10 More Rhythm Games Worth Playing!
Rhythm Heaven is a slept-on series in Nintendo’s catalog. While it doesn’t follow a trademark protagonist, each entry introduces colorful characters with engaging designs. What entices people to play this game would be its rhythmic minigames and amazing soundtrack. Each minigame has you press buttons to the beat of the music but offers diverse scenarios to avoid feeling repetitive.
If you’ve finished playing Rhythm Heaven and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks.
Of course, for all the games we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link, so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time in.
So without further ado, we present 10 games to check out if you’re looking for a game like Rhythm Heaven.
Melatonin
Melatonin is Rhythm Heaven but with complexity. This game features a relatable protagonist, a gripping narrative, and a well-crafted dream-like world for players to explore and interact with. The game focuses on exploring the relationship between our dreams and the realistic scenarios we encounter when we’re awake.
The world offers hand-drawn, colorful visuals that will immerse you. You’ll adore the game’s atmosphere and the accompanying soundtrack that will put you in the mind of a sleeper. As you dive deeper into the protagonist’s dreams, you’ll uncover hidden secrets about their past life that may resonate with you or someone you know.
This game includes a practice mode for those who lack proper rhythm. Those finding the rhythmic gameplay easy can look forward to a Hard Mode that will give you the challenge you seek. With 20 dreamy levels, a decent level editor, and assist features to help you on your atmospheric adventure, you’ll enjoy Melantonin a lot.
Rhythm Doctor
What would happen if Nintendo placed Dr. Mario in the Rhythm Heaven universe? Rhythm Doctor delivers one possible route Nintendo would take with the idea. This is a rhythm game where players must help profound doctors save lives through well-timed button presses. This is a slightly educational endeavor that will improve your love for music and knowledge of rhythm theory.
The game boasts 20+ handcrafted levels with different storylines to follow. Each level tackles a different notion of rhythm theory from hemiolas to polyrhythms. The storytelling is just as amazing as its gameplay and gives every character time to shine. You can choose to traverse its campaign solo or with a buddy in local co-op play.
For those wanting to create levels to share and play, fear not! This game offers a robust level editor where you can implement your own music and utilize the game’s 50+ visual effects and backgrounds. Give this a shot if you’re curious.
A Dance of Fire and Ice
A Dance of Fire and Ice is what you expect. It’s a performance between two elemental planets. The game doesn’t offer any groundbreaking plot like Rhythm Heaven. It’s a simple one-button rhythm game where you press a button to move the planets forward. Each level has a strict rhythmic formula for you to follow, which adds to the game’s diversity and replayability.
Your eyes and ears are key to helping you persevere through the game. The game’s difficulty ascends as you get closer to the finish line. For those who are worried, the game’s developers offer a free online tutorial that you can try to test your rhythm. With a boatload of levels, diverse music tracks, and fun precision-based gameplay elements, you’re bound to enjoy this game if you liked Rhythm Heaven.
HarmoKnight
GameFreak is known for developing the Pokémon games everyone loves. They’ve developed titles that have no direct correlation to Pokémon, though. From Little Town Hero to HarmoKnight, GameFreak’s tried branching out to different genres in the past, even if these titles didn’t become massive hits like their monster-catching franchise.
HarmoKnight is a rhythm-based action game Game Freak developed for the Nintendo 3DS. It features gameplay like Rhythm Heaven where you must keep up with the game’s multiple beats to perform actions in the game. Each stage you play harbors unique tracks and the game includes several bonus stages featuring music from the Pokémon franchise.
HarmoKnight’s story follows a boy named Tempo. He wants to become a rhythmic warrior and must deliver a musical weapon to the ruler of Symphony City. It’s not the most complex tale but it carries more weight than anything you’d find in Rhythm Heaven, plot-wise. With some colorful foes and fabulous settings, HarmoKnight is worth checking out.
Rhythm Fighter
Rhythm Fighter is a roguelike horizontal action game with fun sidescrolling and over-the-top action. This game takes place in a world ruled by the rhythmic Commander Chaos. He’s utilized his dark Beat Energy to transform the planet’s inhabitants into his minions. However, a mysterious person named Mr. Disco uses his bright Beat Energy to revive the planet’s fallen heroes.
Together, these heroes must stop Commander Chaos and his minions if they want to restore the planet to its former glory. This game contains heavy action and uses its rhythmic gameplay to stand out from others like it. You must follow the game’s beat to progress and observe your surroundings to avoid deadly hazards.
