In each stage, players use the DS touchscreen to tap specifically marked spots that appear in rhythm to various Japanese pop songs, scoring points for accurate timing and avoiding a poor performance which can cause the stage to end prematurely.

However, if the player should tap a marker too early or miss a beat completely, the meter will deplete even further.

After a successful completion of a mission, players are given a letter grade rank of S, A, B, C or D, depending on the breakdown of scores of individual markers.

If the life meter is at least fifty percent filled and in the yellow, the scene will depict a positive result such as, in the case of the pottery maker, gaining great inspiration for a new work.

If the life meter is less than fifty percent full and in the red, the resulting scene will depict the character encountering a setback, such as the pottery master coming up with yet another drab creation.

The Ouendan appear wearing highly stylized black uniforms (based on gaku-ran Japanese school uniforms) with red armbands (for the Cheergirls, blue cheerleader outfits with long sleeves), a common sight at Japanese school sporting events.

[2] Most of the stories are presented in a light-hearted or comical fashion, emphasized by absurd storyline twists and the sounds of whistles and cheer shouts as the player progresses through each stage.

The one notable exception to this is a love story set to the Hitomi Yaida song "Over the Distance," which is told in a more heartfelt, subdued tone further marked by the gameplay's whistle sound effect being replaced with subtle chimes in the song's first phase and the initial loud countdown not being used.

However, all of the characters reappear in the final story, in which the Ouendan must lead the entire world in a cheer to save Earth from being destroyed by an asteroid.

At the 2007 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, iNiS Vice President Keiichi Yano described the process which eventually resulted in Osu!

At the conference, he also displayed early concept art for lead Ouendan character Ryūta Ippongi, who originally wore the shirt of his gaku-ran uniform unbuttoned and had a significantly shorter hairstyle.

Yano also displayed an unused Ouendan stage from a prototype build that featured a puppy in danger.

Some news sources, such as GameCentral on Channel 4's Teletext service in the UK, gave it positive coverage, leading to the game becoming something of a cult hit among gamers who were prepared to import it.

[citation needed] In December 2006, Press Start Online placed Ouendan at number one in their HeartScore list, a top 25 of underappreciated games and personal favorites.

[5] In a review for Retro Gamer, Darran Jones considered the game a future classic, and noted that while it lacks some of the features in its sequel and Elite Beat Agents, he felt that it had a better mix of songs and more personality compared to its peers.

[6] Following high import sales for Ouendan, Nintendo and iNiS developed Elite Beat Agents, released in North America in November 2006, in Australia in May 2007, in Europe in July 2007, and in South Korea in October 2007.

The game features the same gameplay as Ouendan, but with scenarios, characters and songlists geared towards western audiences, replacing the male cheerleaders with special agents.