27 Jul 2023
2023 Summer Splash!
by Ephemeral

2023 Summer Splash!

by Ephemeral

When you see this post, you'll know for sure that our latest Summer Seasonal update is here! Check out all the details on the Beach Episode Art Contest winners (plus some peppy picks), new Hush-Hush medals, and an all-new main-menu track!

Somewhere in the world right now, it's summer. And it's also (probably) the 27th of July, which so turns out to be an excellent day for a big Summer content drop featuring all your favourite things: art, audio, and achievements.

If you just want to get stuck into the thick of things, open up your game client and hop right into some new spectacular summery tunes by Redside, one of our very own stupendously talented Featured Artists. This bouncy track is very aptly named as beachballs!, and if you can stop uncontrollably dancing for ten seconds after hearing it, you might notice that it's a summer-tinged spin on the osu! theme song that we all know and love:

Especially intrepid mappers will also find that the track is now available over on Redside's Featured Artist listing, so why not try making a seasonal creation all of your own?

With the mood set, let's delve into the winners from the Beach Episode Art Contest as voted by the community:

Beach Episode Art Contest winners

3003 adherents shed a single tear at the majesty of Alisa and Chirou basking in the cosmic sun that is fat Yoshi. Art contest veteran RedcXca is of course responsible for this artistic achievement, making this their first-ever top-voted entry. Congratulations, and well earned!

Saeka's striking rendition of a straw-hatted pippi, Alisa enjoying a popsicle and a suspiciously pale feline mascot splashing in the water trailed in close behind at 2905 votes, remaining neck and neck with first place for most of the contest. So close! The summer vibes are substantial in this one, and you know we love to see it.

2883 voters never saw the beachball coming from LeeNarie's rendition of pippi, Mari and Mocha soaking up the sun with a smidge of sports. The Taikonator watches on in horror as Mocha absolutely botches it. This one is another really strong entry in regards to the overall theme of the contest, colours, composition and all. Fantastic work!

KAITO thighs (more likely known as Dreamxiety) makes her return to our art contests, casually collecting 2779 votes with a candid shot of pippi, Mocha, and a don all playing around in the surf. Who knew the game mode icons worked so well as a pattern for a ring float?

It's an all-star cast this time around, with Tofumang entering the fray and scoring 2512 votes with his front-and-center piece sporting a positively radiant pippi spending some time with Alisa in the surf, and a don not far behind. Simply superb. What more needs to be said?

2507 voters got caught up in the tide of Sjao's creation, showcasing a lounging (and sparkling!) pippi in summerwear beneath a shining sun. It really is a battle of the art contest regulars this time around!

2329 voters joined DGen's pippi for some refreshing treats on the beach, while Chirou and Mocha labour over a sandcastle in the background. There's glamour, there's glitz, and there's the ever-present summer sun. A scintillating entry, indeed!

2280 voters were prepped to catch some sick waves with Hecatia's surfer pippi. That's gnarly, dude! The good kind of gnarly. By the way, does anyone else think that surfboard design is seriously legit?

ksenikust's seriously stylish pippi enchanted 2146 voters with her overwhelming star power and many osu!dachi™-branded drinks and accessories. Any resemblances to a tiny squealing Bocchi are purely coincidental.

Type comes out of left field with an INCREDIBLY cinematic entry, gaining the attention of 2127 voters! Air, earth and sea are the name of the game here with this absolutely beautiful rendition of their signature style that we first saw only last year during the New Beginnings Art Contests. Amazing stuff!

2112 voters couldn't help but smash the like button on ZunK's piece portraying pippi, Mocha and Aiko trying to nab the perfect summer shot to put in their scrapbook of memories. W-wait, Aiko wasn't ready! Redo!

2082 people waited in line to order from Novarece's beachside stall featuring a smoothie-toting pippi expertly multitasking while preparing delicious food and drinks. This begs the question, if you order a set of beatmap pancakes, do they come in a set? We may never know.

2039 voters kneeled before tehfire's insanely stylish pastel portrayal of pippi, Mocha, Mari and the Taikonator living out the good life on a beach in perhaps the most painterly piece we've seen yet. What a creation!

2012 divers held their breath along with Amplui's Mocha to see who'd tap out first. Hint: it's not going to be her, since you'd never want to make that adorable face frown, right?

1809 voters shared a peaceful moment with Infinity21_EXE's take on Alisa enjoying a picturesque rest by the seaside. Less is often more!

peppy's picks

Wrangling code and configuring lasers is hard work, but rest assured, the Dean "peppy" Herbert has taken some time from his schedule to wield the mighty power of The Pick, as is our tradition (sometimes). When we asked to describe his choices, he simply opted to unleash a defensive beam into the ceiling and fled without further explanation.

That's summer for you!

Much like combing for shells on the beach, you never quite know what you'll find when the Picks get involved — that is, unless you open up your game client and go looking! Know that any entry not featured in a banner up above that appears on the main menu was one of peppy's personal picks, and that there are eight of them to search for.

New Hush-Hush medals

AND THAT'S NOT ALL!

To really crank up the heat, we've dredged the darkest depths of the distant seas to summon forth eight new Hush-Hush medals for the ravenous achievement hunters among us to prepare themselves for.