The bosses are merciless and may give some players a challenging time. The game includes several skills and weapons for you to utilize against your enemies, allowing each player’s adventure to feel mildly different from the other. If you’re looking for a violent version of Rhythm Heaven to play, Rhythm Fighter’s worth checking out.
Cadence of Hyrule
Many fans wanted to see Nintendo collaborate with developers after Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle’s success. Eventually, fans’ prayers were answered with Cadence of Hyrule’s release. This game features incredible rhythmic gameplay, an energetic atmosphere, and glorious visuals. In it, players control the Crypt of the NecroDancer’s heroine Cadence and The Legend of Zelda’s Link and Zelda.
The former wants to return home while the latter must defeat four villainous champions. The game has players attack enemies at the beat of the music. Like Rhythm Heaven, Cadence of Hyrule has an incredible soundtrack. This makes the game’s land traversal thrilling and atmospheric. You’ll adore seeing this game’s alluring locales and beautiful lakes.
The controls can take a while for newcomers to adapt to them. Nonetheless, if you spend enough time with the game, you’re guaranteed to fall in love with its excellent formula.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun is another fun rhythm game with excellent music. It works similarly to Nintendo’s Donkey Konga spinoff series. The game comes with two drumsticks and a plastic drum peripheral. This game will improve players’ coordination skills and rhythm. In it, red and blue music notes flow across a timeline.
The red notes represent the drum’s face while the blue ones illustrate its rim. Players must hit the drum in the right spots to earn points and build up the game’s Soul Gauge. When the gauge reaches a specific point, you’ll win the game. The game can be played with the Nintendo Switch’s joy-cons or a standard controller.
However, it feels more immersive to play the title with the peripherals. You can play the game online against numerous friends or strangers alike. It features songs from some of Nintendo’s biggest hits and from particular indie games like Undertale. If you’re looking for a more hands-on rhythm game to play, check out Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun.
Carnival Games
Carnival Games isn’t a rhythm game, but its minigames are entertaining and diverse like the ones you’d find in Rhythm Heaven. This game gets great use of your joy-con controls and features a boatload of activities for you to play alone or with friends. From Skee-Ball to Bowling, there’s a lot of fun to be had with this game.
Carnival Games doesn’t feature jaw-dropping visuals. Nonetheless, the game’s minigames should hold you over if you need a break from Rhythm Heaven’s music-driven gameplay. The HD rumble is used to its best ability in this game. It makes the game’s action-centric challenges feel more engaging and slightly realistic. If you need something to pop in when the whole family’s together, I recommend giving Carnival Games a shot.
Beat City
Beat City was a short, but fun Nintendo DS game with addictive rhythmic gameplay. In it, players control the Synchronizer and help him fight off the Cacophony, a strange group that makes his world look bland and gloomy. To defeat them, Synchronizer must restore his world’s color and music by completing several challenges.
The game’s story mode has you complete two-to-four minigames in a day. The game includes about 20 mini-games, so some end up overlapping. While this may not sound enticing to those who dread repetition, the game slowly increases each game’s difficulty. This helps the challenges feel refreshing and more intense.
The game’s music is catchy. Some players may wind up snapping their fingers or whistling to the game’s great tunes. If you have a Nintendo DS or 3DS system lying around and want something that’s simple and easy to complete, check out Beat City.
WarioWare: Smooth Moves
WarioWare is another minigame franchise that’s full of wacky characters and activities for players to try out. WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a Nintendo Wii game that feels as hands-on as Rhythm Heaven. It includes the fast-paced minigame mayhem as previous entries but makes use of the Wii’s motion controls flawlessly.
You’ll use the Wii Remote to interact with the game’s various minigames. By performing subtle hand gestures and wavy motions at precise intervals, you’ll feel like you’re playing a minigame from Rhythm Heaven. The console’s Nunchuck accessory gets similar love from Smooth Moves as the developers have minigames where you’ll utilize that controller with the Wii Remote.
The storyline is as goofy as you expect regarding WarioWare. Once again, Wario and his friends get roped into trouble and must play through several minigames to get themselves out of it. If you enjoyed Rhythm Heaven’s comedy but wanted something with more story elements, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is worth your time.
So there we have it, our 10 video game picks to keep you busy after playing Rhythm Heaven.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!