Taiko no Tatsujin DS: Hitting the right notes (not too hard, though)

Portable takes on games that were originally designed with anything but portability in mind fascinate me. I love seeing how enormous arcade-grade gadgets are reimagined for handheld devices; what’s deemed important enough to keep, what gets completely discarded, and if they take the opportunity to introduce any fun new twists that wouldn’t work in their original setting. But I have to admit that, even though I’m eager to experience lo-fi reinterpretations of more complex games (LCD train sims? Yes please), Taiko no Tatsujin DS has me worried from the start. The first thing the game shows me when I turn on my DS is a warning to not tap the lower screen too hard. This is not an unreasonable thing to be cautious about—nobody wants to ruin their DS (and no company wants to be held legally responsible for any damage caused)—but it does make the game feel like a bad idea before I’ve even picked a song: “We really want you to tap the screen. In fact, we actively encourage it. But also: be…