Dive into some of the most confounding creations since some girl in a forest thwarted people back in Halloween 2017. View them all below, courtesy of the meticulous medal mavericks over at Osekai (who are solving these riddles as we speak, at an alarmingly quick rate actually):

Yes, you read that right — perhaps we've just lost our minds from the summer sun, but we're so confident in the challenge posed by one medal in particular that we're going to spice things up with a seaside bounty:

The very first person to successfully unlock the Internment medal will receive the highly coveted Medal Hunter title.

That's it! Decipher the clues and unearth any of these eight seaside treasures for fun and glory.


As always, a huge thank you goes out to anyone who submitted entries to the Beach Episode Art Contest — it turned out way better than we could've ever hoped for given all the hesitance around the theme in the past. The finalists listed above will all receive 3 months of osu!supporter to spice up their victory, and the top 3 will also receive bespoke profile badges made from their own creations.

You can also download a zip file containing all the finalist Beach Episode Art Contest entries here!

From all of us on the osu! team, we hope you've had, are having, or will have a wonderful summer! Good luck in your hunting!

—Ephemeral

Comments155

Ephemeral pinned

happy 7/27 day

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i came here to bust a nut to the #1 wallpaper and nobody will ever know

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I HAVENT PLAYED OSU! FOR A MONTH I MISSED THIS CLIENT LOOOOOL

Mr-Minister shantofanti

Based

song backgrounds are one thing, but when the default background of the game is a mostly naked anime girl.. it makes me not want to play this game anymore

AlCatSplat Heroyouu

Then stop playing, no one will miss you.

Heroyouu AlCatSplat

lmfao W, also ur barely in this community so idgaf what u say

-Kori Heroyouu

Massive L

Twoyo Kevin Roy

ur a massive L

these pics are fine as hell, gave me so many bricks, I could build a house

Why pics with Yuzu are never picked? :(

RedcXca Mutinie

give me a week.............

GYAT

summer dubx paco alberto

ong

where mbc

Ok I have a couple of solutions that could earn the "internment" medal. But if what I think is the solution, I'm probs gonna go commit some warcrimes.

1st place AI??????

i love how ONE of these drawings werent suggestive/nsfw

RedcXca RealDeathmatch

which one is that

179bpm RedcXca

i think the one of mocha chasing (???) pippi

The best banners

Might've just missed something but I'm seeing an astonishing lack of art of taikonator with a dumptruck ass to counterbalance all the anime women, do better as a community

i cant play this game around my family anymore

179bpm isdfbiufbswrg

just turn off seasonal backgrounds

Rhythm32 179bpm

I think he likes the fanart but is terrified how his family will react.

P.S. sorry for such a such a late reply. I only just found out about this fanart. You see I've been offline in 2023 for the most part.

everyone did so well oh my GOODNESS!!!

if you entered or are an artist, come join the osu! artist hub, we'd love to have you!! https://discord.gg/KVPDmKAkjV

Map beachballs please

fat yoshi

No men? O_o

muchas cosas :D

Why did you put those HeCkInG lE bAd anime backgrounds in an anime game?!
I'm going to go screech so hard on Twit... i mean X!

imagine how many more players would be playing this game if weird ass images like these weren't in the game

bro is scared of anime girls 💀💀

You are very based sir

normi1 ooh

I play osu for fun and that's all

Literally, i've got people who WOULD play osu if it were not for these damn images, that too by default. Then i'd hear less ppl calling osu gay, lmao.

-Aku dveloxy

how are images of girls gay?

Hehe2x04 oohdeleted
ooh Hehe2x04

yeah a bunch of pedophiles and weirdos, I'd rather they didn't play the game

-Kori ooh

seasonal backgrounds: never
done

Rhythm32 -Kori

Afraid or what?

Kaly -Kori

it's not like this shit it's on by default

I guess it's time to stop using seasonal backgrounds

AlCatSplat f o f o

bro is scared of anime girls 💀💀

f o f o AlCatSplat

They are everywhere on osu, how could I be scared of them? The real problem here is the beach episode in itself. xdd

Just checked saw some of my favorites got in as Peppy's pick yooo thx bro

eyyo thx for da votes :D

:D

BEEG YOSHI 💪💪💪

RedcXca the7dedlysins

YOSHI BUFF

peppy's picks: AccNyaBodoh, AckReik, thekittenarmy, SlimVish2401, sakkamiyu, Nopall_, nhyogu, SwokeSweed

Enthrew jessicaleeseul

turn seasonal backgrounds off in settings, problem solved

I'm celebration of 7/27 day I'm turning on my seasonal art that has been off since I joined

7/27

1st place is literally the most boring one lmao

- Lucy frailty

it may be the most boring one, but it makes my P erfomance P oints hard

FBI: Lemme see your loli pass please.

SectorJack - Lucy

she's 14

l-_-l - Lucy

🥵

Bruh BGs

loving the winning entry

AMOUGUS
SOUS
SOUSSY BAKA

There is one more, but I can't send pictures

l-_-l -Kori

A-AMOGUS?!

Where are the men on the beach?

Kaly Shannon
RelaxPlayer Shannon

truuuuuuuuuuuue tho

7/27

7/28 in UTC+3😭

7/27 lets goo

7/27

Game is for all ages btw

que ricooooo

xD

horny moment. what the hell?

-Kori dicloflom

blame the beach

dicloflom -Kori

fair enough

bruh

bruh

/

bruh