Tiny games with seriously big rhythm
By Paul Hunter
Rhythm Heaven Groove brings Nintendo’s music series back after a ten-year absence, and it's as quirky and charming as ever. Nintendo is certainly delivering the surprises on Nintendo Switch this year, first with the hilarious Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and now with the just-as-funny Rhythm Heaven Groove. If these are to be the swansong for Nintendo Switch new first-party releases, as Nintendo transitions to Nintendo Switch 2, then they certainly should be commmended for giving fans new entries in beloved, dormant franchises.
Rhythm Heaven Groove delivers the humour and catchy music that have always set this series apart from other rhythm games. Its short minigame challenges are perfect for quick sessions, while the full package offers enough content and replayability to keep you entertained for quite some time. Does this long-awaited comeback deserve a place in your Nintendo Switch lineup? Let’s find out!
The solo campaign groups four minigames into each Stage. Completing them opens a Remix that combines their varied rhythms into one longer challenge. A Good Rank unlocks the next activity, while an Amazing Rank awards a Medal. I liked that there is incentive to replay levels, but I do wish there was some way of telling how accurate you need be to achieve a medal (you're only graded after the minigame completes so it's hard to tell 'how far off' you are from nabbing the medal).
Four-player multiplayer includes co-op and VS games, with CPU characters filling empty spots if needed. Score Attack adds separate challenges, Drum Lessons map drum sounds to buttons, and the Rhythm Toy Box contains musical novelties. Hidden comics and a jukebox provide further rewards for mastering minigames. Overall, Groove makes simple button presses satisfying with its outstanding music score and utterly adorable scenarios that give this game serious personality.
Beatspell does unlock after completing just a few minigames, but to play additional chapters you need to earn Medals in the solo minigames. The route map splits at several points, letting you choose between combat and rewards in true roguelike fashion. Some paths provide equipment or upgrades, and every chapter leads to a boss. I liked deciding whether another fight was worth the possible reward, or taking the easier route with the random item.
Each battle uses a four-count rhythm that repeats throughout the fight, with different A and B combinations cast spells like Flame and Cure. Accurate timing improves the potency of each action, while perfect inputs can produce critical hits. Winning fights can strengthen your spells, while your equipment provides passive bonuses during encounters.
much like the minigames, the opening chapters include a visible beat guide to help you hone in on the rhythm. Later fights expect you to maintain the beat with less support, and bosses can change their tempo during battle. Those shifts forced me to listen deeply to the music to notice the subtle changes that impact the exact timing of when to attack, heal, or defend myself.
The post-game dungeon gives upgraded spells and more demanding tests to tackle after the main chapters end. Taken together, Beatspell adds a rewarding campaign with nice progression, replayability with its route choices, satisfying rhythm combat, and challenging end-game goals to keep the fun going.
The backgrounds also interfere with your concentration in playful ways. A scene can change or a foreground object can cover the action while the song continues. A human might suddenly put down a giant soda can to block your character, or a daytime scene might suddenly turn to a pitch black evening just to test your rhythm with obscured visual cues.
Music artist Tsunku is back, and his soundtrack moves through pop, funk, vocal music, and several catchy yet harder-to-label styles. Each song also is meticulously timed to the controls. Whistles can signal you to take an action, while pauses might be a tell that you need to wait.
The first time you boot up the gane you'll get introduced to Lil’ Miss Reeds, a tiny robotic guide who explains menus and modes. You can turn on optional text-to-speech narration that speaks her dialogue, which is a fantastic accessibility option, and you can even turn on description speech that explains the on-screen action.
I recommend playing the game in Handheld or Tabletop mode for the most precise timing with lowest input lag. If Docked play is yoir thing, there is a calibration test that can account for TV input delay, and tweaking it worked reliably on my case.
Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Rhythm, Music
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
By Paul Hunter
Rhythm Heaven Groove brings Nintendo’s music series back after a ten-year absence, and it's as quirky and charming as ever. Nintendo is certainly delivering the surprises on Nintendo Switch this year, first with the hilarious Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and now with the just-as-funny Rhythm Heaven Groove. If these are to be the swansong for Nintendo Switch new first-party releases, as Nintendo transitions to Nintendo Switch 2, then they certainly should be commmended for giving fans new entries in beloved, dormant franchises.
Rhythm Heaven Groove delivers the humour and catchy music that have always set this series apart from other rhythm games. Its short minigame challenges are perfect for quick sessions, while the full package offers enough content and replayability to keep you entertained for quite some time. Does this long-awaited comeback deserve a place in your Nintendo Switch lineup? Let’s find out!
