyway, after a couple years' slumber we are throwing INO back into the mix of Loved picks! It's the type of map we've come to love and expect from INO: no need for conventionalities, all the chaos. I really do hope you are good buddies with wiggles if you are to attempt this, and you better be a top player too. But, if you are both of those things, I am sure you are going to enjoy this short yet intense ride, accompanied by an amazingly exhilarating song!

I wonder if anyone will be able to manage a full combo on this... not that I wanna verfluch you or anything. ;)

katagiri - Sendan Life (katagiri Bootleg) by Enjuxx
260 – 286 BPM, 3:23 | 9.52★, 10.19★, 10.31★, 11.02★
description written by fuhie

Calling all endgame players who are looking for their big challenge of the month! Sendan Life mapped by Enjuxx gets my message across quite well. How you may ask..? 260 BPM wiggles, taps, antiflow, cross map jumps; it has it all... in two different difficulties! Previously featured in osu!catch Nightmare Tournament (one of the hardest tournaments created in recent times), it even packs a punch for players of the highest skill in the game.

As menacing as it may seem, it's worth a try from any player. Are you willing to sacrifice your fingers for the chance to achieve greatness?

The osu!mania Loved candidates were chosen by _underjoy, -NoName-, kadoen, Mipha-, Paturages and RandomeLoL!

Fujita Akane, Miyamoto Yume, Ozawa Ari - Precious You* by frolica
130 – 169 BPM, 1:28 | 5.33★, 5.77★, 6.22★, 6.65★
description written by RandomeLoL

Chordjack mains, be not afraid, for another wave goes by where we haven't forgotten about you. This time around with Frolica's Precious You* being put under the spotlight! frolica has gone under the radar for quite some time, and now we'd like to use this chance to reward their current mapping efforts and to highlight their works to the community as a whole.

But what makes this chart so special? To begin with, it's basically your entry point to play harder chordjack maps. It capitalizes on mild density and anchor usage. And while it might feel daunting at first, once you learn the finger independence needed, it will be a piece of cake!

Why this chart in particular? Why has this one become as popular as it is? Well, we have some theories. But what has probably had the most impact has been [Crz]Rachel's Cyclone of Jacks series of chordjack dans. As a side comment, feel free to try those out to test your skills.

It's been hard for us to choose a pick of theirs. They have a LOT of interesting and well-known stuff. We'd encourage people unfamiliar with the charter to try their other stuff and to let us know what you wish to see featured in the future!

Tipper - Cubic Squeal by Lusty Platypus
88 BPM, 3:59 | 2.44★
The [MaMaChaCha PHASE 5] difficulty is not being nominated for Loved.
description written by Paturages

An old one, but a good one. Lusty Platypus's map of Cubic Squeal goes back to a time where SVs were quite more raw in their delivery.

People who played or who have been around for the osu!mania 4K World Cup 2019 may remember this one from the Quarterfinals, but the actual origin of this map stems from the Mania Mapping Chance Challenge, also affectionately and colloquially called MaMaChaCha. You can read more about the whole project in the linked forum thread, but the gist of it is that it gives a chance for mappers to experiment with new things with some... interesting rules. As shown by the Game Boy era, creating under constraints can lead to some quite innovative and uncommon outcomes and this is one such example.

While the "MaMaChaCha Phase 5" is not under consideration for Loved due to it basically being unplayable (thanks, p-notes), we are however featuring the "Passable" difficulty which has been featured a number of times in tournaments as a regular SV pick. While still being on the manageable side of things, this still requires a fair amount of practice and trial and error before being able to perform well on it.

Feel free to squeal your feedback and cast your vote in the thread!

Hayashi Yuki - You Say Run by [Crz]Zetsfy
175 BPM, 3:40 | 5.60★
description written by RandomeLoL

A newcomer is joining us this month! We hope you'll enjoy [Crz]Zetsfy's debut in Project Loved with Hayashi Yuki - You Say Run, a well-acclaimed chart of theirs which was also featured on WoAiNi.too.

This map offers an assortment of non-stop streams. We really hope you have enough endurance! After a strenuous first half, you'll be rewarded with some trivial long notes. But just when you think you're safe, you'll snap back to reality with its relentless chorus. Not only does it get denser, but it gets denser for longer. This is definitely a chart worth picking up to test your speed, or just for casual practice. In fact, this is one of my personal favorites when it comes to these patterns!

Regardless, we really hope that this is a pick worth voting for all homogenous dumpstream fans out there. Something also worth mentioning is how this chart influenced other mappers such as Xingyue's Jet Say Run.

