With Rhythm Heaven Groove (hopefully) on the horizon, I finally got around to playing through all the Rhythm Heaven games, and what an absolute delight of a series this is. There are so many memorable, inventive, and wonderfully quirky minigames across the four entries we've gotten so far, and I want to talk about my absolute favorites. I decided to make two separate Top 10 lists, one dedicated to the main minigames and the other dedicated to the medley remixes since I wanted to make sure both styles of gameplay got their time in the sun.
Top 10 Rhythm Heaven Minigames
10. Cheer Readers (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
Cheer Readers is such an elegant minigame. Like all the best Rhythm Heaven minigames, it seems simple on the surface. You're pretty much just doing the wave. But as the song goes on, it keeps layering various music cues on top of each other so you never really have room to breathe, and Cheer Readers 2 only amps up the sheer insanity of it all. Beyond just the fun gameplay though, Cheer Readers also excels with its presentation. The background track is catchy, the voicelines are iconic and memorable, the sheer concept of cheerleaders rooting for you to read books is gloriously absurd, and the visuals are filled with nods to other Rhythm Heaven minigames.
9. Love Lab (Rhythm Heaven)
Love Lab is one of the most chill minigames in the series. While the touchscreen controls in DS can feel a bit awkward at points, catching and throwing potions in Love Lab feels impressively intuitive and satisfying here. Even scratching the screen to shake the potion feels a lot more responsive than the similar motion in Love Lizards. And with the lovely sunset in the background and wonderfully saccharine music in the background, it's so easy to just zone out and vibe to the music. Considering Love Lab never got a sequel and didn't appear in Megamix, I think it's fair to call this one the most unfairly neglected minigame in the series.
8. Karate Man (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
All the Karate Man minigames are fantastic. Simple as they may be, there's something so universally appealing about punching stuff out of midair. But why is Fever's iteration my favorite? Well, there are two main reasons. First off, the charge punch that has you parry a whole slew of objects in a row is an awesome inclusion to the formula that makes you feel even more badass when you pull it off. But even more importantly, THE MUSIC. Lonely Storm is a head-banging and melodramatic rock track that easily stands out as one of the series' best tracks. It gives this fairly easy minigame so much more intensity and energy, elevating it to being one of the most memorable Rhythm Heaven minigames ever.
7. First Contact (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)
Rhythm Heaven Megamix may not have added too many new minigames, but it had some highlights, and my personal favorite has to be First Contact. The gameplay is fairly basic, just another listen-and-repeat, but that's the point. It's simple so you can focus on the dialogue which is absolutely hysterical. The main premise of translating an alien seems unassuming, until said alien starts trolling with the scientists listening. The reaction shots of the scientists' dumbfounded expressions is comic gold every single time. The sequel version, Second Contact, is just as entertaining since now you play as the alien translating the human who spends the whole minigame talking about his love life. This may not be the most complex Rhythm Heaven minigame out there, but it's certainly the funniest.
6. Tap Trial (Rhythm Tengoku)
It's hard for me to fully articulate why I like Tap Trial so much, because I can't really say it excels at anything in particular. It just gets pretty much everything right. There's a bunch of different musical cues that feel satisfying to pull off, and the speed slowly gets more chaotic as the song goes on. The visuals are a nice blend of cute and bizarre, the soundtrack is a bop, the second version amps up the difficulty perfectly, and pretty much all of its re-appearances in remixes work wonderfully. It's not hard to see why Tap Girl became one of the defacto series mascots considering how her minigame is one of the most addicting and polished in the first game.
5. Ringside (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
Ringside is probably the most memed-on Rhythm Heaven game and for good reason. The sheer premise of Ringside being an over-the-top parody of wrestler interviews is just wonderful, and the execution is even better. The iconic voicelines, the groovy backing track, the fun visuals, it all makes for a top-tier presentation. But how's the gameplay? Well, it is on the easier side but the devs are still able to do some creative stuff with these fairly simple inputs. The final stretch has some very memorable segments like the reporter blabbing on for 15 seconds straight and multiple back-to-back photoshoots making for a particularly standout ending to an already fun minigame.
4. Spaceball (Rhythm Tengoku)
Rhythm Tengoku was the first Rhythm Heaven game I played, and Spaceball was the first minigame that really showed me how special this series could be. So naturally, while it is a fairly easy tutorial song, I have a real soft-spot for this one. This is the first minigame in the series that starts actively messing with the visuals, from zooming the camera in and out to changing your character sprite to obscuring your vision, so you really gotta focus keeping on beat. It's the first time Rhythm Heaven gets really really surreal and even all these years later, its weird factor still hasn't dulled a bit. Add in some incredibly catchy conga music in the background and it all makes for a minigame that is truly hard to forget.
