Written by Podunker:Kyro
You got your Guitar Heroes and your Rock Bands and what not, but I bet many of you have never played (nor even heard of) Rhythm Tengoku for the Game Boy Advance. A very entertaining rhythmic game that never saw release in the US, but still managed to catch the hearts of many importers who managed to get their hands on it. Rhythm Tengoku was a very unique title that caught many by surprise. A simple game full of various mini-games. In Rhyhtm Tengoku though, its best to play with your ears, rather than your eyes, as this game is all about rhythm. Needless to say, the game was a pretty big hit in Japan.
Now the sequel to the highly-praised GBA title has now come out for the Nintendo DS and its name is Rhythm Tengoku Gold. Already out in Japan, but is set to make its stateside debut in April 2009, and will sport the name Rhythm Heaven. So with a new system and new mini-games, does this sequel maintain the extremely fun gameplay that made the GBA a hit, or will it fall short of overpassing its predeccesor? Read on and find out.
Title: Rhythm Tengoku Gold
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Rhythm
Rating: E
Release Date: JP – July 31, 2008 | US – April 5, 2009
Publisher: Nintendo
Gameplay: 9.7/10
Rhyhtm Tengoku Gold, at its core, is very similar to its GBA counterpart. The main goal of the game is to beat each mini-game and move on to the next one. The way it works is that you got the mini-games separated into columns of five. The first four games are different games that require different motions on the touch screen, like flicking and tapping, with each game sporting its unique music. Each game will start off with a tutorial in order to get you accustomed to the touch control mechanic. After several practices the real game will start. Music will start playing and you are now using the controls you just learned to perform a rhythm with the music in order to beat the mini-game.
The controls are very simple and thanks to the lessons before each game, you won’t be entirely loss on what to do. Of course, you may not fully know what to do, but after a few seconds in the mini-game you should start developing that rhythmic feeling. Each minigame will utilize its own touch control motion. Theres not many different motions for you to perform in this game. The motions are pretty much either flicking, sliding, tapping, holding down, or a mixture of them(ex. tapping then flicking).
After you beat the first 4 games in a specific column, you will unlock a remix. Remixes are like the boss stages in RTG. These remixes showcase all that you learned in the previous 4 games, and will incorporate them into a mix of the mini-games you just beat. So basically your now playing a a mash-up of the mini-games you just played, with each game appearing in different orders, and with a pretty sweet song to go with it.
After each mini-game you will receive a rating based on your performance. The game gives you one of three ratings. I don’t read Japanese that well, so I’ll just give you the English equivalent. There’s fail, OK, and excellent. Fail means you lose and you won’t progress to the next game. OK means you did well enough to pass to the next game. Excellent is equivalent to pass, but you did so well that the game will be encased in a gold frame.
Also getting excellent will give you an opportunity to achieve a “Perfect” for that minigame. These opportunities appear kinda random, and only ones that are gold frames will get chosen. Once a gold framed game is chosen, you will get three tries on that particular game to acheive a perfect rating. Perfect is exactly what it means, you can only acheive this when you complete the minigame without one mistake. Once you obtain this “Perfect” rating, your gold frame will have the words “Perfect” embedded onto it.
Story
Rhythm Tengoku Gold doesn’t have much of a story to it as it is just a complilation of different rhythm based games. Each game, however, does have its own story. You see, one of the main things I liked about the Rhythm Tengoku series was how they implemented some real-life situations and make them into a rhythm mini-game. There are some non-realistic type games also, but I find it interesting on how the developers turned these normal looking situations into musical-type rhytmic games.
You will develop a sense of curiosity throughout the course of the game, not just for what game is next, but also for what type of story that game will have to it. For example, one game tells a love story between scientists, and another tells the tale of a group of geese at boot camp. Though I suppose you can refer to some games as more of a situation that an actual story. Like in one game you play a mechanic who builds robots, in another you’re just playing a game of ping-pong. Whatever the deal is, each game definitely has its own unique feel to it.
Graphics: 8.5/10
Nothing really mind blowing, in terms of graphics. Though the whole style of Rhyhtm Tengoku Gold is very pleasing to the eye, and suits this type of game very well. Its a game well suited for the whole family, and it definitely looks it too. The graphics in the game are mostly cartoony and stlyish.
Sound: 10/10
For a rhyhtm-based game, music is definitely the main highlight of the game, and the music in Rhythm Tengoku Gold is fantastic. Many unique games, with each game having its own music. I’m already positive that you will be spending lots of time with this game, and with its many memorable tunes, you can’t help but hum or whistle a few of them while playing the game, and even when you’re not.
Challenge: 8/10
As with many games, the further you move on, the harder it will be. Though that concept may not be entirely true with Rhyhtm Tengoku Gold. Some earlier mini-games will sometimes prove to be difficult to pass, while later ones may be easier than expected.
Probably the biggest difficulty in the game is getting the “Perfect” rating. You will only get three tries when the opportunity rises. Don’t worry though, if you didn’t get a perfect during those three tries, you will still get another opportunity, eventually, to try again. So you do kind of have an unlimited amount of tries to get the “Perfect” rating depending on how long you play the game. Still, getting a “Perfect” frame for all games is a pretty difficult task.
View article Images here
There may also be a time when you fail many times on one game and become stuck on it. Good thing that there is an option for you in the game, to choose to skip that particular minigame. So if a minigame becomes too difficult for you to pass, you will get the opportunity to skip it, though the option won’t be available to you right away, as you will need to have at least tried beating the game like 2-3 times. It does kinda draw away some difficulty since you can skip the hard games, but it is nice to have that option since being stuck on one minigame may draw you away from the game entirely.
Another challenge would perhaps be the ability to find each game’s rhyhtm. Some games it might take you a while to fully grasp the rhythmic beat of a song, and to utilize your control well enough to get a pass rating. So having a good sense of rhyhtm and beats will definitely help you in this game.
Replay: 10/10
Each minigame is pretty short, and may not take you too long to progress through each one. There are many sidegames that get unlocked as you progress in the game. Most of these sidegames will only unlock if you have acheived a certain amount of minigames with a “Perfect” rating. Also since it isn’t easy to get many “Perfects” in this game, a lot of time and practice will definitely be needed to perform that task. It won’t feel entirely like a chore though, as these game are really fun, so you won’t particulartly feel upset with having to play the same mini-game many times over.
The simplicity of this game also gives it a lot of replay value. Its a easy game to get into, whether you play in short bursts or long bursts at a time. It will also still be fun after you haven’t played the game for the longest time. This pick up and play anytime aspect, will certainly make this game a long-lasting title that will satisfy you everytime.
Minor Flaw
Ryhthm Tengoku Gold definitely has the same great gameplay that made the GBA version such a big hit. Though many will tell you that they prefer the button controls of the GBA rather than the touch controls of the DS. Due to the game being solely reliant on touch controls, some people may find it difficult in getting their DS to register their motion at times. Because of this minor problem, some games may be pretty difficult for some to pass. Just remember that flicking and sliding are two different things.
(there will be many points in this game where you can’t help but smile)
Closing Comments
Rhythm Tengoku Gold is a great sequel to a great game. The DS and GBA games are very unique so its tough to pick out a favorite. Overall though, RTG’s compilation of rhythm-based minigames is so addictive and so fun that you will pick this game up and find it hard to put down. And even if you do put it down, you will still have fun with it no matter how long its been since you last played. The games are memorable, the music is memorable, the whole experience is memorable. A great game to play by yourself or to share with others. No matter who you are, you will definitely have some fun with this game.