Rhythm Heaven Fever proves that polish and personality can make an extremely simplistic game a fantastic one
Monkeys on the green
See the monkeys dance
And shake the tambourine
The cat serves the birdie…to the dog
At the board meeting is a group of hogs
A wrestling man is posing for the fans
Pack the candy; swat the spiders with your hands
Press A, B, or both buttons to the beat
Move to the rhythm, feel the heat
The tunes are infectious and catchy
Pay close attention or things will get messy
Gaze upon the colors; laugh at the humor
Things get hard; you'll get into a furor
Win the gold! Get perfect without a miss!
With tons of fun mini games, Fever's a hit!
I've been in a bit of a rhythmic mood lately, and I have Rhythm Heaven Fever to thank. This entry in the Rhythm Heaven franchise is the successor to the Nintendo DS Rhythm Heaven, released a couple of years ago. As my poem above indicates, the goal in Rhythm Heaven Fever is to press either the A or B buttons (or both simultaneously) to the beat. By playing the Rhythm Heaven games, I have discovered that I am more musically conscious than I initially believed. Either way, you will quickly find out how well you can follow a beat. Most music (especially of the pop variety) that gets any sort of recognition, whether it be commercially or critically, is played in a 4/4 time signature, and the same goes for the insanely catchy tunes in Rhythm Heaven Fever. Occasionally, the game will challenge the player to press buttons to the off-beats or to a difficult time signature, but exact execution is always a must.
Rhythm Heaven Fever is one of the most simplistic games ever created, but its exuberant presentation, warm personality, and excellent soundtrack make a bare-bones concept fantastic fun. Each mini-game is a song that presents itself as a wacky, wild scenario through bizarre characters: test playground seesaws to a rock song; slice demons that stole a kid's pinwheel; ask a wrestling champ questions in gibberish; and more. Just as diverse as the scenes is the soundtrack, which encompasses a wide range of genres including rock, electronic, and Japanese pop to name a few.
Rhythm Heaven Fever looks and feels warm, but it can be insanely difficult. If you do well enough on a mini-game, however, you will earn a gold medal. By collecting gold medals you will unlock toys and endless games to play. The unlockables are real treats, good incentives to strive for the gold. Earning a gold medal in any of the mini-games is challenging enough, but earning a "perfect" is one of the most daunting challenges in any video game…ever.
At random, the game will suddenly ask you if you would like to try and achieve a Perfect on one of the previous mini-games you have completed. If you fail to do so in three tries, you will have to wait until you are presented with another opportunity to try again. Earning a perfect score gives you the ability to listen to that stage's music in the Café. There, you can also chat with the barista, read short stories, or take a rhythm test.
This game is not for everyone; some will succumb to frustration and give up playing quite early; those who are not attracted to all of its bells and whistles will probably sum up Rhythm Heaven Fever as shallow and repetitive. The players who do find it appealing, however, will likely be enticed. With over fifty mini-games, not including extra content and fun multi-player games unique to this entry, this Rhythm Heaven stands as one of the Wii's best gems and is worthy of a try. You might just catch the fever.