Why I Love Rhythm Heaven

Back when I first got to blogging I wrote a piece based off of a "Gadfly Recommends" article I wrote. Now it's time to revisit my second recommendation from just last May.

I have yet to meet another person who has played Rhythm Heaven. Granted, I don't go around asking people if they play the game, so I may very well know someone who has, but it has never really come up in normal conversation. And that's a shame because Rhythm Heaven is amazing.

Rhythm Heaven was a Nintendo DS game developed by Nintendo themselves and released in 2009. It is played exclusively with the DS's touch screen and the system turned on its side. (Book style) First and foremost, Rhythm Heaven is a mini-game collection. There is no story, no main objective, no central character. It's just a bunch of small games. But it's the best bunch of small games I've ever played.

The core of Rhythm Heaven is the music. Each game has a song. Gameplay is based around the music. You tap, flick, and swipe to the beat of each song. For example, in the first game, you flick the stylus at the end of a melody. On the screen, this action is represented by a machine creating small widgets with the music. One of the best things about this style is that the game could easily be played blind. The music tells the player everything they need to succeed.

All of the games follow the same style of images that go with music. In one game you're a farmer harvesting crops by stomping the ground. In another, you're a scientist performing experiments. There's a lot of variety in the games. If you're familiar with Walt Disney's Fantasia then you'll understand what this game is like.

It's important to mention that the music is excellent. A game based around music with poor music would not be a very fun game. All of Rhythm Heaven's tracks are original to the game, so you won't be hearing any familiar tunes here.  Some tracks such as "Build to Scale" (The game in the image above.) are simple but still enjoyable.

Others are more complex and frantic such as Blue Birds 2. (A harder variation of Blue Birds, a mini-game also in Rhythm Heaven.)

Some of the most fun games are the remix stages which combine several previous mini-games into one continuous challenge. I enjoy these levels the most due to their clever mixing and seamless transitions.

And naturally there are songs that will get stuck in your head.

There's a lot to love here.

It's worth noting that the games are the same every time you play them. Some games have higher difficulty settings but that's it. To some this may detract from the replay factor of the title. For me, I don't care. The games are all so fun and enjoyable that I don't mind playing them again and again. Those looking for a challenge will be happy to know that the game has a reward system for players who can earn a perfect score on the games. This adds an extra level of challenge and replay for the most dedicated players.

If it's not clear, you should play Rhythm Heaven. Right now. Go. Do it. It's wonderful. You can find it on Amazon for $30 or less. It is one of my all time favorite games for the DS. Heck, it's one of my favorite games of all time. Go see for yourself.