Rhythm Paradise Groove, Switch Kicks Off Summer to the Beat of Music

Since its debut on GBA in 2006 (Japan only, unfortunately), the Rhythm Paradise saga has landed on all Nintendo consoles, Wii U permitting. However, it had been fifteen years since a true sequel was released, as Megamix for 3DS was a... “megamix” of past editions. With public attention now turned to Switch 2 and the series about to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, the Kyoto-based company decided to revitalize the franchise with Rhythm Paradise Groove, coming out in a few days on Switch. The melodies change, but not the music, for a package that will delight long-time fans and welcome new ones.

Rhythm Paradise Groove: A Rhythm Game Accessible to Everyone

For those unfamiliar, Rhythm Paradise is a rhythm game with a casual soul. No licensed songs or leaderboards to climb like in a Beatmania or Guitar Hero, just short rhythmic challenges where you respond to various signals in time. Each level has its own mechanics, its own jingle, and a bizarre context to give meaning to the action, such as participating in a dance choreography with mops, dodging an unsettling sneezing moon, or deflecting asteroids with a laser boomerang. Anyone can play, unless they really can't put two notes together, and the more advanced challenges provide quite a bit of a struggle. There are also plenty of bonuses to unlock, assorted mini-games, and a competitive and cooperative multiplayer mode. All at a favorable price. Hard to ask for more.

Rhythm Paradise has always been quite easy to approach, with exhaustive tutorials to get familiar with the “scores,” tips on where and how to improve, and even the ability to skip the most indigestible levels, but Groove goes even further. Not only can you compensate for input lag relative to your TV, minimizing the difference from the more responsive handheld mode, but there's also an option to read on-screen text aloud and describe images. In practice, even people with serious vision problems can participate without particular impediments and on any device, a purpose we appreciate.

Rhythm Paradise Groove: 80 Levels and Ever-Changing Gameplay

As for the game itself, the first impression isn't great. The saga has made minimalism one of its mantras, but here it's a bit overdone, with long lists of items embedded in sterile boxes. This solution might be due to the accessibility needs mentioned earlier, as it allows you to scroll through the entire catalog with just the analog stick. However, a more appealing design could have been adopted. The menus for the main modes at least use the classic elegant, functional, and very colorful style.

Switch has many gadgets to venture an alternative control system, but the developers of Rhythm Paradise Groove fortunately preferred a more traditional scheme. Whether it's hopping to the rhythm of “pa pi pu pe po” or smashing giant cans with hammers, it almost exclusively asks you to press the A button and at most a couple of directional pad buttons. The single-player “campaign” consists of 80 levels, distributed in blocks of five. A good portion consists of more complex versions of previously encountered levels and remixes, which combine the entire block into specific challenges; however, new mechanics and dedicated melodies are introduced each time. Variety is certainly not lacking.

Rhythm Paradise Groove: An Accessible Yet Far From Trivial Challenge

Completing the scenarios is not particularly onerous. The game is very forgiving and does everything to help, so reaching the credits is a matter of a few hours. Becoming good, however, is another matter entirely. Completing levels without too many errors (especially if consecutive or linked to a specific signal) will grant medals, which, when accumulated, will unlock mini-games and extra activities, and sometimes you'll be prompted to attempt a “perfect.” Here Groove shows its best (or worst, depending on the case), because you need to be precise to the hundredth of a second and you only have three chances to succeed.

It's a challenge that you gladly take on, thanks to immediate input response, easy-to-read and simple-to-memorize patterns, and timely transitions and loading times. It goes without saying that some levels are more intuitive and approachable than others. It's not uncommon for the game to try to trick you by changing cadence, perspective, and background animations, or by obscuring the view and skipping beats, and on a couple of occasions, it goes all out. The beat, however, is always the same, so if you maintain concentration, it's possible to stay on track with ease. The only concession I wouldn't mind is an indicator or a marginal note to understand if any errors are due to being too early or too late on the beat, as in the heat of the moment it's often difficult to realize.

The presence of a multiplayer component is welcome, even if it doesn't boast many attractions. The eight mini-games (each in three variants, for a total of 24) are nice ideas for a brief diversion with friends, but I don't think they have the potential to captivate entire evenings. The competitive ones, in particular, prove to be quite weak, but that's understandable, considering the nature of the title. For completionists, there are also medals and rewards to grab here.

Rhythm Paradise Groove: Essential Graphics and Irresistible Soundtrack

On the technical side, Rhythm Paradise hasn't really progressed since the GBA era; only the resolution has increased. Stylized drawings with bold outlines, simple animations, and vibrant colors dominate, a choice that couldn't be more fitting for the spirit of the game and its usability. Every scene is easily recognizable, and all on-screen elements are clear and well-highlighted, which helps to quickly get familiar with the rhythm. There are many visual effects, but they follow one another in perfect harmony, emphasizing the choreography, for a picture that makes readability its strong point.

A similar discourse applies to the soundtrack, which features a plethora of catchy songs and tunes and spans different genres and languages (including Italian). The audio mixing is excellent, which, despite the music, sound effects, and voice, always manages to make the instructions directed at the player stand out. And without any hesitation. There isn't a single source that doesn't hook into the melody, for unexpectedly sophisticated choreographies. And once a jingle gets into your head, it's hard to get it out.