Rhythm Heaven Fever

Rhythm, it’s a part of life whether we want to believe it or not. Without rhythm, we wouldn’t have beats and without beats we wouldn’t be able to live. Ever since we are born to the day we see ourselves saying farewell to everyone we hold dear, there is a bit of rhythm that is in everything. And what better way to enjoy rhythm by putting it in a video game.

Rhythm Heaven is a collection of musical mini games done in very catchy tunes that eat through our very soul. They started ironically at the end of the lifetime of the GBA as it was singing it’s last ballad while the DS was filling in the big shoes of it’s predecessor.. The major problem? Japan didn’t share the love. So finally Nintendo releases Rhythm Heaven or Rhythm Tengoku Gold on the DS a couple of years later. Just like the older step brother who we never see on those family get-togethers, the DS sequel shares the same personality, but with DS capabilities. You tap and flick to the beat of the tune and that’s it. Rhythm Gold.

Now recently Nintendo released it’s newest Heaven Rhythm opus with Minna no Rhythm Tengoku or Rhythm Heaven Fever. At first glance it looks silly just like the other 2, but in all honesty, it’s very addicting and fun. The initial negative feedback it got was not because of the core gameplay, but rather the localization. Some may claim that some mini games in English were going to suck because purists don’t like listening to English. To that I say, it isn’t bad. More on that later.

With every Rhythm Heaven game (even though there’s 3 in the series), you tap a certain button to the beat of the tune. The difference is more that it uses only 1 or 2 buttons compared to the DS where you tap and flick with the stylus. You use the A button mostly and B for the off beat tussles. It feels similar to the GBA version in that it takes only 2 or so to jingle along to the music. No need for special combos or complicated button presses or realistic graphics to make it look almost as uncanny valley as it almost achieves in some ways. Just 2 simple buttons and that’s all you need.

The music in Rhythm Heaven Fever, regardless of which version you prefer, are all the same on both fronts. Each song is chock full of personality and style that many few can pull off. Sure everything looks pretty simple, but simplicity brings out the best of one’s imagination and we interpret what we see the most. From the humble beginnings of golfing with monkeys to the beat of trumpets, to the adorable sounds of slapping hands with monkeys on a watch, to the silly moments where you accidentally press off key buttons to punch dolls which make fart sounds that tickle my childish side, to the somber Japanese style beat that tugs at my heart strings. Each song is different and unique which begs the question to why no one at Nintendo or the creator of these youthful tunes, Tsunku(male sign) don’t release a soundtrack like everyone else. The last thing to mention is how memetically catchy it is. Almost everyone has done a parody of Rhythm Tengoku mini game from different walks of life. From Rhythm Fortress to Touhou Tengoku, to My Little Pony, Rhythm is Magic. you just can't deny the cuteness of this.

The core aspect of rhythm heaven is the mini games, and quite an immense number of them on one single disc. Up to 50 main mini games as well as unlockable games that were in the GBA version remastered to give you a glimpse of what you missed. The best ones would include, golfing with monkeys, pigs spinning around in chairs (get it? They're at a "bored" meeting), a samurai chopping evil spirits to save a boy's stolen pinwheel, a boy kicking balls away from weasels during a date, a dog and a cat playing badminton in airplanes, to bookworm cheerleaders. Each mini game, including the unlockable ones are rich and full of personality that gives off a style not seen anywhere else.

I really don’t want to say anything bad about Rhythm Heaven Fever because it’s so good, but I must address a couple of minor quips. In one mini game, Karate Man/2, the tempo is lowered for some reason. The Japanese version is one octane higher. I can still enjoy the great music and for once the English translation is not bad at all, in fact I would even call it incredibly decent, but the lowered tempo was awkward at first glance. The other thing is in Love Rap you are rapping about “love”. The “rap” isn’t so bad (I normally don’t like rap and hip hop, not my thing), but the girl is rapping in what I hear is a southern accent. Think about that for a second while I also address the ridiculously outdated slang that is used as the translation. Comparing daisuki (like you) and into you (???) or crazy into you (suki nanda), it just sounds awkward and just gives me fits of giggles that make me get meh rating which is like the mediocrity of my score eats away at me bit by bit. I guess I could say that Love Rap’s “rap” is so bad it’s good, but that is just me.

Here is a better comparison:

And this:

The other awkwardly hilarious thing that needs to be mentioned is in Bossa Nova, you have two flower people who like to "bump" and volleying shapes while they turn and make weird noises? Oh and listen to the lyrics in the 3rd remix. It sounds like someone is excited to finally score. Was someone asleep at the radar or something? Not that that it's a bad thing.

The last minor gripe is more in the fact that some people may hate this game because it's too hard. It's only hard because rhythm takes some getting used to. If you don't have it, don't fret. There's a tutorial in the way beginning that tests you on your timing. You can access it in the cafe with the doggy bartender (what?), as well as demos with every mini game so you can learn the ropes on how each of them work. Except for the remixes. Good luck keeping up with the pace. The last remix is specifically there to make sure you don't screw up. Remember, don't blame the game for the lack of rhythm, it's all on you.

What I do like though is that the unlockables include remastered mini games from the GBA version. Only 5 are available, but each of them are perfect for the one button style pressing that the wiimote implicates. From the Clapping Trio, Sneaky Spirits, Power Calligraphy (how they get that past is beyond me), Tap Trial, and the finale is a remastering of Night Walk. Wish they could have added more like Space Dance, or Bon odori, or Toran and porin (Tram and Poline), or even that weird one with plucking hairs from vegetables. This game could have had more bang for the buck, but for 30 bucks at budget price there’s a lot of treats to go around with this game.

If you like rhythm games and I know you can’t deny them no matter how many unsold guitar peripherals you see like soulless plastic instruments, get Rhythm Heaven Fever. Plenty to do in this and well worth making new addictions for. I got a fever and the only prescription is more rhythm.