Gameplay and Mechanics
Rhythm Heaven Groove turns a simple control scheme into a demanding test of your internal metronomic timing. Most minigames use the A button, while some add the D-pad or B button. Some of the actions you'll perform include catching vegetables to chop, bouncing frogs off lily pads, are having little creatures sneak past a sneezing moon. While it sounds silly on paper, these simple minigames will push you to learn tempos and see visual cues, and then react accordingly. Thankfully, each tutorial introduces the pattern first, then lets you practise until the response becomes natural. You can watch how the pattern works by pressing the Y button at any time during a challenge.The solo campaign groups four minigames into each Stage. Completing them opens a Remix that combines their varied rhythms into one longer challenge. A Good Rank unlocks the next activity, while an Amazing Rank awards a Medal. I liked that there is incentive to replay levels, but I do wish there was some way of telling how accurate you need be to achieve a medal (you're only graded after the minigame completes so it's hard to tell 'how far off' you are from nabbing the medal).
Four-player multiplayer includes co-op and VS games, with CPU characters filling empty spots if needed. Score Attack adds separate challenges, Drum Lessons map drum sounds to buttons, and the Rhythm Toy Box contains musical novelties. Hidden comics and a jukebox provide further rewards for mastering minigames. Overall, Groove makes simple button presses satisfying with its outstanding music score and utterly adorable scenarios that give this game serious personality.
Story and Narrative
While Rhythm Heaven Groove comes right out and says not to expect a deep story, it does offer the all-new Beatspell mode that gives this game a light story campaign with a simple RPG structure similar to the 3DS StreetPass battle adventure Warrior's Way. You control an amnesiac magician who is trying to recover his lost magic. The leader of the Magicians’ Guild guides the journey, while the Four Fears command the armies threatening the kingdom.Beatspell does unlock after completing just a few minigames, but to play additional chapters you need to earn Medals in the solo minigames. The route map splits at several points, letting you choose between combat and rewards in true roguelike fashion. Some paths provide equipment or upgrades, and every chapter leads to a boss. I liked deciding whether another fight was worth the possible reward, or taking the easier route with the random item.
Each battle uses a four-count rhythm that repeats throughout the fight, with different A and B combinations cast spells like Flame and Cure. Accurate timing improves the potency of each action, while perfect inputs can produce critical hits. Winning fights can strengthen your spells, while your equipment provides passive bonuses during encounters.
much like the minigames, the opening chapters include a visible beat guide to help you hone in on the rhythm. Later fights expect you to maintain the beat with less support, and bosses can change their tempo during battle. Those shifts forced me to listen deeply to the music to notice the subtle changes that impact the exact timing of when to attack, heal, or defend myself.
The post-game dungeon gives upgraded spells and more demanding tests to tackle after the main chapters end. Taken together, Beatspell adds a rewarding campaign with nice progression, replayability with its route choices, satisfying rhythm combat, and challenging end-game goals to keep the fun going.
Presentation and Audio
Rhythm Heaven Groove presents you with colourful characters in silly situations that really are eyecatching. Sometimes the character you control is one among a group, but not to worry as the game always clearly indicates who you are. This game is so endearing that even when you miss cue triggers, your character usually has a silly reaction the turns failure into a joke. My favourite is the umbrella game where you're in a group who must open and close the umbrella in sequence, and if you mess up the other little creatures give you the side eye to show they've noticed your mistake.The backgrounds also interfere with your concentration in playful ways. A scene can change or a foreground object can cover the action while the song continues. A human might suddenly put down a giant soda can to block your character, or a daytime scene might suddenly turn to a pitch black evening just to test your rhythm with obscured visual cues.
Music artist Tsunku is back, and his soundtrack moves through pop, funk, vocal music, and several catchy yet harder-to-label styles. Each song also is meticulously timed to the controls. Whistles can signal you to take an action, while pauses might be a tell that you need to wait.
The first time you boot up the gane you'll get introduced to Lil’ Miss Reeds, a tiny robotic guide who explains menus and modes. You can turn on optional text-to-speech narration that speaks her dialogue, which is a fantastic accessibility option, and you can even turn on description speech that explains the on-screen action.
I recommend playing the game in Handheld or Tabletop mode for the most precise timing with lowest input lag. If Docked play is yoir thing, there is a calibration test that can account for TV input delay, and tweaking it worked reliably on my case.
The Verdict
Rhythm Heaven Groove is a wonderful return for Nintendo’s rhythm series. Its short minigames reward careful listening, multiplayer creates memorable group sessions, and Beatspell adds a rewarding campaign with post-game content. I loved the soundtrack, the visual comedy, and the steady pull of taking on another Medal attempt. The extra modes and unlockables provide plenty to pursue after the main canpaign, while handheld and tabletop play offer especially precise timing. Rhythm Heaven Groove is joyfuy and demanding, an easy recommendation for rhythm game fans.Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Rhythm Heaven Groove details
Platform: Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Rhythm, Music
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer