Ranking every Rhythm Heaven minigame
Introduction
I got really bored and I realized “man I should do a slideshow on Rhythm Heaven”
So yeah i guess we rankin Rhythm Heaven minigames now
We will be going minigame by minigame, with a ranking at the end of every game as well as at the end of the series
And when I say every minigame I mean every minigame (including the endless games, remixes, side-modes, and (game) Rhythm Toys)
What is Rhythm Heaven?
Rhythm Heaven is a pretty neat game series
Rhythm Tengoku (GBA)
Rhythm Tengoku
Rhythm Tengoku is the Japanese-exclusive first game in the Rhythm Heaven series. (The most prominent translation for the game is called Rhythm Heaven Silver, so people will often refer to it as that as well.)
This title sets up most of the series staples featured in the rest of the series… but it’s also probably the weakest title in the series.
It has some very good mini-games, but also some of the weakest and most forgettable ones
Rhythm Test (GBA)
Yes, this counts as a minigame.
There are two sections to this—the keep-the-beat section, where you press a button on every beat, and the 8-beat section, where you have to press every eighth beat (and make sure to count the beats correctly)
It’s fine at what it does. No music, no points there, I like the theme of it being a machine printing the results, and it’s pretty fun I guess
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Karate Man (GBA)
The first minigame minigame of the series, Karate Man uses one button and one cue—a sound effect for an object, and then an A press a beat after.
It’s simple, its elegant, it’s perfect. The song has got in my head an embarrassing amount of times (and it’s also notably a track with vocals!) Overall a great minigame to start with.
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Rhythm Tweezers
Right away with this, the game starts to show its absurdity. Plucking hairs off of onions to Arabic music? Hell yeah.
Points for creativity as well as just being a banger
First game to introduce holding and releasing buttons which will be used very often, as well as the first call-and-response game
Bit of a difficulty spike with a bunch of rapid inputs but it’s fiiiine
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Marching Orders
Whimsical ahh beat 😭
This one is. Okay. It’s not bad, its just… Fine. It’s aight. I think the music is pretty fun. The tutorial music is real good and i entirely forgot about it until right now
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Spaceball
This song is a BANGER!!!!
Though the gameplay is just Karate Man but with a cue for a two beat delay as well.
Not a bad thing but just kinda weird how they put it in the same set as Karate Man too
absolutely a bop tho
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The Clappy Trio
I REALLY like this one
Such a chill, funky beat, gameplay is engaging without being too difficult for newcomers, theming is silly yet matches the idea well
One of my favorite minigames from Tengoku
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Remix 1 (Tengoku)
INCREDIBLY repetitive. There are maybe two notable bits in the entire thing and both of them are The Clappy Trio (or quartet?)
Not even custom assets for this one. Super lame tbhhh
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Sneaky Spirits
Ghosts be sneakin around? Shoot them with arrows!
Really simple—tap on the eighth beat, the same melody loops either slowing up or speeding down, and the ghosts dip under cover which quiets the audio. Very simple, yet very engaging. Good minigame!!
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Samurai Slice (GBA)
Very similar to Sneaky Spirits, except on the seventh (and eighth) beats
Music is a jam, game is fun, demon designs are cute
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Rat Race
I mean the theme is cute but I don’t really think the execution is there. You hold down to stay still when the cat starts to come up and then release once it leaves. It’s alright, I just don’t think it’s all that interesting.
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Sick Beats
Fun theme (there is a VIRUS you need to STAB IT) with a funky beat and alright gameplay. Its endless mode variant is better in that aspect though (we’ll get to it later) so it’s pretty solid
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The Bon Odori
DON DON PAN PAN DONDO PAN PAN!!
Really cute minigame, clap when the singers say “pan”
There’s a few times where inputs aren’t properly indicated by the audio, one of which I think is really clever but the other I think is a bit unfair
Overall a really creative and cute minigame!
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Remix 2 (GBA)
A VAST improvement from the first remix!!! The music this time is actually a banger!! There are some really neat gameplay bits!!!! The minigame choices for each segment also fit really well (with the exception of Bon Odori—that feels a bit shoehorned in)
Still no theming but I figured that the Samurai leg jamming at the beginning has to count for something.
Overall a really good remix!!!!!
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Wizard Waltz
This one is pretty cute. I think the music is fun and pretty underrated but gameplay and theming are both fiiiine. It’s another call-and-response game, only one button this time. It’s alright, pretty under acknowledged, also one of the two minigames to be in 3/4 so that’s cool
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Showtime
This game is 37 seconds long.
Like I really think the cues are very fun but. The game is 37 seconds long. Why.