3. Lockstep (Rhythm Heaven)
From what I can tell, it seems a lot of people struggle with off-beats in Rhythm Heaven. Personally, I can't get enough of minigames with off-beats, they feel so satisfying to get good at. And Lockstep is probably the best example of this. Getting those beat switches down may seem tough at first, but with enough practice, they give me a boost of dopamine every time I nail one. Over time, keeping on beat becomes second nature, letting you appreciate the minigame's infectiously upbeat music and inventive visuals. Lockstep is a perfect encapsulation of everything that makes Rhythm Heaven so great, with its demanding gameplay and charming presentation, and it would already be an easy candidate for the number 1 spot if there weren't two minigames I liked even more.
2. Monkey Watch (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
Speaking of offbeats, Monkey Watch is entirely on the off-beat which makes for one of the biggest difficulty walls in the series for a lot of people. I never found Monkey Watch too hard to get down, but it's still immensely satisfying to place due to how impactful the high-fiving sounds are. The visuals also do a great job of channeling that goofy Spaceball energy with plenty of zoom-outs and obstructive scenery attempting to throw the player off. And of course, the music is once again incredible, super upbeat and earworm-y. Seriously, this one came so close to making first place since it has pretty much everything I want in a Rhythm Heaven minigame, but one stole my heart even more...
1. Frog Hop (Rhythm Heaven)
Where do I even start with Frog Hop? There's just so much to this one. This is a long minigame, probably the longest non-remix in the series, but I don't mind because the core mechanics are so damn fun. The gameplay is quite demanding, tasking you with keeping on beat and juggling multiple inputs, but it all feels fair and satisfying to get down. This was the game that fully sold me on the touch controls since the immediate feedback meant missing a beat always felt like my fault rather than any input lag. On top of the stellar gameplay, the presentation is top-tier. There is something so heartwarming about watching these goofy frogs sing and groove along to a genuinely catchy and authentic rockabilly track. It's hard not to bop your head along with the frogs the whole way through. And that "Thank you verrrrrrrrryyyy muccccchu" is the icing on the cake. 10/10, absolute masterpiece.
Top 10 Rhythm Heaven Remixes
10. Songbird Remix (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)
Songbird Remix isn't an especially ambitious remix by any means. The music is an absolute banger and the bird-themed visuals are fun, but it's not like it does anything super groundbreaking. Instead what makes this remix so special is the game selection, because we need to talk about how stacked Songbird Tower is. Ringside, Tap Trial, and Frog Hop all in one set?! It's like this remix was made for me specifically. If only I liked Tangotronic 3000 a bit more, maybe I'd rank Songbird Remix even higher.
9. Remix 3 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
In case you haven't figured it out by now, Rhythm Heaven Fever is my favorite game in the series and that's in big part due to the remixes. Fever's remixes are truly leaps and bounds above the rest of the games and it's not even close, so expect to see a lot of them on this list. While the first two remixes aren't too crazy, Remix 3 is the first one in Fever that really impresses. It's already got a very solid roster of minigames including Working Dough, Air Rally, and Figure Fighter. But what really elevates it is the incredible vocal track backing it all up. Tonight is such a banger and all the minigames compliment it perfectly. In any other game, Fever's Remix 3 would probably be a contender for the top spot, which is just a testament to how good this game's remixes are.
8. Remix 4 (Rhythm Heaven)
Rhythm Heaven's fourth remix is a big step up over the first three and definitely stands on its own as a highlight. The music is this great fast-paced punk rock track and it gives the whole remix this great sense of energy. The love theming is also really cute, and fits the minigame roster really well. And speaking of which, this is yet another very strong set! Love Lab, Munchy Monk, Drummer Duel, DJ School, there's not a single miss here and they're all very well-integrated into the remix.
7. Remix 4 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
There are roads that a samurai must travel. Remix 4 is another one of those remixes that may not do anything mindblowing, but just executes everything perfectly. The minigame set is one of Fever's best, containing Packing Pests, Samurai Slice, Micro Row, and my beloved Ringside. The techno-Japanese music track is probably my favorite non-vocal remix theme in the entire franchise, and the whole ninja theming permeating the remix is insanely cool. And best of all, it all just feels really nice to play. It's not too hard befitting a midgame remix, but it's tough enough to make you feel accomplished for making it through.
