

This new title bucks this trend a bit by initially giving players a set of four games to work through (three old, one new). Rhythm Heaven has always been structured as a series of stand-alone rhythm-testing minigames culminating in a “remix” stage that mashes up each game to test what players have learned. No-one has ever complained that Rhythm Heaven wasn’t cute enough. Sure, the writing is kind of cute, but this is a game with baby seals marching and monkey pyjama parties. Rhythm Heaven is all about flow and constantly jumping to new rhythm games, so the frequent dialogue in between stages interrupts that flow completely. This isn’t the kind of game that needs some sort of plot to justify the action it’s unnecessary and throws off the pacing of the game. Miyamoto might have been completely off-base when talking about Paper Mario, but I can’t help but wish someone had said something about Rhythm Heaven. Apparently during production of Paper Mario: Sticker Star, legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto stepped in and told staff that “it’s fine without a story”. You’ll encounter a range of strange characters, all of whom have far too much to say. This Rhythm Heaven tasks players with helping Tebiri, a tiny guy with an afro, get back to his home in the heavens, something that can apparently only be done by clearing a series of short rhythm games. First off, let’s talk about the game’s story, because there actually is a story this time around.
