Rhythm Heaven is such a popular game with such a dedicated following there is a change.org petition to have the game ported to Nintendo Switch. It has a dedicated sub-reddit forum and has been put on 3 different Nintendo systems over many years. If you are craving games in the style of its whimsical 40-50 mini-games and don’t have a Game Boy Advanced, Wii U or Nintendo DS this article will help. The games below are what I feel are some of the best games “in the style of Rhythm Heaven.” If you want to read more about Rhythm Heaven read my review here.
Beat Talent
Platform: iOS
Price: Free
This is the game of the bunch that is most like a mini-game from Rhythm Heaven. Beat Talent is essentially the same game as Coin Toss which has you flip a coin into the air off screen making you count beats to catch it as it falls. In this case you count 7 beats until you catch the coin. If you tap too early or late you are out. Unlike Coin Toss, this game has a very pared down soundtrack of essentially just a drum beat. It creates variation by changing tempo or rhythm. It is a great free game that doesn’t employ any of the aggressive advertising techniques of other free mobile games. It lacks some of the features of Coin Flip which scores your timing to the beat down to the nanosecond.
Samurai Shaver
Platform: iOS, Android & In-Browser (Chrome or Firefox recommended)
Price: Free
This free game draws a lot of inspiration from some of the more wacky mini games of Rhythm Heaven such as Onion Pull where you tap to control tweezers that pluck hairs from an onion’s chin in rhythm. This wacky game shares a similarly zany concept. You play a sword wielding Samurai whose job is to shave body hair from customers on a conveyer belt. The hair is placed at intervals that represent the rhythm; you hear the rhythm played first then tap it back anywhere on the screen. The electronic soundtrack features synthesized sounds of traditional Japanese music. The levels ramp up difficulty in a well scaffolded and balanced way. A great example of good level design matched to the music.
The feedback mechanics of this app are hilarious. If you tap in time you remove the hair but if you tap out of time you cut the customer and blood begins spurting from a cut. This hilarious Kill Bill style metaphor, along with the facial expressions of the customers replaces the usual “Early/Perfect/Late” feedback of other rhythm games. It is even more impressive that this game began as an idea for Ludum Dare, a game jam that requires players to develop a game in 72 hours.
Planet Quest
Platform: iOS & Android
Price: Free
Planet Quest combines elements of Built to scale and Kitties games from Rhythm Heaven. You tap the last part of a rhythm or melody pattern that is displaced in the beat. It is one of the hardest and most punishing rhythm games out there. It is always trying to trip you up so your reactions will need to be sharp with this game.
You are a space ship tracking the orbit of a planet. You beam various creatures up to your spaceship in time with the rhythm. There are distractors in the form of poisonous flowers that cause you to lose a heart. Lose all three hearts and you are kicked out of the game. Making perfect taps wins you hearts back. You are given “early/late/perfect” feedback on your timing. If you tap a little late you remove the animals suits from the creatures revealing people in their underwear.
Rhythm Doctor
Platform: Steam (unreleased) and in-browser game demo (Chrome or Firefox recommended)
Price: Free preview at the moment.
If you search Rhythm Heaven on google, this game comes up. The company that created the game, 7th beat games, specializes in one button rhythm games. Essentially games you play by a single onscreen tap or by tapping your space bar on the computer. Their other game A Dance of Fire and Ice is one of my favorite rhythm games and I am eagerly anticipating the release of Rhythm Doctor.
You play a doctor helping the hearts of various patients. It uses the image of a heart rate pulse to guide you, a good metaphor for the beat that some people call ‘the pulse.’ Characters such as Kung fu heroes, farmers, a samurai and a sappy romantic guy with hilarious lines and facial expressions evoke the zany characters of Rhythm Heaven.
It begins by having you tap on the 7th Beat of the music. This is one of the rare rhythm games that forces you to rely on listening rather than responding to visuals. The first boss level features deft melding of soundtrack and game play. The gameplay features glitches and skips reflected in the glitch beat style of the music, providing visual distractions that force you to listen more intensely. As the levels progress 2 and 3 heartbeat lines are introduced, combining rhythms and forcing you to track more than one thing at a time. It gets challenging.
Rhythm Doctor is not released yet, however there is a demo version available at their website. If the demo is anything to go by this will be a great rhythm game. If you sign up for their newsletter you can be provided beta access to their level builder where you can make your own levels for the game.
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