Who made it?
Nintendo was behind this one, making the NA digital-only release all the more surprising.
What’s the premise?
You tap and press buttons along to the beat of a series of funky songs — it’s a rhythm game, what did you expect? Tsunku takes on composing responsibilities again here and the tracks subsequently ooze with style.
There’s even a (loose) storyline in Megamix that is all to do with making a journey to Heaven World. It’s not much of a gripping plot, we’ll admit, but it is just enough to hang hours of rhythmic-based gameplay on, so we can’t really complain.
Why should I play it?
As the name suggests, Rhythm Heaven Megamix is something of a ‘best of’ mixtape for the franchise, but this isn’t to suggest that the game brings nothing new to the table.
The series never made quite as big of a splash globally as it did in Japan, so this entry works as a nice summary of everything that makes it click. The writing is comically slick in its weirdness, the visual style pops with delightful vibrancy and the songs are enough to make even the most rhythmically-challenged of us tap along in no time.
Like the best rhythm games out there, this is a title that is easy to grasp but difficult to master. We found ourselves going back to the same tracks time and again to rack up bigger and better combos and therefore filled hours of playtime with ease.
While physical copies were available in Europe, it would be a shame to see a huge audience miss out on the digital-only version of this one.
How much is it?
$29.99USD / £24.99 / 29,99€. Bit pricey for a rhythm game? Possibly, but any series fan will tell you it’s worth it and may even try bunging you a tenner to take the sting out of it. Developed in-house at Nintendo and with hours of gameplay at your toe-tapping disposal, it’s a glorious showcase for the series which is well worth picking up while you can. There’s even a demo that you can try out first!
We’ll be back soon with another 3DS or Wii U eShop recommendation as part of this ‘Countdown’ series. Let us know below if you’ve already got this in your collection and share your thoughts. Also, feel free to nominate other games — we just might highlight those in the coming days, too.
