Wii Players! Here's a new awesome game for you especially for those who love mini mind boggling games because there are bunch of that right here. Let's explore the large world of this game:
Nintendo's Rhythm series made its debut outside of Japan three years ago with Rhythm Heaven for the Nintendo DS. This fun, quirky title proved surprisingly addictive, and instantly became a fan favorite - its outlandish style and simple yet challenging gameplay even appealing to those not usually into the rhythm genre. Now, for the first time, this same idea is being applied to a full console release with Rhythm Heaven Fever. If you loved the original games, prepare for more zaniness where that came from. However, a handful of glaring problems hold the whole thing back.
The basic idea is almost entirely unchanged from prior releases. Fever comes with 50 all new mini-games, 10 of which are remix challenges that mash up the gameplay from the prior four levels. Each game has its own set of rules, its own style and its own music. Beat each game with a passing score to unlock the next. The main difference is that instead of tapping and flicking the stylus, the Wii version has you pressing the A and/or B button to the beat. It's simple, to be sure, but the difficulty comes in the timing and execution of each rhythm exercise, and the further you play the happier you'll be that the controls aren't unnecessarily complex.
Like the DS version, one of Fever's greatest strengths is its off-the-wall presentation. Every inch of the game - from the music to the characters to the art style to the gameplay concepts - is simply brimming with personality. Just like Rhythm Heaven, Fever is quirky, clever and unfathomably adorable. The gameplay, while beyond simple (you literally only use the A and B buttons), is actually quite addictive, the absolute epitome of "easy to learn, difficult to master." Before long you'll find yourself bobbing your head and tapping your foot to try to sink into the rhythm, and may come uncomfortably close to rage quitting if you go for all the medals.
While the gameplay itself is limited to only two buttons, the variety of mini-games still manages to make you feel like you're always doing something new. One moment you'll be a wrestler answering questions and striking a pose, the next you'll be memorizing a monkey's tambourine motions, and the next you'll be slicing monsters with a samurai sword while a narrative overtakes the screen. The game keeps things interesting the whole way through, and even the beats will have you humming along long after you've turned off your system, especially with rousing tracks like the rock epic of See-Saw (which you can check out in the video above).
All of this is par for the course for anyone who played the handheld versions. The real question is how this portable experience was translated over to a home console. While the game boasts all of the successes of prior versions, it's a bit surprising that the concept wasn't really expanded in any way for the Wii release. The Rhythm series' trademark gameplay didn't really need an overhaul, but it did need something new to push it over the edge and make it feel like at least a minor evolution for the franchise. Fever's addition of a multiplayer mode seemed like just the ticket... in theory.
Unfortunately, Fever's implementation of multiplayer is one of the game's biggest failures. This mode, which has absolutely zero online support, only allows two players to play at a time. There are also only 10 games to choose from, all of which are repeats from the single player selection with minor adjustments. It's fun enough to try to best your friend at the included rhythm games, but the lack of unique challenges is a huge oversight, as is limiting play to only two players.
The second major failure of Fever comes in the form of a flaw that carries over from the prior versions - the broken grading system. Simple in theory, a passable run of a mini-game gets you an "Okay" rating, and a great one gets you a "Superb" rating and a medal. Collecting medals unlocks extras like the cafe (where you can listen to the game's music tracks), endless play (a handful of games where you try to go as long as you can without messing up), music toys and two-player mode.
That part is fine. The hitch is sometimes you'll play a game and execute it perfectly, save a single misstep, and you'll still wind up with an Okay rating. Check out the video above for an example of this. The weird thing is, the next time you try you might miss several cues and get Superb. Inconsistencies like that make the grading system feel random, making your frustrating trials a little more frustrating and your accomplishments meaningless. For a series that is now on its third run, and making the move to home consoles, this lingering flaw is simply unacceptable - especially given how fantastically fun the games themselves are. One of the main draws of any rhythm game is earning and besting your rank. The fact that you can't rely on Fever's grading system for an accurate tell of how you did lowers what is otherwise a great experience.
If you enjoyed Rhythm Heaven for the DS, Rhythm Heaven Fever is more of the same. The music is memorable, the style is outrageous and the 50 mini-games are addictively fun. The downside is that it hasn’t seen any true evolution since its first installment on the GBA. You can’t continue a rhythm series without fixing its flawed grading system. And you can’t tack on a multiplayer mode when that’s the only innovation a game is bringing to the table - especially for a system that is known for its party offerings. Fever’s failings are a true shame, as they are both obvious shortcomings with simple remedies. They hold back what is otherwise a unique and fun rhythm game. It’s still a blast, even despite its flaws, but that doesn’t make those flaws acceptable.
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