Sanrio to release own rhythm game for smartphones next January

Hello, tired fingers.

Sometimes I wonder if there’s a corner of existence that Hello Kitty and her friends from Sanrio haven’t established a presence in.

Electric guitars? Check .

Gundam? Check .

Haunted zombie land? Check .

But one place Hello Kitty has yet to appear is a smartphone-exclusive rhythm game ( Taiko no Tatsujin doesn’t count because that cameo was on a console version).

However, that small patch of reality will soon go without kawaii cats and puppies no longer as Sanrio Kawaii Me Live! is set to be released in January 2027 .

In this game, a range of characters from Sanrio’s vast roster, including Hello Kitty, My Melody, Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, and many more, perform on stage with your help.

There are two styles of rhythm play : one involves tapping at the right time when two circles converge in a style somewhat similar to the dance-offs in Final Fantasy VII Remake or Yakuza 0 .

The other style requires keeping your finger along a horizontal bar and tapping or sliding it on the objects as they fall in a style like Guitar Hero or Beatmania .

The game is free to play, and you’ll get to start off with Sanrio’s own playlist of seven songs based on their characters.

There will also be collaboration songs with Polkadot Stingray, Soala, Mi’Line Hearts, Yabai T-Shirts Yasan, Lienel, She’s, and Zutomayo .

More songs will also be added over time.

But the real charm in Sanrio Kawaii Me Live! is to do as the title suggests and kawaii up your chosen character.