Cytus II

Cytus II is a highly anticipated rhythm game that features hundreds of tracks across a diverse range of musical styles. Beyond the music, the game offers an engaging narrative, which unfolds through an in-game social media system as players gradually uncover the truth behind a mysterious DJ concert. Each level offers various difficulty settings—such as Easy, Hard, and Chaos—requiring players to tap, slide, or hold notes as they arrive at a dynamically moving judgment line. Depending on the chosen difficulty, the speed and variety of the notes will shift, pushing players' reflexes to the limit. Aim for higher scores and better level rankings to compete against other players on the global leaderboards.

Gameplay of Cytus II:

Click note: It is a circular note that is processed by touching it when the judgment line reaches the center of the note. The judgment is Master, just like in the previous game.[M] There are / C. Perfect / Perfect / Good / Bad / Miss. It is sky blue if the judgment line moves downwards and turquoise if it moves upwards. Although it is the simplest basic note to handle, it should not be underestimated because as the difficulty increases, it appears in complex and diverse ways, just like other notes.

Drag note: It consists of a head note with an arrow and a smaller follow-up note; you simply need to follow the follow-up note along the judgment line. Unlike the previous game, it can continue even if the direction of the judgment line changes. The judgment is Master[M] Only / C.Perfect / Miss exists. Because of this, the phenomenon where 70% TP appeared due to a pre-input bug in the previous game was indirectly resolved, making it easier to farm TP. It is purple if the judgment line moves downward, and indigo if it moves upward. It may look easy at first glance, but it is a more difficult note than it appears; you must be careful, as letting your guard down in particularly tricky cases can break your combo. It includes letters and hearts. If unusual shapes such as sword shapes or high-density slides appear frequently, the likelihood of device- and individual-specific variations increases.

Hold note: It consists of a circular note and a meter bar; you simply need to hold it down from the center of the note until the judgment line reaches the end of the meter bar. The judgment types are the same as those of a click note. Pressing it prematurely does not affect the judgment, and since the release judgment is relaxed, it is relatively easy to achieve a C.Perfect even with short holds. However, be careful, as pressing too late (when the note is about to disappear due to a lack of input) will result in a "Bad" judgment even if you hold it down until the end. If you start perfectly, a "Bad" judgment will not occur. The judgment line is crimson if it moves downwards and purple if it moves upwards. Be careful, as combos are frequently broken when a click note appears simultaneously with a hold note.

Swipe notes: A diamond-shaped note. It appears only at levels CHAOS or higher.[exception] It is somewhat similar in shape to the swipe notes from VOEZ , but the difference is that it works regardless of the left or right direction. It is processed with a light flick. The judgment is Master[M] / C.Perfect / Perfect / Miss. It is blue if the judgment line moves downward, and light green if it moves upward. Unlike other notes, it is a rather unfamiliar format, so even though the Perfect judgment is generous, it is more difficult to handle than expected.

Overpage notes: Similar to the Hold Note, it consists of a circular note and a meter bar; it is processed by pressing the button from the moment the judgment line reaches the center of the note until the circular note's gauge is full. No matter how short this note is, the judgment line hits the return line at least once, and you can tell how long to hold the note by observing the white section in front of the yellow gauge (the gauge) and the width of the meter bar shrinking. The judgment types are the same as those for the Click and Hold Notes.

The difference from the hold note is that, as the name of the overpage note suggests, it does not break even if the direction of the judgment line changes, and like the hold in the previous work, it is judged to be immediately recognized as being released. The color is gold regardless of the direction of the decision line.

Features of Cytus II:

Adaptive Active Judgement Line: Cytus II uses an Active Judgement Line that moves with the tempo of each track. Notes become hittable when the line passes through them, so timing stays anchored to the music. You read and respond to five note types with taps, holds, slides, and flicks. This creates a consistent play loop where you listen, watch, and execute together.

Song library across genres: Cytus II includes 35 plus songs in the base game and offers around 70 additional tracks through in app purchases. The selection covers electronic, rock, classical, and more, with composers from Japan, Korea, the United States, Europe, and Taiwan. You can focus on one genre or mix styles to keep sessions varied. This scope lets players explore new sounds without leaving the core interface.

Extensive chart difficulty: There are more than 300 charts that range from beginner friendly practice to expert level tests. You can start at lower difficulties to learn patterns, then move up as timing and accuracy improve. Higher tiers add dense rhythms, faster movements, and trickier note shapes. As a result, revisiting songs remains useful for skill growth and consistency.

Character led playlists and identities: Cytus II organizes music by personas such as PAFF, NEKO#ΦωΦ, ROBO_Head, Ivy, Crystal PuNK, Vanessa, Bo Bo, Graff, and Æsir or Æsir-FEST. Each route pulls together tracks that fit a specific style and mood. When you switch characters, the soundtrack changes in a clear and predictable way. This structure helps you find preferred genres and also encourages trying new sets when ready.

Story delivered through iM social: The iM system presents posts, replies, and events that update as songs are cleared. You see characters interact and react to what happens in the world, all inside a familiar feed format. Progress adds new threads and scenes, so reading between plays feels natural. The story remains connected to your choices without forcing long stops.

Player Comments of Cytus II:

Trying this out w/ Play Pass and probably will always play this w/ Play Pass. I've seen other reviews and images, the DLC packs pricing is indeed absurd for a mobile game. But other than that, I find this rhythm game enjoyable. The story... well... I just wanna play rhythm games and hear badass/ear-blessing songs alright?!

I would give this game a 5 out of 5 stars when I got it. but then I realized Almost half of the game needs to be payed. including lots of the main characters. Why would we need to purchase to learn more of the game's story? Like I would appreciate if you keep some of the main characters locked but cost 50 capsols in the game. plus one more thing. for some reason the game is way more easier compare to the first game. so I hope it also improves. 

this game is absolutely incredible. the controls are unique but simple. even if you're new to rhythm games, the controls are easy to understand, and there are lighter levels to start with. I love how each character has their own genre of music that you play, so they all feel unique. all characters are unlocked from the start with play pass, which is awesome. the best part is that each difficulty is unique. it's not just easy with more notes, and that is something i struggle to find more of. 6/5.

Cytus II is my favorite rhythm game EVER, the gameplay is a little tricky to get used to esp if ur used to piano rhythm games but its super fun! The story is also beautiful--I cried so many times reading it. I've also never had any issues loading the game or anything, the only SLIGHT downside it the DLCs are a little bit pricey (which is pretty understandable tbh) and the app takes quite a while to download due to it being 3GB.

FAQs of Cytus II:

I don't fully understand the relationship between characters, songs and story progression?

There is only one pack so far that requires You pay for a character before being able to play it, and that’s the Miku Expansion. Besides that, any pack you buy from BM will be playable in the free chars.

As far as I understand, you progress the story by leveling characters, and reading IMs. Is there anything else? 

Story progress is convoluted at this point, but that’s half the fun. The story properly starts with Xenon, ConneR, Cherry, and JOE, who are paid, and then continues with ROBO, PAFF, NEKO, and Crystal PuNK…. DON’T READ FROM IVY OR VANESSA UNTIL YOU HAVE TO.

Flipping back / forth between songs on a character's home screen feels cumbersome?

I know what you mean, but you’ll get used to it. However, the big M button, memory vault, does provide experience that you use on the characters stat page when you click into their profile. That’s the button that looks like settings. The level up button is labeled with a battery logo.

Does the main story require buying additional songs / characters?

song packs do not expand the story in any way whatsoever, however, after the set of collaboration characters that end with Kizuna AI, starting with Ilka, all the characters on the right side are story characters. It might be difficult to navigate at first, but I would suggest leveling up PAFF and NEKO first until they get level locked, and then read all their logs. Those LOGS are how most of the story is told, and they lie in the red triforce button.

Unlocking the CAPSO thing costs 10€. Is that worth spending money on?

if you like the idea of unlocking skins for main characters, as well as getting some of the hardest tracks in the game, then buy it.

Final Verdict:

Consider a game where each song has a distinct story and character. If you answered no, you’ve never used Cytus II. Following the success of the first part, Cytus II was created to give players a more realistic experience when playing tunes. Recreate the most compelling stories from the dynamic music industry to capture its spirit. At times, the environment is silent and chaotic, with hammering beats. Cytus II is a planet where music plays an important role in people’s daily lives.