Just a personal review of Rhythm Paradise Groove
It‘s called Miracle Stars in japanese cause this Games existence is nothing short of a Miracle.
If there‘s one way I would describe the reception to this Game, I would be using the classic saying of
“Missing the forest for the trees”
Rhythm Paradise (yes, I will call it Paradise. Deal with it!)
is a series that, for many, got better and better with each new entry.
And while yes, each entry did iterate on itself and refined what worked, it also felt like both DS and especially Beat the Beat (a.k.a. Fever) removed a lot of the weirdness and experimental nature of the original Tengoku on the Gameboy Advance (GBA).
Make no mistake, they are well-made experiences, but it always felt like visual spectacle came first with these two, rather than teaching musical concepts.
In a way, Groove feels less like a Sequel to Beat the Beat or Megamix, and more like a soft reboot, or a sequel to the GBA original.
From its UI, to its multiple returning characters, to the return of the Drumming Mode, it feels like a love letter to the beginning of the series, fitting for its 20th anniversary.
But the similarities go even deeper.
Early on, you‘ll get thrown into Off-beats, you‘ll be forced to learn quite a lot of complex inputs before you can even finish the Tutorials of each Game. And while it may annoy most, it‘s absolutely necessary because these are some of the most difficult Games in the series.
After so many complained about Megamix‘s handholding (still love that Game, tho), I‘m glad to see the Team taking this to heart.
Another great thing is that this time, every single Game gets a Sequel, pushing its ideas and difficulty further. And for some reason… I see people complain? Despite previously, people were unsatisfied with the fact that certain Games never got Sequels.
The Remixes, too, have gotten quite a bit of criticism from what I‘ve seen, due to their lack of unique visuals.
But, to bring back my saying from earlier, I feel people are missing the point.
The Remixes have some really amazing transitions that can mess with the Players timings, or ease them into more difficult ones. Again, it‘s less visual spectacle, more teaching you how to gain a better understanding of how music works. Unique and flashy visuals would simply distract.
Also, which Rhythm Paradise Game didn‘t really have that many visual changes in its Remixes? Exactly! Tengoku! (I know I‘m repeating myself but as a diehard Tengoku defender, it‘s very clear to me that this is a love letter to it)
All in all, I feel I‘m more than satisfied with Rhythm Paradise Groove.
I will probably still prefer Tengoku and Megamix (the latter purely for its value) but Groove showed me that the Team isn‘t afraid to experiment again.
I‘m gonna head back soon for the Multiplayer, as well as the RPG mode (which is amazing, btw.! Please make this a full Spin-off!)
Thank you Tsunku and everyone else who wished upon a star to make this miracle happen!