Ensemble Stars Music

-2.13
Bad
Price: Free
Ads: Unknown
In App Purchases: Yes

iOS App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 31 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 23 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.88

7 votes
1 votes
Daily Rewards -
7 / 1 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

7 votes
1 votes
Grinding -
7 / 1 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

7 votes
1 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
7 / 1 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

4 votes
3 votes
Wait To Play -
4 / 3 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

3 votes
5 votes
Playing by Appointment -
3 / 5 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

3 votes
4 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
3 / 4 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

8 votes
Advertisements -
0 / 8 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 52 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 23 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-2.56

8 votes
Premium Currency -
8 / 0 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

7 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
7 / 0 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

6 votes
Pay to Skip -
6 / 0 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

6 votes
Recurring Fee -
6 / 0 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

7 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
7 / 0 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

6 votes
1 votes
Pay to Win -
6 / 1 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

5 votes
1 votes
Power Creep -
5 / 1 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

4 votes
2 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
4 / 2 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

3 votes
4 votes
Waste Aversion -
3 / 4 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

7 votes
Accidental Purchases -
0 / 7 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

8 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 8 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 19 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 26 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-0.69

6 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
6 / 0 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

6 votes
1 votes
Competition -
6 / 1 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

3 votes
3 votes
Reciprocity -
3 / 3 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

2 votes
5 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
2 / 5 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

2 votes
4 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
2 / 4 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

7 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 7 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

6 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 6 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 26 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 18 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

-1.81

6 votes
1 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
6 / 1 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

5 votes
2 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
5 / 2 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

5 votes
2 votes
Variable Rewards -
5 / 2 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

4 votes
2 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
4 / 2 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

4 votes
3 votes
Complete the Collection -
4 / 3 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

2 votes
3 votes
Illusion of Control -
2 / 3 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

5 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 5 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (4.77) with 86 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Pay to Win reported on Mar 2, 2024
impossible to do competitive ranking without paying in some way
Social Obligation / Guilds reported on Mar 2, 2024
I believe societies are only in the foreign servers, but still worth mentioning
Can't Pause or Save reported on Mar 2, 2024
you can pause the rhythm game element and technically leave the game whenever, but you can't "pause" the events the happen. like the other "play by appointment" review states, you have to be constantly playing if you want the event rewards, so in that way, you can't "pause"
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on Mar 2, 2024
This is more prevalent with the achievement system in the foreign servers
Illusion of Control reported on Mar 2, 2024
combo-rescuing abilities and card skills, as well as your score being super dependent on card level, so you can get a better score than someone else purely based on having better cards rather than skill
Complete the Collection reported on Feb 11, 2023
For each idol card you can collect "fans" (using the card during song or work time), when you reach a certain amount you gain awards/items/outfits for that idol. Each card has a max amount of fans you can collect so it sneaks in the thought of getting more cards for that idol you reaaaly want to level fans up with.
Daily Rewards reported on Nov 6, 2022
EN version introduced a daily reward system that isn't there in JP
Power Creep reported on Nov 6, 2022
This one is a tricky one because if you get duplicates of cards, they will still hold up to cards released 2 years down the road. (Case in point I have a lv 75 Initial Mikejima, lv 65 FS1 Izumi, and a lv 70 Initial Tsukasa on the same team as a lv 60 FS2 Kanata) But only if you get duplicates otherwise power creep is in effect
Playing by Appointment reported on Sep 23, 2022
Events have a time limit, which is a very short time, you need to be on the game constantly during an event if you want to get the 5 star card. Playing sparsely during an event is not an option, and you will be unable to get the rewards in time.
Pay to Skip reported on Sep 12, 2022
Use money to purchase dia, which can then be used to refill BP, the energy needed to complete lives


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot Ensemble Stars!! Music, the all-direction immersive mobile rhythm game, the essential sequel of Ensemble Stars! Basic, will be released soon! Idols from Yumenosaki Academy start their brand-new journey. You will surely find your ideal type among all 49 stylish, shining stars!

Elaborated 3D live scenes, engaging stories by famous playwrights, and a luxurious voice cast—enjoy everything about your idols here! Immerse yourself in a new experience!

The pre-registration starts now! Complete pre-registration on iOS to claim the exclusive rewards (Diamond×200) on the day of release! Explore more activities and bonuses on the official website!

[Super Real 3D LIVE, Closer to the Stage]
Switch on the 3D LIVE mode, enjoy the melodious music, and see the stylish MV performances unfold before your eyes. Four difficulty levels from Easy to Expert for Live Stages are available. The Live experience remains the same on all difficulty levels, so please enjoy the fabulous beats on whatever level you like!
You are free to set any idol as a Center for performance and change outfits for your idols. Center idols give mesmerizing Special Performances (SPP)!

[Heart-Warming Bonds, Bitter-Sweet Story]
Ensemble Stars!! Music is mainly written by AKIRA, the renowned Japanese light novelist, and it continues the story of Ensemble Stars! Basic. Young idols set out on their journey into the world and begin to explore the entertainment industry. Excitement, hesitation, joy, and tears await on their way toward a bright future. Every day, something new in Ensemble Square pulls at your heartstrings.

[Top Voice Cast, A Feast for the Ears]
Hikaru Midorikawa, Yuki Kaji, Tetsuya Kakihara, Showtaro Morikubo, Tomoaki Maeno… 40+ First-class voice actors are featured. This is an immersive feast for the ears you should never miss!

[Exclusive Office, Design Your Own Idol Zone]
Pick your favorite furniture, ornaments, and themed suites to create your own dreamy little idol zone. Find your idols’ adorable reactions to special furniture! They may enjoy shaved ice on the beach, or sleep soundly with fluffy sleep masks on… discover more delicate, lovely reactions by yourself!

[Multilingual Stories, Brand New Experience]
Multilingual stories are available in the official English version of Ensemble Stars!! Music for a richer game experience. You can choose to read the stories in English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, or Korean.