In 2006 Nintendo released Rhythm Tengoku for the Gameboy Advance in Japan. A quirky rhythm music game that gives off an intense Warioware vibe (probably because it was created by the Warioware team), Rhythm Tengoku was a gigantic source of jealousy for audiences outside of Japan, as it was never localized for any other region. Because of that fact, Rhythm Tengoku is probably one of the most imported games in the GBA library, it also happens to be one of the very best games on the handheld.

With Rhythm Heaven, otherwise known as Rhythm Tengoku Gold in Japan, Nintendo have thankfully decided to grace our shores with a full localization and while certain aspects of said localization are slightly irritating, Rhythm Heaven still contains the charm and unbelievably catchy tunes its GBA predecessor possessed.


The very definition of catchy. Also, Rhythm Rally 2 will totally beat your ass.

Immediately after starting up Rhythm Heaven, you're thrown into a tutorial that teaches you how to "flick" properly. It would seem like a no-brainer, but having witnessed a couple people attempt to play the game at this point, I can see how said tutorial might be necessary. After successfully beating a frog to death and causing several car accidents, you'll start into the main game.

The basic premise of Rhythm Heaven is pretty close to Warioware. Each mini-game is composed of a couple actions that you must perform at the correct time. However, where Warioware focused on short and simple games played at a break-neck speed, Rhythm Heaven is more drawn out, focusing on performing specific actions, at extremely specific times, during the course of a song. These actions can range from clapping your hands as a monkey whenever a singer belts out the line "I suppose", to shaking up a test tube in the right rhythm to create love, or even shredding to the beat with your fellow ghost band members.

The most proficient way to explain the way the game works is by using the first level as an example. In Built to Scale, your job is to build little bolts by flinging a cylinder through a nut with precise timing. As each nut rolls towards the center of the screen, it makes a musical note to go along with the music. Once a nut has reached the center of the screen, you use a quick flick action to send the cylinder through the nut. It may sound extremely simple, but getting the timing down on your first try will be difficult. The musical cues are the key to success in Rhythm Heaven, not the visuals, so the easiest way to go about things is to follow the music in your head to whatever beat suits you. For instance, in Built to Scale you can follow the nuts' movement as Do-Re-Mi-Fa-FLICK, with the flick being the moment you toss the cylinder. Hitting your cue with precise timing is made all the more difficult by a constantly changing tempo, and if you're relying on visuals, the game will give you even more difficulty when it blacks out the screen.


The very first game is also one of the most fun to go back to.

The real stars of Rhythm Heaven aren't actually the mini-games, or the action of playing them, but the songs. Nearly every mini-game is home to a catchy song to play along to and you'll find yourself replaying favourites just to hear the music. Some of the remixes in particular are absolutely fantastic, and as is the case with catchy music, you'll find yourself singing it absentmindedly long after you finish playing. As far as localization is concerned, some of the songs featuring lyrics are a little grating with their lackluster English translations, with the music featured in "The Dazzles" mini-game and sequel to the Rhythm Tengoku "Karate Man" game being the biggest offenders. Some of the songs featuring lyrics are salvageable, however, such as the upbeat ditty from "Frog Hop", and the ridiculously cute pop idol song in "Fan Club".


Catchy beat, thy name is Cromp Stomp!

The back of the box for Rhythm Heaven states that it includes over 50 mini-games, and while this is true, it's also pretty misleading. In truth there are only 24 actual mini-games, 6 sections with 4 games per section. Each section also includes 1 remix, which includes a brand new tune. Once you've completed all of these games, 4 more sections open up to reveal a further 16 games and 4 remixes, although all 16 games are "sequels" to already existing games, featuring a remix of the original music, a longer length, and heightened difficulty. Also included with the game are various un-lockable mini-games and extras, things like flipping a coin, dialing a phone or playing songs from the soundtrack on guitar. These are all nice little distractions and add to the overall package, but they won't draw your attention from the main games.

Although marketed as another addition to the casual-focused "Touch Generations" label, Rhythm Heaven is an entirely un-merciless game. The difficulty is, at times, absolutely brutal; almost on an 8-bit level. As someone who played and mastered much of Rhythm Tengoku, the learning curve may not have been quite as steep, but there were still times where I got frustrated. A lot of this frustration comes from the extremely odd pass/fail system the game employs, and it seems much more specific than the one found in Rhythm Tengoku. Specific games will be giving you a Superb, or at least a pass, even if you've managed to botch things up on several occasions, while others will fail you on a nearly perfect run. Even messing up the same amount of times, but at different points in the song, will work towards a pass or fail, and sometimes those weird incongruities work against the game, but make it all the more satisfying when you get that perfect score.


"I suppose" I can overlook how much you seemingly want me to fail, game!

Since this is a sequel, and the Warioware team loves to leave little nods to their previous work in their games, there are a bunch of little cameos present in the game that only those who played the original are going to pick up on. They don't effect the game in any way, but their presence at random times during the game add a little extra something to the offerings. The little man from "Night Walk" hanging onto stars when you perfect a beat in "The Dazzlers" for instance, or the turnips with the whiskers being in "Crop Stomp", or the obvious cameo of the Karate Man are all fantastic little nods.

Rhythm Heaven is one of those games that will stick with you for a long time. Years down the road, the characters and songs will still be ingrained in your memory. And despite the sometimes brutal difficulty curve, and occasional lackluster song, the game is as solid as it comes. Do yourself a favour and pick this game up, not just because you failed to pick up Elite Beat Agents and may have destroyed the chances of a sequel, but because it'll be the most fun you've had on your DS, or in general, in a long time.