RHYTHM HEAVEN FEVER WII ROM SERIES

For example, you’ll have a grand old time helping three metal dummies “donk-donk” into each other in order to power their otherworldly space blimp. Every sound in the game has an undeniable “oomph” and were clearly chosen (along with the title’s multiple bizarre scenarios) for how much direct pleasure they can evoke from the player, not on how much sense they make.

While they aren’t quite in the same spotlight as the visuals and soundtrack, they are just as important in the big picture. It’s extremely expressive stuff, though never in a potentially offensive or annoying way. The music is also fairly simple yet very strong and comes in just about every style you could think of. The visuals are well-crafted yet extremely easy to digest in a manner of seconds, like a well-designed traffic sign. Rhythm Heaven Fever seems to know this and works extra hard to be accessible. With something that strange, you have to really work to make it all palatable. Rhythm Heaven Fever brings those kinds of surreal, intangible flights of fancy and interprets them literally, all while set to undeniably infectious beats.

While this game doesn’t have any flaming octopi, it does feature a samurai battling a hoard of spectral demons, pets flying high above the ocean at supersonic speeds while playing badminton, an extremely aroused-sounding pair of cloud-riding wood elves, and plenty of strange times with a variety of enthusiastic simians.

RHYTHM HEAVEN FEVER WII ROM SERIES

That’s just the start of what makes the Rhythm Heaven series so special - it dares to give you a peek inside the emotional state of a truly passionate musician (in this case, that musician is Tsunku, the series’ musical director). Have you ever heard a musician say something like, “When I’m playing, sometimes I feel like I’m flying over the ocean at supersonic speeds, in the middle of a wrestling match with a giant flaming octopus, or making love to a beautiful, ethereal being while riding a cloud to heaven”? I sure have, but I’ve rarely seen a rhythm game take those emotions and try to directly express them to the player. Unlike other music games that try to simulate the physical act of playing an instrument, Rhythm Heaven Fever imparts onto the player how it feels to play music.

It’s way too strange and unconventional to ever come off as insincere or uninspired, and it’s way too focused on blasting your brain with pure glee to be seen as anything but a whimsical delight. It also comes packed with a kind of “Muppet cool” that historically appeals to kids, teenagers, adults, and just about everyone in between.

It definitely utilizes multi-sensory stimuli in ways that instantly make the player feel connected to the game world. Will Rhythm Heaven Fever resonate with the populace at large in that way? I think it’s possible. you’ll see that each one broke down those barriers in ways that deeply resonated with people on a primal level. If you look at the most popular game franchises in history - Call of Duty, Wii Sports, Angry Birds, Guitar Hero, etc. My guess is that it comes down to exploiting the medium for what it does best - utilizing multi-sensory connections to break down the barriers between the “real” world and the “game” world. What does it take for a game to be universally enjoyable? That’s the question most game developers would love to be able to answer, but it’s easier said than done.

Rhythm heaven fever wii rom