Music is low purely because of that. Theming is ehhhh, but again the actual mechanics are very fun
also the first minigame to feature a monkey (a series staple)
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Bunny Hop
Forgettable music. everything else is very solid
A very good keep-the-beat game, I really like the rest mechanic, and the theming is pretty fun and cute
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Tram & Pauline
This game is ALSO 40 seconds long
I dunno. It’s fine. The gameplay mechanic is pretty fun but it’s not, like, superb. All around “okay”
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Space Dance
Okay THIS one is a good one. I think the music is a bop, the gameplay is fun, theming is good. Having the first use of the PA-PA-PA-PUNCH!! be the drop of the song was a great choice that really elevates it. Overall a very satisfying minigame.
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Remix 3 (GBA)
LETS GOOOO FIRST REMIX WITH THEMED VISUALS!!!
Also a vocal track!!
It’s pretty good. The visuals are nice, and the music is pretty cute. I love the sunset with Bunny Hop
They forgot to theme Wizard Waltz though and I think that's very funny
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Quiz Show
This minigame is actually fucking terrible. There is no music, just buttons. This sucks so much. You don’t even need to use rhythm, you just need the ABILITY TO COUNT
WHY is this considered a main minigame???? As an endless mode? I could understand. But a full minigame? are you OUT OF YOUR MIND
The theming is cool though. I like the theming.
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Night Walk (GBA)
The theming here is really sick. It uses the mascot of a GBA MP3 player accessory as the playable character and that’s dope�The track is mostly comprised of the same melody 4 times but the bridge section is really good
But the gameplay is just a keep-the-beat game with no gimmick. You are a metronome
That being said you can fall off and die which is really funny
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Power Calligraphy
man fuck you aggressively writes at you
A super quirky minigame with a fun track and some pretty fun gameplay as well
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Polyrhythm
Also known as Built to Scale (GBA)
There are two paths—the d-pad one and the A-button one—and objects roll along them. When two roll at once, these wind up forming different—say it with me now—Polyrhythms
Theme is fine, music is nothing special, gameplay is pretty fun and tricky though
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Rap Men
I entirely forgot how good this one is. the beat here is actually really solid. Gameplay is super fun, the theming is goofy (funny ass lyrics)
Top tier minigame.
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Remix 4 (GBA)
Back to lame remixes. This one boring as hell!!! The speedup is okay I guess but other than that it does literally nothing interesting
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Bouncy Road
What is WITH this game and sub one-minute minigames?? LENGTHEN YO SHIT!!!!
Anyways I like this one’s music a lot (despite its length) and the gameplay is really fun too
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Ninja Bodyguard
WOW those inputs are tight
I dunno. It’s a fine call and response. Nothing special
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Toss Boys
Yeah this is one of the best Tengoku minigames easily. Music SLAPS, the voice lines are fun, I like all the different patterns the alternating can have—overall just a really really good minigame.
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Fireworks
The art for this minigame is super pretty, and I think the mechanics are fun as well (it’s one of my favorite minigames to put in custom remixes)
I think this one’s Achilles heel is just the music being kinda forgettable. Still good, but not very memorable
Probably one of the most underrated games in the entire series regardless
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Tap Trial
They really went back to back to back with bangers huh??? One of the most popular Tengoku minigames for good reason. Music is slappin’, theme is silly but works, and the gameplay is incredibly engaging
Top tier minigame
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Remix 5 (GBA)
This remix really likes Tap Trial (don’t we all)
Easy top 5 track in this game, if not the best. The visuals are great and the minigames sync really well together. Again I think the only problem is the reliance on Tap Trial (and the lack of Bouncy Road beyond the beginning)
�Still giving it a perfect score though. It’s peak
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Sequel Minigames
We are now entering the sequel zone! Most of these games have this, where after a certain point they start including harder versions of minigames.
The ones that this game has are funny to me because for 2/3s of them they just… Don’t have new instrumentals. Which is a staple of the series now. So common Tengoku L i suppose
The Snappy Trio
they’re named “the snappy trio” but they’re not snapping, 0/10 this game sucks
It’s Clappy Trio! But jazzier!! And they’re in snazzy new fits!!! It’s a banger!!!
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Bon Dance
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BRO WhAT DID THEY DO TO THE BON ODORI 😭😭😭
i. i like the outfits. and the background.
What is that instrumental bro.
also the idea behind swapping the dons and the pans is great but it either relies on visual cues or memorization (especially the last input, which is NOT properly indicated)
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Cosmic Dance
Space Dance!!!! But jazzier!!!!!! And you’re Round!!!!!
