Official Site: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/q1gNQNlKvXRq4LNu9mEdmcXmksSbnduz
Source: Youtube Channel Wii
Developer: Nintendo SPD Group No.1, TNX
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Wii
Release Date: February 13, 2012
Genre: Music Rhythm
Pros:
-Simple to learn yet challenging to perfect
-Appropriate for all ages that would interest kids and adults alike
-Charming characters, catchy tunes, and quirky scenarios make for an enjoyable experience
-With 50+ games, Endless mode, and two-player mode, there's tons to do
Cons:
-Might be a bit on the easy side for Rhythm Tengoku veterans
-Not for the Rhythm-impaired
-You might laugh a little too much
I haven't played such an entertaining Wii game such as this in a long time. I wasn't even sure if I was going to even give the game a try since I played both previous iterations in Japanese and didn't like the English dubbing to the Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Which was simply called Rhythm Heaven in North America). The team behind Rhythm Heaven Fever (Minna no Rhythm Tengoku in Japan); however, did an incredible job of bringing it to the Western audience with impeccable translations and great dubbing to the songs with lyrics. I've got to admit that this 3rd iteration of Rhythm Tengoku was far easier than the first two and took me around 6 hours to complete all 50 main games with each one taking me only one try if not three (except for Love Rap 2 (12+ tries) and the very last remix (5th try) where some of the songs from the original took me 20-30 tries. So those who've played the first one on GBA or the 2nd one on NDS may have a significantly easier time on this one for the Wii, BUT it is still a whole lot of fun. More genres of music are experimented and lots of hilarious shenanigans is bound to happen as the players tap along with the music and laugh their way through the end. Anyone who likes music (and who doesn't like music?) should definitely give the game a try; you'd be surprised how fun pressing two buttons can be.
Aesthetics
I remember the first Rhythm Tengoku on GBA having a limited amount of technology to work with on the device and had to keep the art assets simple. Just within the first two songs of the game I was entranced by the simple yet incredibly clean graphics. There's so much depth to the art style compared to previous iterations, yet it stays simple enough to keep it from deviating too much from what was going on in the forefront. There's a lot of charming characters (with the cat in the bi-plane playing badminton in the air with you being one of my favorites) and crazy scenarios that had me laughing all the way to the end. Some songs get really creative with beats, off-beats, timing, and genres. There were quite a few songs I really enjoyed playing because their challenging beats (like Working Dough) or liked listening to (like Love Rap). As good as a lot of translations were, there were certain songs I wish I could change back to its original Japanese such as the remix songs. Aesthetics: 9/10
Buttons
Controls are important in music rhythm games. In the first game on the GBA, there was an issue with input lag on some of the songs. In the 2nd game for DS, some players complained that having the touch screen controls weren't reliable and made it difficult to get a perfect. It scared quite a few veteran players when it was announced that a Rhythm Tengoku was going to be released for the Wii. Everyone thought it was going to implement motion control. Instead, the developers kept it to simply using the A and B buttons. It may sound boring just to press two buttons throughout the game, but it worked so well and efficiently that I'd say this version had the tightest controls out of the three iterations. The key presses are dead-on to the beat that you press it on and I believe there is a bit of leeway for ones that require A and B being pressed together. I'm glad they didn't go with a gimmicky motion control rhythm game as it would have turned out pretty bad (at least until they find a way to make motion control significantly more responsive in real-time). They kept with the simple concept, clean controls, and creative usage of those two buttons for Rhythm Heaven Fever and I thought it worked out really well. Buttons: 10/10
Concept & Content
The first time I played Rhythm Tengoku on GBA, I thought it was strange to have a music rhythm game using only two keys (and sometimes the movement key as a 3rd key) to play the entire game; however, I got so into it and was enjoying so much that I didn't think about it anymore. This iteration had the same effect on me. Most of the games require just pressing the A button with a certain rhythm and sometime changing up the beat playing triplets, or playing on an off-beat. It succeeds very well as a music rhythm game and delivers an enjoyable experience for the one playing and those watching. Adding in a two-player mode was also a nice addition though it would have been nice if they went all the way and allowed for 4-players to play simultaneously (the Wii lacks "good" multiplayer games nowadays). There's an endless mode, toy boxes, and extra games for 2-player mode as well if enough medals are earned in 2-player regular mode. The game only costs $29.99 compared to the usual $39.99-$49.99 for Wii games, so it's a pretty good deal for the amount of content the player receives. Concept & Content: 10/10
Duration
I blazed through the game and finished the main 50 songs around 6 hours. Still, there's a lot of medals I need to earn, perfects to achieve, endless games to acquire, and 2-player mode that I need to finish. I liked the flow of the game a lot and felt each song had a reasonable length to them. I'd probably still replay a lot of the songs to get medals and perfects, but this is one of those games where I won't play it for a while and then come back to it again for the memories. In terms of replay value, it really depends on how badly one wants those medals and perfects and whether they'd still want to play it again after getting everything. I'd say it's a fun game to play with a friend once in a while after getting everything. Duration: 9/10
Fun
As I've mentioned, Rhythm Heaven Fever is one of the most entertaining games I've played on the Wii for a long time. It's addicting nature and involving gameplay makes you tap along with the music. It got me really into the game with the adorable characters, entrancing songs, and challenging beats. It got me playing the original one again and made me realize how much more difficult some of them were on the GBA and DS versions. The game made me smile. It felt good to land all those difficult rhythm patterns and earn a medal. Despite going back to using buttons instead of changing it up like they did with the DS game, the game still felt very fresh. Sure, I was able to use a lot of the experience in the first two games in this one, but there were some new twists to some of the songs and patterns that made it unique and challenging. After completing the game, I just wanted more out of it. Luckily, there is still much I can get from the game by replaying some of the levels. It was a great experience from beginning to end. Fun: 10/10
Overall
Just like the first two games, Rhythm Heaven Fever is a great addition to the series and one that should be continued. The game is easy to learn but still challenging and engrossing for players of any age or skill level. The game is very well polished, has plenty of creative concepts with the music patterns, is translated rather well for the Western audience, contains lots of laughs and is just plain fun. This is a highly recommended game for any Nintendo Wii owner as the system reaches its end with the new system about to be announced and 3rd-party companies dying down on the support for the system. Overall: 9.6/10
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