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»Rhythm Tengoku
"I'm in rhythm heaven!"
I love the WarioWare series, and I love rhythm games. Just imagine how
pleased I was when the WarioWare guys did a rhythm game, making one of
the best games ever made. Rhythm Tengoku (accurately translated to
“Rhythm Heaven”) is developed by R&D1, the creators of the original
WarioWare game. Unlike many of the rhythm games on the market, Rhythm
Tengoku is more like an assortment of minigames that incorporate rhythm
into them than levels devoted to the music exclusively. And while it
shares many similarities to WarioWare, it has its own unique feel,
thanks to having levels with a certain end point instead of them going
until you lose. And really, Rhythm Tengoku is the wackiest game I've
ever played, WarioWare included. I'm glad that Intelligent Systems
(co-developers of Twisted! and Touched!) is co-developing WarioWare:
Smooth Moves with R&D1, allowing R&D1 to create this new and
interesting game.
Rhythm Tengoku is no short of amazing. As you may have already figured,
Tengoku is a rhythm game. However, unlike many rhythm games, it does
not feature any traditional on-screen "indicators" of how or when to
push a button - and by traditional, I mean like DDR’s arrows, Ouendan's
circles of PaRappa’s icons. For instance, you play as a karate fighter
in the first level. Instead of the game telling you when to push A to
hit the item thrown in front of you, you must learn when to push A.
This level has a particular beat to it, and at every beat, an item will
be thrown on screen, such as a flower pot, light bulb or rock, which
you must hit. Depending on how well you do, one of the following will
happen - you will either hit the object spot-on, hit it a little bit
early or a little bit late or do not hit it at all. One of the best
aspects of the game is how unique each level feels, with the obvious
exception of the remixes. I mean, you go from hitting baseballs into
space to dancing with monkeys. It just doesn't get anymore random than
that.
There are eight sets of levels, with each set having five regular
levels and a "mix level" at the end, which combines the previous five
levels and a new song. As you progress in the game, the levels become
more and more difficult. However, no matter how high the difficulty
becomes, none of them are unbearably difficult, but most levels still
feel challenging, especially when aiming for a medal, let alone a
perfect. There are a wide variety of collectibles, such as medals and
perfect hearts. Some medals and hearts are easier than others; I got
many of my medals on my first play through of many levels, including
the tap-dancing monkey games and the third mix. However, I just cannot
get a medal for the ninja/biker levels - I cannot get the rhythm right
on those two, because you have to block the arrow/rock a split second
before they arrive in order to get a clear hit. Perfect hearts are even
more difficult than medals - the problem I have is that a perfect can
only count if it's marked. So even if you get a perfect once in a
level, you still have to be able to do it again when it actually
matters, and when it matters, you're far too nervous to get the
perfect. The only real problem I have ever had is that some levels
don't last long enough, like the fireworks level. It would have been
nice if they did more levels that last forever, like the virus minigame.
There is much more to the game than the main 48 levels, most of which
are excellent. The game features three side attractions - drum
sessions, minigames and toys. The drum sessions are one of my favorite
aspects of the game, right behind the main game. There are nineteen
drum sessions in total, each one harder than the last. Each button
(with exception of start and select) is assigned to a particular cymbal
or drum. The point of these sessions is to do a particular succession
of beats on your drum, according to what the Drum Samurai wanted you to
do. However, you can still goof off in it and just play with the drums
to your heart's content. I don't really care about the toys that much,
although they are somewhat interesting, but the minigames are great. My
favorite minigame is the one based off of the virus level, where you
must continuously stab viruses with fork-like objects in beat with the
music in order to prevent them from reaching the end. It gets much
faster and much more difficult over time, so it doesn't get repetitive.
As you collect medals, you unlock more games in these three modes.
After collecting enough medals, you will eventually unlock more drum
sessions, minigames and toys.
If you've ever played a WarioWare game, you will instantly recognize
the visuals. It's not one of the most visually attractive games on the
Game Boy Advance, but it is extremely charming and it's very easy on
the eyes. The animation is smooth as silk, and the character designs
are excellent and very humorous, just like WarioWare's; it even
features several cameos from the WarioWare games, including the space
bunnies. In regard to audio, it is easily the most important aspect of
the game, along with the gameplay (obviously). Without the music, it
couldn't be RHYTHM Tengoku, could it? There are more than 30 songs, not
counting the last two groups, and I love every last one of them. They
are catchy, and R&D1 did a great job of making appropriate songs
for particular levels. Not only do they have their own music that
they've created, but Nintendo acquired the rights to a couple of songs
for the third and fifth mixes from a couple of J Pop bands. Like all
rhythm games, gameplay is only half of the quality of a level;
thankfully, each level has excellent music. Sound effects are also
important. For instance, in the karate level, the beat of the music is
created by the sounds of you punching objects that fly by.
Rhythm Tengoku is the most addictive and replayable game in a very long
time. With 48 levels, nineteen drum sessions, four minigames, four
toys, 48 medals to collect and 48 perfect hearts to collect; I can't
see a true gamer putting this down until completion, the addictiveness
of the main game notwithstanding. Lately, I've been playing my favorite
levels - the tap-dancing monkey’s games, the 8th Mix, the Toss Boy
games, and I have been working on getting perfect hearts and medals.
One of the biggest replay factors is the many side attractions
mentioned earlier in the review. One side attraction that is unlocked
by completing the 8th Mix is the Drum Girls/Boys/Samurai's Band Live.
It doesn't require much skill to play this mode; you merely try to stay
in beat, and there is no win or lose in this. It's merely for fun, and
I put an emphasis on the word fun. It has all of the same controls as
the drum session mode does, and you can choose how complicated you want
your drum beats to be - you can choose to stick to one or two drums, or
you can alternate between the many drums and cymbals to increase
variety and help fire up the audience. It really does feel like you're
part of the band when you're playing this.
Overall, Rhythm Tengoku is an excellent game and if I have anything to
do with it, I won't ever put this game down. The only noticeable flaw
in this game is the 8th Mix - it's the last game you unlock. I just
loved experiencing each unique level the game had to offer. More so
than other games, I just wish it never stopped introducing new content.
Hopefully because of the incredible and unexpected sales of Rhythm
Tengoku in Japan thanks to it being advertised alongside DS games,
we'll not only see this gem released outside of Japan, but see a sequel
as well.
By the way, I gave the story a seven because I think it's a silly
category and it's no fair to give it a 0 because it doesn't have a
devoted story.
Article by: Alttp
Posted on: Sep. 21st, 2006 |
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Comments |
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Comment Posted on: November 13, 2006 |
jeff |
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the music and catchy rhythms of this game are great! this game is addictively fun! it's one great GBA import!! i rate it 9/10!
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Comment Posted on: January 3, 2009 |
Mayumi |
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This game is great, Need enough concentration to make it perpect (^__^) this game is really fun....!!!!!
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