The several second pause before the punch is incredibly funny and has baited me several times before. Peak minigame
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Rap Women
They really liked making minigames jazzier in sequels with this game, didn’t they?
It’s Rap Men except a bit poppier and jazzy. Also it continues on the story of the first Rap Men which is funny af
Women 👍
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Turbo Tap Trial
Yeah, with the exception of Bon Dance, this whole stretch is just really, really good.
Tap Trial! But Turbo!!! and also remixed. Really Really Good
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Remix 6 (GBA)
The medley track of this game, featuring sections for all 25 distinct minigames
As with all of the medley tracks, this rules! I dig it! I think it makes sense to put it here, with the 12 minigames left sorta being bonuses. The transitions between songs are great, and having to remember what all of the minigames play like is fun
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Karate Man 2
hell nah who gave Karate Joe LSD 😭
The same as the original, but it slows down and speeds up randomly. Pretty fun
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Rhythm Tweezers 2
WHAT DO YOU MEAN 32nd NOTES
Diabolical version of the original. I love it
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Ninja Reincarnate
bro you have a motorcycle right there JUST LEAVE!!!!
i like how it reuses assets from Remix 5, pretty resourceful methinks
also how is he cutting rocks with a stick got damn!!
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Night Walk 2
YOU’RE NOT JUST PRESSING A EVERY BEAT NOW!!!! There are fish you have to avoid by not pressing A!! This is a nice way to improve it I like it. A bit too visual dependant for me but it’s alright
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Marching Orders 2
The character swap with who is marching is cute, as is the voice line swap. That being said, this game is VICIOUS i hope it explodes
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Remix 7 (GBA)
Remix of Remixes 1, 2, and 4, which I think is a really cool gimmick. I still hate Remix 1 and dislike 4 but I have to acknowledge this is good. Also some of the visual gimmicks are real fun.
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Bouncy Road 2
I mean there is literally nothing to say here. I think the ball around 0:36 is weirdly off but other than that it really is just harder Bouncy Road
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Toss Boys 2
Its Toss Boys, but harder (shock!)
I like the fact there are new sprites but their cuts ugly as hell so 😭😭
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Polyrhythm 2
WAY harder than the original, i dig it a lot. Also the minor tempo boost makes it sound a little better imho
4:3 polyrhythm EEEEK!!
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Spaceball 2
The first section is fine, just Spaceball with a few funkier inputs
Then it speeds up to 1.75 TIMES SPEED EEEEK
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Sneaky Spirits 2
It’s. Sneaky Spirits. but harder.
song goes silent a bit more which downgrades the music a step
also why is it orange
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Remix 8 (GBA)
A sweet farewell to the game. Cute track, I like the hair covering for the Rhythm Tweezers segments, though I do think there’s a bit too much of Rhythm Tweezers.
Good final remix :)
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Mr. Upbeat
Simple endless game—press A on the offbeat. Plain but very fun imo. great time waster
video linked is the Fever version purely bc i like it better
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Sick Beats Special
Endless version of Sick Beats! Adds more unique patterns and viruses that need to be attacked several times to kill, as well as tempo speed-ups.
Makes the original a lot more unique! Cool endless game
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Quiz Show Special
Oh hey they did actually make this one an endless mode
I feel it works much better this way. They even added a ton of new facial expressions for both the host and contestant, which i think increases the theming by a bit
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Mannequin Factory
Making sure mannequin heads are oriented right and slapping the eyes on ‘em. Uses the same music as Mr. Upbeat. It’s alright.
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Horse Machine
The only Tengoku rhythm toy with a game aspect to it
The first two songs are fine, the third one is good, and then the fourth is really fun and neat (5/4 time babyyyy)
Also really love the use of images for the background, really makes the game stand out for me
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Drum Lesson
This is less just a minigame and more a full side-mode, but this is really cool and I don’t wanna ignore it
They put a drum interface into the GBA controller and then use it to teach a bunch of common drum rhythms. Genuinely a super sick mode!!
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Rhythm Tengoku (Arcade)
THEY MADE A RHYTHM HEAVEN ARCADE GAME
Yeah so SEGA made an arcade version of Rhythm Tengoku
The game featured all of the minigames, plus a harder version of set one! Which are basically like proper sequel versions, with new music and graphics
its neat and theyre distinct minigames so we WILL be including them
Karate Man (Tempo Up!)
Yeah this is definitely a more fleshed out sequel than the actual one
That being said I still think the original has better music.
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Rhythm Tweezers (Tempo Up!)
my fingers hurt just thinking about this one
That being said this is a banger
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