On a genre that is oversaturated with many versions of Guitar Hero, Rhthym Heaven is a fresh and fun option for fans
The premise of the game is challenge the player with a wide array of music-based mini-games. However instead of using your usual guitar, drum and bass to produce musical effects to go along with a MIDI tune Rhythm Heaven takes one unexpected turn and makes use of objects or normal activities that are must be used or performed according to the tempo of the song.
The concept is hard to grasp but after you turn on the game it will become quite clear. For example, on the first mini-games you will be working on some kind of assembly line where two square shaped pieces with a circular hole in the middle will slowly advance towards the center of the platform producing sounds that go along with the background song. One both of those pieces reach the middle of the platform and the holes in them are aligned you must fire a projectile, by doing a scratching motion with the stylus, at the right time according to the song to join both pieces.
Another good example of this is when you are part of a choir of three monsters and you must perform accordingly. By keeping the stylus in contact with the touch screen your monster will hold its singing, let it go and he will let his voice loose, do it timely and you will succeed.
Differently from other music titles where the only difference between one level and the other are the songs itself Rhythm Heaven shines because it offers far more variety. The way the music and the player interact change with each passing game as there is little to no room for the game to turn into a repetitive experience given that the creative minds behind the title managed to produce a big number of vastly different and engaging mini-games.
The mini-games are presented in brackets. Perform well on a mini-game and the next one will be unlocked, after 5 mini-games you will reach the top of the bracket where you will need to beat a remix level of the previous 5 mini-games in order to unlock the next set of challenges. While this system is very challenging and interesting I find it to be rather frustrating at times.
On games like this one it is always a good option to offer the player more than one option of a level to play so that if the player has a hard time getting through one song he can easily switch to another different one so that not only he can relieve his frustration but also have a brand new chance to advance more into the game. Unfortunately Rhythm Heaven's bracket system only presents one option of mini-game at a time so if you happen to come across a tough mini-game you will be stuck in it until you can beat it.
To make this issue less aggravating the developers decided to create a café that works as a place to chill out. There you can either practice the stylus movements, or talk to the barman that will allow you to even skip the mini-game you are currently playing, that's it if the game thinks you have already failed on it enough times to make you insanely frustrated therefore halting any players that could try to take advantage of this system.
Speaking of frustration Rhythm Heaven is a game guilty of causing that to everyone that plays through it. That will often happen on some mini-games where the controls are a tad unresponsive, add it to the fact that you only have a single path to beat the game and you got the recipe for ultimate frustration. Fortunately the number of mini-games that have such issues is tiny and most of the time you will be having a blast with the amazing controls the game presents.
Another minor issue is the lack of a restart option in the pause menu. This may be nitpicking but since some of the mini-games are too hard, some times you will feel like restarting them after you notice, midway through the mini-game, that you have made too many mistakes. Unfortunately if you do want to begin again the only option is to quit, go back to the game's menu, and pick the mini-game again, instead of being able to restart it right away.
The final, and most insignificant of all, issue the game has are some localization issues. Some of the game's songs, especially the ones that have lyrics, are embarrassingly terrible with very cheesy lines that will certainly make you cringe. Other localization flaw can be sometimes noticed on the tutorials that precede some mini-games as I think the instructions on how to perform are sometimes flawed and don't give you enough information on how to play the mini-game properly.
Still Rhythm Heaven holds too many qualities. Its visuals can be compared to Wario Ware as they are not a showcase of the system's powers but are amazingly efficient for the kind of game it is. The same goes to the tunes that accompany the mini-games, most of them are quite nice and catchy and once you gain enough confidence you will be humming as you get amazing scores on the games.
The game also has amazing replay value as getting a perfect score on each of the more than twenty mini-games will earn you nice rewards and, of course, the amazing feeling that you just perfected a game that is extremely challenging.
Rhythm Heaven is very easy to get into and extremely hard to get away from. The game's addicting formula combined with high level of challenge guarantee many hours alternating many moments of extreme fun and some occasions of frustration. The overall package is a blast for those who have always loved music games especially because it presents a fresh concept when the genre is getting oversaturated with tons of Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles.
Actual Score: 7.3