Many readers sent tips that Rhythm Tengoku Gold is getting localized as Rhythm Heaven (thanks!!). Nintendo didn’t mention it at their press conference, but the tentative plan is for Rhythm Heaven to come out sometime this winter. Technically, the release date is "TBD".
The E3 demo had three games, all of them localized with English instructions, and a familiar looking menu screen.
Assembly Line is the introductory game in the Rhythm Heaven. You hold the DS in “book mode” and swipe the stylus forward on the touch screen to fling a rod. Two squares rotate towards the conveyor belt below while tones play do-re-mi in the background. You want to send the rod flying on so, the fourth note. In typical Rhythm Tengoku style the tempo often changes to keep players on their toes. Once you get a good feel for the game your vision is limited to a peep hole, which forces players to rely on the audio cues.
Chorus is different because it’s not played by tapping or swinging the stylus. You play the Chorus by holding the stylus on the touch screen to “close your yap.” If the stylus is not in place the third character obnoxiously sings while the chorus line glares at him. The goal of Chorus is to lift the stylus in rhythm with the other singers to make him sing at the right time.
Robot Factory is the most challenging out of the three games. Construction of a robot automatically takes place on the right side of the screen and the robot slides to the left. You have to tap the stylus on beat to fuel the robot and lift the stylus when it’s full. It’s tempting to look at the robot and watch it turn red. However, that isn’t how Rhythm Heaven is meant to be played. You have to listen to the audio cues, which are a more complicated pattern in Robot Factory than any of the other games at the demo.
Photo credit Spencer/Siliconera.
