Saturday, February 18, 2012

Heavenly Indeed



I've got a good friend who's musically inclined and loves quirky/unique games. When asked whether or not he had seen Rhythm Heaven, the moment I found out he hadn't, I knew something had to be done. Something was done. He played through the entire game of Rhythm Heaven Fever right then and there. I had almost as much fun watching someone else enjoy the game as when I played through it. Seeing which games he excelled at, which he struggled with... "That one's hard for you? No way! This one's much easier than the last!" The game plays with you rhythmically, so naturally some games will click with you more than others. There was one game in particular that my friend just couldn't seem to get the hang of. I know he's musically talented, so I couldn't understand why he didn't seem to get it. I told him to listen more, but obviously that's easier said than done. His solution wasn't necessarily to listen more, but rather to look less. He looked away, ignoring the screen, relying only on what he heard. Apparently, whatever was throwing him off visually no longer affected him as he passed the game with little to no mistakes.

That's when it really occurred to me. When a lot of people hear the words, "rhythm game," they think Rock Band or Guitar Hero. They're not wrong, and anyone who knows me knows I certainly enjoy those games. However, there's a key element that those games are missing that's present in Rhythm Heaven Fever: The need to actually listen. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are pointless without sound, sure, but they can be played without sound. The Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero 3 illustrates this nicely, as there's even an achievement called, "tone deaf," for completing a song on expert with the in-game sound options being turned down to zero. Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DDR, and so many others... The music is what makes the game fun... but the music isn't what makes the game. Rhythm Heaven is based entirely on auditory cues, the visuals just bring it together. The visual cues help you identify when you're just slightly off or wrong all-together. A few of the games could be played without sound, but fire up one of the remixes, and the mashup of games would be nothing but utter chaos without the game's driving rhythm.

Fans of the series already know this and won't be disappointed if they go in eagerly anticipating more of the same. That being said, there's one key difference that gives this latest installment an edge over its DS predecessor. While the DS game's tap-and-flick control scheme works, it just doesn't match the precision that comes with actual buttons. As much as you might want to blame the controller, If your internal metronome is off, you've no one to blame but yourself.

Well... almost no one to blame. It's absolutely necessary that you have a setup with no lag for this game. I'm sure there are already used copies on Gamestop shelves for just this reason. "This game's impossible!" I hear them cry. Unfortunately, if their setup has any lag, they're not wrong. The instruction booklet addresses this problem: "You may notice with some television sets that there appears to be a slight delay between button presses and the game reacting. Please note that this does not indicate there is damage to your television." What the instruction booklet neglects to mention is any solution to the problem. There's no in-game way of dealing with sound syncing issues. As someone who still plays the majority of his games on an old tube television, the thought had barely crossed my mind, but it's a significant issue. Rhythm Heaven isn't very lenient and demands precise timing. A laggy TV is all it would take to transform this charmingly quirky gem into a frustrating and broken waste of time.

The only real issue the game has outside of TV setup problems is that it's a bit short. Its short length doesn't hit quite so hard though, as the game sports a lower than usual $30 price tag. Besides that, as with most rhythm games, there's replay value simply in playing some of your favorite tunes over again. There's also a two-player mode but it's certainly not the main attraction. All in all, Rhythm Heaven Fever is an excellent rhythm game that will challenge you to actually listen and find the beat. Admittedly, the game certainly isn't for everyone, but if you think you might be interested, find a way to give the game a shot. If it doesn't click with you, you're not alone, I'm certain. If it does click with you though, you'll be tapping your toes along with a collection of masterfully-crafted mini-games that will test your sense of rhythm and leave you smiling.