Review: Bits and Bops Really Feels Like Rhythm Heaven 

Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven games work because they are such a fantastic pairing of clever music minigames with wonderful music. That formula can be difficult to replicate, since a game is going to falter if it doesn’t get both parts absolutely right. Bits and Bops is a concise little collection with minigames and music that actually does capture the same sense of whimsy. It isn’t perfect, but it is delightful.

Bits and Bops is both the name of the game and a virtual record store we visit. Each minigame is set up as basically a new album, with shelves that feature 16 unique experiences and four mixtapes that combine the four from that shelf. (Think of that as being similar to the Rhythm Heaven remixes like ones we experienced in recent entries.) As we complete these games, which all might use one or in some cases two buttons, we earn little souvenirs and some other rhythm-based novelties that test timing. 

As with Rhythm Heaven, the Bits and Bops minigames are short and almost tell little stories of their own. So the first is a cat photographer on a ship photographing a seal that will pop out of the water to hit a beach ball, sometimes juggling it. The standard note pattern, indicated by audio beats, involves one button press to take a single picture. If you hear a sort of syncopated beat, then you know the seal is about to juggle it, meaning you need to press the button three times in a row to take three quick photos. Another involves a game of rock-paper-scissors, with the timing telling you how quickly to throw out your choice. The mixtapes combine clips from all of the four previous minigames for a longer song, with the animations now featuring the same characters, but with a matching theme.

The fact that Tempo Lab Games based Bits and Bops on Rhythm Heaven is very obvious. One minigame involving ants marching is definitely Flock Step-like, only with the bell signifying a quick three-step instead of taking flight. One in which a robot is performing alongside two backup dancers sort of reminds me of Frog Hop in terms of gameplay, what with pattern-matching and waiting for the spin move, but reminds me of Love Rap in terms of appearance due to the use of a trio. The miner moles on a cart? That’s See-Saw. While Fort Lifter involved nabbing peas with a fork and the hammer and nails minigame involves hitting nails, the gameplay and call-response element feels the same. I got strong Working Dough vibes from a minigame about a monkey tossing coins to a snake to get them into a chest, with the money featuring the same sort of sound effect as Hole in One. There are a lot of times when I felt like it was a fan game offering updated or additional takes on minigames Nintendo’s team did before due to them feeling so similar, rather than entirely original. They’re fun! They’re also very “on the nose.” How someone may feel about that might vary. I honestly wished there were more that felt 100% totally original ones, such as the minigame about the birds talking.

They are quite clever, though. The music in Bits and Bops feels very much like a tribute to Tsunku’s work. The animated segments are cute and genuinely funny. There’s a sense of pure whimsy woven throughout. I will note that in the introduction and tutorial, Tempo Lab Games makes a point of trusting your ears and not your eyes. However, the only minigame that really made me feel as though that was possibly true was the ants marching one. And that’s only because during the initial tutorial, I didn’t initially catch that the quick three-step came almost immediately after the bell. 

While Bits and Bops is far shorter than Nintendo’s Rhythm Heaven games, it absolutely captures the same spirit. It’s a clear tribute that looks and plays well. Some of the minigames might feel even a little too similar, perhaps due to the premise, appearance, or song. As long as that doesn’t bother you, you’ll likely have a good time with this homage.

Bits and Bops is available for PCs.