E3 impressions - Rhythm Heaven

Thanks Nintendo…thanks a lot. No sooner than I order the import of Rhythm Tengoku Gold, you confirm that the series is coming to North America. Now I spent money that I didn’t have to! Actually…I don’t mind one bit in the case of Rhythm Heaven. I am so happy that this series is coming to the states. I know there is no accurate way for me to describe the fun that you get out of this game. It’s really a title that needs to be experienced. While the game is completely centered around music, it’s the way that the music is used that really makes the game a pleasure. Trust me, you don’t have to be a music-game fan to enjoy what Rhythm Heaven has to offer.

The show floor demo had three playable games in it. Each one of them had me tapping my feet to the beat, and one of them had me chuckling as I play. Not a good then when you are trying to stay in-tempo to play. For those that don’t know, Rhythm Heaven’s gameplay is all about music. Each game you play has a song or beat to follow along to. As long as you are good at keeping rhythm, you will be able to rock this game. If you have no sense of music timing, you are going to find this title to be extremely tough. I saw someone on the show floor try the title out, and then slam the headphones down in frustration about 10 minutes later. Not a music fan, I guess.

So, the first demo had me filling up robots with fuel. The robots were completely empty, and my job was to fill them to the very top with pink fuel. You can see them filling up, and when you hit the top, you cut the supply. To put the fuel in, all you do is press the stylus on the touch screen, and let-up when you’re done. To get the timing and fuel levels exactly right, you have to listen to the music. The fueling sounds match the rhythm of the song playing, and if you are doing things correctly, you should be creating a catchy tune by filling these robots up. There are big and small robots, and with them comes more challenge to stay on-beat. The conveyor belt moves along, you listen to the music, hit the gas on the beat and let up a certain amount of beats later.

The second demo is the one that had me cracking up. You are in a choir with two other people, and it’s your job to mimic what they sing. Once again, you do this just by pressing down on the touch screen, and letting up. When you aren’t touching the touch screen, your character is singing. You have to press the touch screen to shut him up. If you sing when you aren’t supposed to, you will fail…and the other guys singing with you will give you dirty looks. So basically, just follow along with the pace/tempo that they set. The first guy sings, the second guy sings, and then it’s your job to match what they did. There are patterns that they sing, and there are portions where you all sing at once. The reactions that the other characters have when you screw-up is priceless.

Last was my favorite demo of the set. You are in a factory that is creating…something…I don’t know what it was. Anyway, it is your job to launch a peg into two blocks to connect them. One block rolls in from the right, one from the left. Both blocks have a hole in them. When these two holes line up, you slide your stylus upwards, and launch the peg into the hole. Of course, this all goes to the beat of a song…this one an interesting take on the do-re-mi scale. As long as you are in-sync with the music, you should be able to hit that peg hole every time. For the very last round, almost the entire factory screen is shrouded in darkness. You have to use the music alone to launch the pegs at the right time. This particular game really shows you just how well-matched the music is to the game.

Rhythm Heaven is some of the best stuff to come out of Nintendo in awhile. I really hope this game sets the charts on-fire. Music games are so big now, but Rhythm Heaven is so different from anything else out there. Really, do not ignore this title once it hits our shores.