Rhythm Heaven
| Rhythm Heaven (North America) Rhythm Paradise (Europe) Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Japan) | |
|---|---|
 North American game cover. | |
| Developer(s) | Nintendo SPD Group No.1 TNX |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Kazuyoshi Osawa |
| Producer(s) | Yoshio Sakamoto Tsunku |
| Designer(s) | Ko Takeuchi |
| Artist(s) | Ko Takeuchi |
| Composer(s) | Mitsuo Terada Masami Yone Tsunku |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Genre(s) | Rhythm |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Rhythm Heaven in North America, also known in Europe as Rhythm Paradise and in Japan as Rhythm Tengoku Gold (リズム天国ゴールド, lit. "Rhythm Heaven Gold" or "Rhythm Paradise Gold") is a rhythm video game-exclusive for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It is the sequel/successor to the Japan-only release Game Boy Advance title Rhythm Tengoku. Rhythm Heaven was released in North America on 5 April 2009, along with the release of the 3rd generation Nintendo DS system, Nintendo DSi. In Japan and PAL regions, the game is published under the Touch! Generations brand. It also has an iTunes visualizer at its official website.
Gameplay
Controls
Rhythm Heaven only uses the touch screen as the control method and requires the Nintendo DS system to be held vertically. Different ways of using the screen (such as touching, swiping, flicking, etc.) affect the gameplay in many different ways. The only button used in all games is the START button, that when pressed pauses the game.
Rhythm Games
There are 10 sets of rhythm games with 5 sub-rhythm games per set, calculating up to a total of 50 rhythm games. Each set consists of 4 original sub-rhythm games, with the 5th and final rhythm game of a set being a remix sub-stage that combines the rhythm mechanics of the previous sub-stages of a set in a new visual context with new music.
In stages 7 and above, the game has second versions of most of the earlier stages with a higher difficulty level.
At the end of a rhythm game, the player's rhythm is rated and given one of 4 ranks: SUPERB, JUST OK, OK, and TRY AGAIN. If the player is given either a SUPERB, JUST OK or OK rank, the next stage is unlocked. If the player fails the stage and gets a TRY AGAIN rank, the level has to be redone. Once completing a particular rhythm game, getting an JUST OK or OK rank marks a silver frame on the game's icon and unlocks the next rhythm game, while getting a SUPERB rank marks a gold frame on the game's icon and awards the player a medal.
Accumulating these medals unlocks additional mini-games, including endless games, rhythm toys and guitar lessons (Basic and Technical courses). After getting a medal for a stage, the game may randomly select it, giving the player a chance to earn a Perfect by clearing the stage perfectly. Three attempts are allowed each time a game is selected for a perfect challenge. If successful, the stage gets "Perfect" written below it. A bonus item (song, lyrics sheet, or character info) corresponding to the stage is then unlocked and viewable from the coffee shop. If the player fails to complete the stage perfectly within three tries, the opportunity is lost until another stage gets marked for a perfect challenge.
When the player returns to the stage select screen after completing a stage, the 'Flow' level changes depending on player's performance, which can go up, down, or stay the same. If player gets "Try Again" 3 times on a stage, that stage can be skipped by going to the coffee shop for the cost of a few flow points. Also, once a player gets a superb on every game, they will have a chance of a Perfect every turn.
Music
Rhythm Heaven uses original music composed by Tsunku and Masami Yone, with vocals by TNX artists including Canary Club, The Possible, and Tsunku himself (credited as Occhama[3]). These vocals were re-recorded in English for the Western version by other vocalists (most notably Ayaka Nagate, a former member of the Tsunku-produced Coconuts Musume), as were some of the voice cues. There were plans to include the Japanese songs in the music player section, but they were removed due to space restrictions. Soundtrack albums for the game have been released in Japan, but not in North America. The European version has been fully translated in Spanish, English, French, German, and Italian language, including the songs.
Development
Rhythm Heaven was developed by Nintendo SP&D1 with the assistance of Tsunku, a music record producer, both also worked on the original Rhythm Tengoku. The conception of the game is credited to Nintendo programmer Kazuyoshi Osawa who previously worked on Metroid and WarioWare titles.[4][5]
A Rhythm Heaven game for the Wii is in development; Nintendo president Satoru Iwata saw potential in the game in people's living rooms: "When you see others play with the game and notice that he or she misses out on being perfectly in rhythm, it can also be surprisingly fun."[6]
Reception
The game received a score of 34/40 in Famitsu.[7] As of 11 January 2009, Rhythm Heaven had sold 1,568,000 copies in Japan.[8] It was also the sixth best-selling game of Japan in 2008.[9] IGN gave the game 9.0 and an Editor's Choice award, praising its creativity and gameplay, but criticising the dubious localisation of some of the songs.[10] The game received an 8.5 from Nintendo World Report where they praised the game's addictive, yet challenging gameplay.[11] Gamespot gave it 7.5, saying its high difficulty limits its appeal.[12] Gametrailers gave the game 8.7.[13]
References
- ^ Official Nintendo Magazine article
- ^ "Rhythm Heaven Release Summary". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ http://ameblo.jp/tsunku-blog/entry-10167669542.html
- ^ "Iwata Asks - Rhythm Heaven". Nintendo. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ "Kazuyoshi Osawa". MobyGames. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
- ^ Alexander, Leigh (2011-01-28). "Nintendo Reveals Traditional Kirby Game, Rhythm Heaven In Works For Wii". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
- ^ http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26527887
- ^ "Sony Opens 2009 With a Bang: Dissidia and Monster Hunter Take Top Two Spots". Chart Get. 2009-01-07. Retrieved 2009-01-09. [dead link]
- ^ "JAPANESE 2008 MARKET REPORT". MCVUK. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ Rhythm Heaven Review by Craig Harris, April 05, 2009
- ^ Rhythm Heaven by Nick DiMola, April 8, 2009
- ^ Rhythm Paradise Review by Tom Mc Shea, April 1, 2009
- ^ Rhythm Heaven Video Game, Review | Game Trailers & Videos | GameTrailers.com, April 10, 2009