Rhythm Heaven Megamix Review

If you're like me, Rhythm Heaven is a series you've always enjoyed from a distance. I played the DS demo from the Nintendo channel, borrowed Rhythm Heaven Fever for the Wii for a little while, but never owned a game or got very far in one. Rhythm Heaven Megamix for the 3DS seemed like a good way to really get into the series.

Rhythm Heaven is all about rhythm. People who aren't musically inclined might have one of two experiences with this series. You'll either be left annoyed or you'll learn something about rhythm. This is not a guarantee though. I would recommend trying the demo on the eShop before buying this game, and that applies whether you're amazing at music or completely inept. Always try a game before buying when you can.

PROS:

-When it comes to the actual game, this is a compilation of various rhythm games from the previous games in the series, including the Japanese exclusive Gameboy Advance game. While you might expect a bit of a quality gap considering some rhythm games were made over a decade apart, the rhythm games all do a great job masking their origins, although a few "suffer" from weirdness from Rhythm Heaver Fever.

-The actual quality of these games can be very hit or miss. Some games give you no warning on what the rhythm is, and one game in particular is easier beaten by mashing "A" than by actually trying to find rhythm. That being said, almost every rhythm game can be skipped using in-game currency, aside from the gatekeeper stages where you can only skip one of the rhythm games.

-Musically Rhythm Heaven has always had some of my favorite soundtracks, and Megamix is no exception. The music usually does a good job of telling you what the rhythm is, and it always feels like it belongs. The music is very charming and varied to fit the mood, and it does so very well. And while the 3DS speakers do a good enough job, if you're having a hard time with a rhythm game I'd recommend a pair of headphones.

-Gameplay is all over the place in terms of what buttons you press, but there are a few things to keep in mind. You will never use the touch screen of the 3DS, and you will never need to shake the 3DS. All inputs are limited to the face buttons and the D-pad. And every rhythm game does a good job telling you what button to press.

CONS:

-The story of this game is a bit annoying. It's all about a character who fell from heaven and needs to get back. It's pretty obvious that not a lot of time went into making the story super deep, but it's annoying how much text there is. I ended the game being more annoyed by my companion than anything else, a common trait among Nintendo sidekicks.

-The length of the game is another thing that annoyed me after awhile. It absolutely refused to end. And that combined with how grating the story is left me really annoyed. It didn't help that many of the rhythm games started repeating, but this time they were harder, which doesn't matter because if you enjoyed the games before they'll be easy, and if you didn't like them before then you'll just lose three times and then skip it. It's annoying padding that makes the game feel cheap.

-I also wasn't fond of the gatekeepers, who have very difficult rhythm games that require in-game currency in order to play. The catch is that you can't skip most of these games, and they cost a lot to play. This mechanic made a rhythm game into an RPG due to constant grinding. And while this might have been an attempt at making you good at previous rhythm games, it turned into repeatedly playing LumBEARjack because it's the easiest game available early on.

-When it comes to the rhythm game selection, if you have a favorite, it's probably in here. However you might need to unlock it by, once again, grinding. This time, however, you'll be grinding at ludicrously difficult rhythm games to get a single different type of in-game currency. Rhythm Heaven Megamix is basically the worst part of an RPG with the best part of a rhythm game.

OVERALL OPINION:

Rhythm Heaven Megamix is a good game once you get beyond the annoyances. If you enjoy grinding in video games and you enjoy rhythm games, you'll enjoy this game thoroughly. If you don't like games that test your rhythm, this is a terrible choice for you, especially if you don't have strong tolerance for a weak story with too much dialogue.