Rhythm Paradise Groove – One Button Wonder
Whilst I profess to be a rhythm game afficionado, Rhythm Paradise Groove is actually my first experience with the previously titled Rhythm Heaven series, of which Groove is the fifth entry across a twenty-year span. Huh. Well better late than never I suppose, unless we’re talking about timing in a rhythm game (boom-tish).
A Warioware-like fever dream of rhythm mini-games set in increasingly incredulous scenarios, Rhythm Paradise Groove won’t surprise longtime fans the same way it surprised me. I couldn’t think of a better way to come into the series though, both because having zero expectations made the sheer bat-shittery of the game that much more impressive and because Rhythm Paradise Groove has a ton of content to play through while retailing for under $60AUD. The concept builds upon the standard rhythm game fare of ‘songs’, warping them into bespoke scenarios rather than popular go-to’s like anime music videos running in the background or some abstract visualiser weirdness. Kicking off with the single player mode, there are 80 different ‘scenarios/songs’ with each set of five forming a ‘Stage’. The first four of each Stage will toss the player into a mundane or incredibly fantastical situation; a bodybuilder bouncing fruit off his biceps as he works out on the beach to the beat, cars braking and accelerating while trying to avoid crashing into one another, a robot sorting good and bad caramel pudding on a production line or two kids trying to communicate with an alien using rhythmic patterns. Seems legit. But the final stage? Well, it’s a ‘Remix’, a mash-up of all four scenarios which jumps through each, some briefly appearing almost like a glimpse into another dimension. The effect can be disorienting, but definitely not unpleasant.
I understand why the scenario for each song has to be wildly different, and it’s due to the simplistic mechanics Rhythm Heaven employs. That’s not to say it’s easy – easy and simple aren’t always the same thing. Take one of the earliest levels for example, ‘Brolly Good Show’, in which an umbrella chorus line Jacques Demy would be proud of open and close their brollies in time to the beat using two buttons to repeat the pattern in time. There are no trailing note charts here, but there are visual clues and each level is prefaced with a little training to set the player up as to how it functions. This is probably the one aspect that makes returning to the game after a break slightly difficult, as it isn’t always easy to remember the individual controls or rhythm for a level. There were a few I had difficulty getting into the swing of, literally in the case of ‘Can Do’, which looks like a recycling plant operating out of a castle dungeon in which a worker crushes cans with a giant war hammer. Others like ‘Football Dreams’ I was able to ace first time, but not getting a Medal on the first run is a great incentive to play through a level more than once. Occasionally the game will offer up the chance to unlock some extra content by achieving a ‘Perfect’ rating on a set level, but this feels pretty random both in terms of when it occurs and what level is eligible.
If the level scenarios themselves feel a little loose, the controls and timing windows here are anything but. I was able to close my eyes and use the audio cues for a number of levels successfully, because that’s how tightly wound this thing is. If anything, it makes me appreciate the whimsical tone to much of Rhythm Paradise Groove when knowing underneath the hood it means business. One especially odd thing in a game full of odd things is kind of pedantic, but these have to be some of the blandest in game menus I’ve ever seen, to the point it’s comical at the juxtaposition between them and everything else in the game. There’s also the option to have the entire game narrated by a robotic text-to-speech voice which of course I left on, it’s flat monotone delivery only upping the surrealism.
What’s incredibly charming about Rhythm Paradise Groove is how even the tiniest animation details in the levels add to the feel of the game, a background character wrinkling their face up when a note is missed, or the swish of a ponytail when a woman cutting vegetables to the beat slightly turns to grab a trio of broccoli heading her way. It’s genuinely laugh out loud funny at times, with some great reveals as the camera pulls out for a reveal or a level gets weirder the further in it gets. The Solo mode is plenty to keep someone busy for hours, especially when going for ‘Amazing’ rankings to score Medals. There’s also ‘Beatspell’, a rhythm-based dungeon crawling adventure that unlocks chapters the more Medals earned in the main Stages. With some basic RPG aspects and a middling storyline, it’s nevertheless one of the few ways to feel skill progress over a period of time as new spells are gained and tougher enemies are faced.
Also in the menu is the Rhythm Toy Box, a set of training exercises that can also double as bragging rights for skilled players who can get some high mileage out of them. While this can be done tossing the Switch or controllers back and forth, there’s also a dedicated Multiplayer mode in RPG. However, there’s no online here – just good old-fashioned couch co-op and competition. Up to four players can get in on the action with 30 different levels, many of which come with a ‘spice’ rating denoting difficulty. A blast for both adults and kids alike, this is a surefire hit for family gatherings or even a few drinks with friends. The beauty is the games themselves tend to be over quickly, so even with only two or four Joy-Cons available, even larger groups will get a turn in short order.
There’s really not much to dislike about Rhythm Paradise Groove unless you honestly can’t abide spartan menu systems. The music is catchy, the controls are tight and the levels are bonkers – it’s also incredible accessible, not something most rhythm games can lay claim to. Between the breadth of replayable content and the budget-friendly price at launch, if anything I’ve said here sounds like your jam – well, it’s time to get your Groove on.
Rhythm Paradise Groove was reviewed on a Nintendo Switch 2 console using code kindly supplied by the publisher.