6. Remix 8 (Rhythm Heaven)
HOLY SHIT THIS ONE'S FAST. While Remix 4 is technically faster, this one definitely feels the fastest out of any remix in the series due to its frenetic trance music and the minigames picked. Rhythm Rally, Drummer Duel, and Lockstep all in a single remix? The developers had to know what they were doing here. This whole remix is a test of how well you can nail rapid inputs, and thankfully the touch controls are the perfect test for this kind of mayhem. There's a lot of memorable moments here but the two standouts are definitely the banger Lockstep drop and that heart-pounding speed-up right at the end. I truly respect the sheer ballsiness of making a remix this insane.
5. Remix 9 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
From a presentation standpoint, the argument can be made that Fever's Remix 9 is the high point of the entire franchise. The stylish red/black/white color scheme looks so cool, the vocal track is an absolute banger, and most of all, the minigames are integrated into the music so creatively. You know it, I know it, the Love Rap into Ringside drop is one of the best Rhythm Heaven moments ever. However, from a gameplay standpoint, I do think Remix 9 is a bit choppier to actually play compared to some of the other remixes on this list. Some of the minigame transitions feel a bit too abrupt for their own good. If this remix played as good as it sounded, it'd be a shoe-in for first place, but even as it is now, I still absolutely adore Remix 9.
4. Machine Remix (Rhythm Heaven Megamix)
I absolutely adore Machine Remix, and I'm not gonna lie, a lot of it is down to the music. Machine Remix's theme is this head-banging rock piece that rivals Lonely Storm in sheer badassary, and makes all the minigames you play feel more intense by extension. Figure Fighter's segments are definitely my favorite because of how well they fit with the music, but there's also Rhythm Tweezers' deliciously challenging arrangements and Fruit Basket's tricky syncopated inputs. Even Glee Club works well here and that's not even a minigame I usually like. Everything just clicks together with Machine Remix, it feels great to play and flows like a well-oiled machine.
3. Remix 5 (Rhythm Tengoku)
Despite being easily my least favorite Rhythm Heaven game, Tengoku does have its moments and boy is Remix 5 one of them. WISH Kimi O Matenakute is easily one of my favorite vocal tracks in the series, it's this intense and energetic J-rock track that has no business sounding so good coming out of the GBA's speakers. All the minigames get these hilariously edgy makeovers befitting the dramatic music, and they all fit in with the song quite well. Fans like to criticize this remix for having too much Tap Trial in it, and while I see their point, I like Tap Trial too much to agree. Remix 5 is an absolute joy to play and it's easily one of the most impressive things I've ever seen the GBA pull off.
2. The Final Remixes (All Of Them)
I'm just gonna group all the medley remixes here because having them take up the top spots of the list would be really boring. Because yeah, every Rhythm Heaven game has a remix that's basically a big medley of all the games you've played up to that point, and they're all incredible. Tengoku's Remix 6, Heaven's Remix 10, Fever's Remix 10, and Megamix's Final Remix. They're all perfect final tests of everything you've learned, and the music always does an incredible job of mashing together all these memorable motifs into a single cohesive piece. Though if you had to ask me my favorite, I would definitely say Fever's Remix 10. The music is iconic, it has the best minigame roster, and of course, the double fakeout at the end is just perfect.
1. Remix 8 (Rhythm Heaven Fever)
If you asked me why Fever is my favorite game in the series, I would simple point you to Remix 8. This remix does everything right. The minigame roster is top-notch, featuring heavy-hitters like Double Date, Air Rally, Working Dough, and Samurai Slice. And even the weaker minigames like Exhibition Match and Launch Party are integrated into the song impressively well. The transitions are also top-notch, every minigame flows into the next super cleanly allowing the song to keep up a brisk tempo throughout. And then, of course, there's the theming. Remix 8 is a breakup song, and a sequel to Remix 3's love song for that matter. The whole remix is portrayed using these sepia-toned photographs, a truly inspired visual touch, and the music track itself has this fun contrast between its infectiously catchy swing tempo and kinda depressing lyrics. Fever's Remix 8 perfectly intertwines its fluid gameplay with its creative theming, it fully displays how Rhythm Heaven at its peak is able to transcend its own genre and become something genuinely transcendant.
