This review was made possible by Popped receiving a review code for Rhythm Heaven Groove on Nintendo Switch.
When it comes to Nintendo, there’s no denying their ability to put out work that isn’t just great, but foundational. Super Mario Bros. The Game Boy. The Legend of Zelda… and another… and another. But what really excites me is when they aren’t scared to get weird. Maybe we won’t ever get another Virtual Boy or Power Glove, but every now and then they find a way to bring a little eccentricity to the table. So in the middle of a year filled with surefire mega-hits such as Pokopia and an Ocarina of Time remake, comes the beacon of weirdness that is Rhythm Heaven Groove.
‘Rhythm Heaven Groove’ Is Great In Short Bursts… Usually
In the spirit of the game, let’s keep things short and sweet. If you haven’t heard of the Rhythm Heaven series, each entry is a casual, lighthearted collection of rhythm-based minigames. Think of it as WarioWare’s musical cousin. This fifth entry in the series (fourth in the US) carries on that concept just the same, with very few shake-ups to the formula. And that’s not a problem, as the core gameplay generally remains an engaging and entertaining experience.
The structure of the game has you complete levels one after another, unlocking the next as you go. These come grouped in stages consisting of four different levels, always followed by a fifth “remix” level that combines elements from the stage’s previous minigames into one cohesive experience. The result is quite rewarding, as you have to mentally juggle these four different (albeit mechanically simple) patterns you just learned separately. But the remixes are also a bit of an Achilles’ heel for the game. Rhythm Heaven Groove is incredibly easy to pick up, play a level, and put down. You really only need 2-3 minutes, minimum. It’s one of its best qualities. But if that’s your typical manner of playing, then if you pick it up one day and a remix is the next level to complete, you may have already forgotten the muscle memory and mechanics of the previous four stages. So it’s not a complete knock against the game, but if you’re looking for a quick on-the-go experience, you may just have to repeat some levels for a refresher at some point.
Back In The Groove With ‘Rhythm Heaven’
As for the actual gameplay of Rhythm Heaven Groove’s 80 minigames, as I mentioned, it’s mechanically simple. Oftentimes, minigames will only have you pushing the “A” button to the beat, sometimes throwing in a D-pad button as well. Where the challenge lies is purely in rhythm. This isn’t a Guitar Hero where your accuracy is dependent on hand-eye coordination to pick up on visual cues. While the occasional visual signal is present, your ability to match the beat is actually all based around auditory cues. The moon inhaling before sneezing, a woman humming before catching vegetables — you have to listen for these things to know when the subsequent action is coming, when you’ll need to tap. Luckily, there’s always the option to view an example of the timing during practice. Another small dimension to gameplay is there can be a couple of different rhythms, so it’s not just about when you hear a cue, but which cue you hear.
Personally speaking, I rarely had any issue getting into the groove, but I am more rhythmically inclined than most, with a background in music. The couple times I struggled, I found that it was only during practice, due to the specific song playing. When the actual minigames began with their standard music, everything went smoothly.
Is ‘Rhythm Heaven Groove’ Too Weird… Or Not Weird Enough?
Outside of Rhythm Heaven Groove’s single-player stages, there’s a handful of extra modes and content to explore, which is always welcome. But first, I want to touch on how you access all of it — the main menu. This game has probably the strangest menu I’ve ever seen, and I don’t mean that in a good way… although it’s a fairly trivial complaint when the gameplay experience is what matters most. It’s a scrolling list that takes up only a quarter of an otherwise empty screen. There’s a near-pointless “About Rhythm Heaven” cutscene as the first choice, followed by “Play Solo” and “Play with Friends.” The rest includes three selections for extra content in the way of reading material, a music gallery, and video examples (all of which could’ve been folded into one gallery), and two different settings pages (again, which could’ve been merged together). It’s altogether visually too minimalist, while not concise at all in what should be shown to players. And then add on the fact that the extra gameplay modes (outside of multiplayer) are not found in the main menu, but inside the “Play Solo” section, and it’s all baffling.
“Play with Friends” is easily one of the game’s highlights, with over 30 local co-op games that range between both competitive and cooperative. As for the other modes, these include a Rhythm Toy Box with some extra small modes you’ll unlock the more you play, and a Café with music where you can chat with a barista. All around, nothing crazy. But then there’s Beatspell. A rhythm RPG. When it was first revealed in a Nintendo Direct, my excitement went through the roof. In practice, though, it’s too lackluster. The mode has you battling enemies by casting different spells, pushing “A” and “B” to the beat, which ends up being far more difficult than the rest of the game’s minigames. The mode’s story is also way too short, but at least it ends with a more fully-fleshed-out roguelike. Still, I would’ve liked to have seen Beatspell prioritized much more, and hope it gets to take center stage in a future Rhythm Heaven title to reach its full potential.
‘Rhythm Heaven Groove’ – Final Thoughts
Rhythm Heaven Groove delivers an excellent lineup of rhythm-based minigames that are as quirky as they are fun. While the multiplayer minigames are a blast as well, the other additional content (and how it’s all presented) largely misses the mark. But at the end of the day, it’s more Rhythm Heaven, and you won’t catch me complaining about that!
Rhythm Heaven Groove is now available for the Nintendo Switch. Check out the trailer below:
