Rhythm Heaven Review
By Gaetano Prestia
Very few of you may remember the original Rhythm Heaven that appeared right at the end of the GameBoy Advance’s life cycle. It was released with barely a whimper and even failed to hit retail shelves over in the US. It’s a perfect example of how quantity shouldn’t dictate quality, as the title was original, fun and unique. With Rhythm Heaven on the DS, we get a near-identical title that, while not quite as fresh as the original GBA version, is just as whacky, original and entertaining.
Rhythm Heaven was developed by the same team that brought us the WarioWare series, so it’s no surprise that this title is to games as Andy Warhol is to whacked out art. It’s a great title that is a hell of a lot fun, even if you’re not into rhythm-based games. It pretty much has everything you’d want from a game that has no distinctive demographic, with witty humour, accessible gameplay, challenge and an art direction that is truly out of this world.
The gameplay revolves around 50 or so mini-games, each of which has a short story (which don’t really matter) and a catchy tune. There are plenty of memorable and whistle-worthy tunes in Rhythm Heaven, as they have all been made especially for the title. While there is plenty of originality in the presentation of this title, the music tracks take the originality to a whole new level, with heaps of different beats and tunes, none of which are bad to listen to.
The gameplay is simple to grasp but relatively challenging to master. You tap the touch-screen in beat to the music being played. It sounds like an easy concept, but often there is so much going on on the screen that it’s difficult to keep in-tune with the music, watch what is happening on screen and following the beats that are falling down the screen. Nintendo have done a great job of making this more than just a simple music game, forcing you to really concentrate and focus your attention on a specific area while unique and whacky visuals infect the screen.
However, the game does have a few problems. Firstly, the tutorials that accompany each mini-game are far too long. Most of the time they are actually longer than the mini-game themselves, which is frustrating and makes the game feel less pick-up-and-play. The GBA version threw you straight into the deep end with little to no explanation as to what you had to do and that’s where it succeeded – it flowed really well and was simple enough that you could get straight into it without being told beforehand. With the DS version, you’re told what to do, but by the time it’s all over, you’re looking forward to the next mini-game before the current one begins. It’s like when you’re at school and the teacher is telling you the rules of the playground before letting you out to play. You know the rules and can’t wait to get out there, and then it ends up feeling like the teacher is speaking to you longer than the actual time you have outside. It’s quite annoying.
Secondly, the game doesn’t respond perfectly all the time to your touch-screen commands. Because Rhythm Heaven is purely a touch-screen affair, all of the action you undertake is reliant upon either a tap, hold or flick on the touch-screen. You’d think that with a rhythm-based music title those commands would be perfectly represented onscreen as you do them, but sometimes they’re not. Furthermore, the actions you’re required to do don’t really feel genuine when compared to the action onscreen. You might be required to help an animal dance or flick for an insect to jump, and the action you’re required to do on the touch-screen just doesn’t connect very well. You’d think a flick would be better suited to a jump, but instead you just have to do a tap. The developer seems to have struggled in making the transition from a button configuration on the GBA to a touch-screen one.
The Final Verdict
Even after those problems, Rhythm Heaven is still a lot of fun to play. It is a handheld title after all, and the DS has been proven as a great platform for rhythm-based titles. It is a breath of fresh area on the handheld, but not necessarily for the series itself. Had the developer spent a bit more time with the touch-screen commands and made better decisions when incorporating them into the mini-games, then we could have had one of the best games on the DS. Instead, we have an original, unique and entertaining title that is still a must-play for its enjoyment factor and addictiveness.
Gameplay
7.5/10
It’s accessible and fun for the most part, despite its shortcomings. The touch-screen commands aren’t always suited to the mini-games, which make things feel a bit off at times.
Graphics
8.0/10
A great presentation with outrageous visuals and unique designs.
Sound
10/10
An amazing sounding title with spectacular tunes, each of which are original and have been made especially for this title.
Value
7.5/10
It’s fun enough to play more than once and with over 50 mini-games, you’ll get what you pay for.
Overall
8.3/10