Oh yeah, the OD is intentional, it will make it a lot harder to notelock. Trust me, you'll need it~

uma - keep on running by souzirou1000
175 BPM, 1:53 | 3.58★, 4.06★
description written by Paturages

Have you ever wondered why there are so many Touhou-themed long note maps around? So many that people are actually able to think about theming a series of tournaments around them? Or should I say... touhournaments?

(Please remove my Loved description permissions, that was genuinely terrible.)

Well, souzirou1000 has been one of the main contributors to this trend, with many low-to-medium entry maps, among which keep on running belongs to! This particular chart has been used in many tournaments, even outside of Touhou-themed ones, and is one that seasoned players have come to know over the years. Of course, I'm talking about the "LN" difficulty: less LN-inclined players can still enjoy the "MX" difficulty just for the sake of enjoying a beautiful interpretation of Touhou music.

If you're just learning the LN skillset, this may be a bit challenging for you, but I would still advise to push through. The more you get used to long notes, the easier it is going to get going forward. Also, a shoutout to the currently ongoing 3rd edition of the osu!mania LN Tournament, featuring many of the best long note players in the world!

Frums - Q.E. by Pizza69
167 – 233.8 BPM, 2:27 | 4.45★ – 5.81★
description written by Mipha-

Here comes a familiar face to the VSRG and especially the FFR communities, we present to you Q.E. by Frums, a masterfully crafted chart by Pizza69!

For those of you who are unaware, this pick from Pizza69 was originally used for the 13th Flash Flash Revolution Official Tournament, as well as MWC 4K 2021, a major-scaled tournament that was happening last year. It quickly emerged as an excellent tournament pick and was used in numerous other tournaments as well. With many unconventional snapping, flams, syncopated rhythms to the minijacks, and even a nasty surprise at the end of the chart, this chart leaves no room for survivors to get a really solid score with simple sharpshooting — it necessitates a high level of physical skill as well as solid finesse.

If you want to see a chart with no LN usage but still with a lot of nuances, especially with the uprates added for more challenge, please support Pizza69 and vote for this lovely chart!

DJ SHARPNEL - KLASSIKER EINHEIT by Arona
168.75 – 243.75 BPM, 4:28 | 6.82★, 7.49★, 8.16★, 8.84★, 9.50★
description written by -NoName-

We introduce Arona to the Loved voting stage with his chart of KLASSIKER EINHEIT!

Here is a chordstream chart for a song well known throughout the osu!mania community. As its description aptly states, this is a perfect set for injuring your wrists (please don't) with chordstreams that get progressively more difficult as the chart progresses.

There are plenty of rates for various skill levels, ranging from players who are just starting to get into hitting dense chordstreams up to the true gorillas. Be mindful of the tricky bursts throughout the chart, as they aren't exactly easy to read or hit.

If you want to see a 7-key set of KLASSIKER EINHEIT in Loved, make sure to support Arona in the Loved voting stage!

ZUN - Green-Eyed Jealousy by Akayro
161 BPM, 3:44 | 7.76★
description written by -NoName-

Akayro is long overdue for a chance in the osu!mania Loved section, and now is the time for that with his chart of
Green-Eyed Jealousy!

Akayro is known for creating high-end LN charts, and Green-Eyed Jealousy is no exception. Be prepared for dense and brackety LN chordstreams with some hidden shields to boot. There are plenty of different release timings across the chart, making it hard to read too. Breaks are few and far between here, so stamina is a factor to consider when playing this chart.

If you want to see more of Akayro in the future, don't forget to vote for Green-Eyed Jealousy!

Dormir - Sayonara Trip by KenZ and LostCool
133 BPM, 4:21 | 7.00★
description written by -NoName-

KenZ and LostCool's collaboration chart of Sayonara Trip has some of the largest variety of LN patterns I've ever seen. It seems as though there's a different LN pattern for every phrase in the song.

The song clocks in at only 133 BPM, making this chart very approachable for intermediate players wanting to hone their LN skills. Despite that, the chart is deceptively difficult to score on due to the amount of shield patterns present throughout the chart. It's slow enough that you can just chill and enjoy the song if you are comfortable enough, though.

KenZ in particular has not seen a Loved nomination since mid-2020, and I am glad to see him back in the voting stage. I do enjoy playing this chart, and I hope you will too.

From everyone working on Project Loved, we hope you enjoyed this month's selection, and are looking forward to the next! The favoured beatmaps will hit the Loved beatmap listing shortly after the polls end.

More info about Project Loved can be found on its wiki page and website. Stop by the #osu-loved channel of the osu!dev Discord server if you have any questions, concerns, or are interesting in helping out.

See you next month!

—clayton