Thankfully, the almost shocking immediacy of Rhythm Heaven hasn't changed a lick with Megamix. After some basic training at the beginning of each level, Rhythm Heaven expects you to fully grasp what it's trying to teach within the context of the cartoony scenario playing out on your screen. Instead of trying to approximate playing an actual instrument, Rhythm Heaven instead teaches basic musical concepts (like time signatures and downbeats) by creating zany scenarios, like a midair badminton game between two furry pilots, or a chorus line of germs swimming around in a petri dish. Nintendo does things a bit differently, though, by choosing to substitute visual metaphors for the standard on-screen button prompts you'd find in something like Rock Band. Built from the DNA of WarioWare: Mega Microgame$!, this rhythm game series blends toy-like, one-button interactions with some amazingly catchy tunes and often hilarious visuals.Īt its heart, Rhythm Heaven resembles music game pioneers like Parappa the Rapper, in which you're tasked with repeating a phrase to the beat.
Over the past decade, there's been no Nintendo franchise as joyful or surprising as Rhythm Heaven.
