Rhythm Paradise Groove: a bit of everything, with a side of crazy
1-7-2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Rhythm Paradise Groove is a music game for crazy people, by crazy people – and I mean that as a compliment. If you have a Switch and natural rhythm, give this wild rollercoaster ride a whirl.
Before we get started, you might be wondering whether I’ve accidentally chosen the wrong header image for this review. The answer is: no, I haven’t. It’s a screenshot of a mini-game in Rhythm Paradise Groove – a random stock photo of a good-looking man at the beach. Welcome to Rhythm Paradise Groove, folks.
What do you get when you combine the bizarre humour of a WarioWare game with a music game? Rhythm Paradise Groove.
Nintendo’s music game series first hit the shelves in 2006, when it was released for the Game Boy Advance – initially only in Japan. Rhythm Paradise made its Western debut on the Nintendo DS in 2011, becoming a cult classic among critics and Nintendo lovers alike. It’s been eleven years since the last instalment, Rhythm Paradise Megamix, was released for the 3DS.
With Rhythm Paradise Groove, the quirky series is making its comeback on the Switch. Aside from a few shortcomings, this playable LSD trip game has made a successful return to musical stardom.
Two buttons and your feel for rhythm
The idea behind Rhythm Paradise Groove is gloriously simple. All you have to do is press the A button in time with the music, occasionally hitting a direction on the D-pad to spice things up a bit.
Having straightforward, two-button controls means Rhythm Paradise Groove is accessible to gaming newbies too. Even my girlfriend, who usually panics whenever I pass her the controller (too many buttons, too many sticks!), can play along without any trouble after her initial reservations.
Insane selection of mini-games
Now, «straightforward» doesn’t mean «easy». No siree. In fact, the game tests your grasp of rhythm in more than 80 single-player and 30 multiplayer mini-games – a remarkable selection. The first few mini-games are really easy, but as you play on, Rhythm Paradise Groove presents you with increasingly difficult challenges – ones that drove me up the wall.
At the beginning of each mini-game, you get an explanation of the basics. You find out which character you’re controlling, what rhythms to expect and what complications might arise. After an optional practice round, the game begins.
If you complete the challenge, you unlock the next scenario. In between mini-games, you face crazy remixes, involving several mini-games mixed together to a beat.
I love the wide range of wacky mini-game ideas. It makes me wonder what mind-altering substances the developers might’ve been on when they were created. The magnificent Japanese humour, the visual style, plus the over-the-top soundtrack by Japanese musician Tsunku ♂ are a matter of taste. If those things float your boat, you’ll be in for a tasty all-you-can-eat buffet of off-the-wall scenarios and unusual songs.
Want some examples?
In this mini-game, you use the A button to flex a bodybuilder’s muscles, making a variety of fruits dance around on his biceps. I’ll have to try that in real life sometime (note to self: work on guns).
In this one, you’re a robot in a dessert factory (seriously, wtf?!), using 🔽 to transport wobbly puddings onto the conveyor belt in time with the beat. Spoiled puddings are pulverised with the robot’s laser eyes (A button). Obviously.
One of my favourites is Brolly Good Show, where you play a small umbrella that opens (A) and closes (🔽) in time with the beat to entertain passersby. Kawaii!
Horrendous distractions
A variety of unexpected events cause confusion during the mini-games. Take this hurdle race, for example. Starting out as a cute, laid-back, pixel-art race (A to jump, 🔽 to duck), it morphs into a breakneck fever dream, with an ultra-fast rhythm and a blurry screen.
Source: Nintendo
Then there’s this crab game, where you use your pincers (◀️ for left, A for right) to drop sweets into a hole in the sand (what a sentence). About halfway through the song, a can suddenly blocks your view.
Source: Nintendo
It takes me several tries to get used to the abrupt change in rhythm during the hurdle race and to ignore the can during the crab game. At some point, something just clicks – when I’m in the zone, the obstacles no longer seem important.
Overcoming seemingly impossible challenges and trying to somehow get into the groove amid the chaos is exactly what makes the mini-games so appealing.
The occasional bit of frustration
Unfortunately, not all of the mini-games are a hit. Some scenarios are difficult to follow as a result of ambiguous visuals and confusing sound effects. While the complications I mentioned earlier (changes in rhythm, a can on the beach) are in line with the game’s concept, these obstacles seem unintentional.
The recycling game is my most loathsome example of this. In it, you have to hit cans with a hammer. The problem is: the visual cues work against the auditory cues. When it looks like you have to hit the can now, the beat suggests you need to wait longer. Instead of helping, the guidance provided in the tutorial confuses me even more.
This is maddening. Even if someone were holding a loaded gun to my head, I wouldn’t be able to get the timing right in this mini-game.
Multiplayer adds variety
I would’ve liked to see more variety in the last third of the single-player section. Although the scenarios appear really different from each other at first glance, the sequence of events is always the same. You hammer your way through crazy scenarios to the beat of a crazy song, doing so over and over again in more than 80 mini-games.
That said, there’s plenty of variety in the bonus content you can unlock by performing well in the mini-games. There’s an interactive drum machine, a drum simulator, more high-score-based mini-games and weird lore about the characters.
I think the unlockable Beatspell mode – a mini role-playing game that involves defeating monsters with magical attacks – is particularly well done. You trigger attacks by pressing certain button combinations in time with the battle music. It’s a nice add-on that breaks with the repetitive mini-game formula apparent in the other single-player parts.
My favourite part of the game, however, is the local mode for up to four aspiring musicians. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard while playing a multiplayer game.
Like in Beatspell mode, the multiplayer content is bolder than that of the single-player games. It’s not just about going through the motions and staying on rhythm. Instead, the game presents you with more complex gameplay situations. As well as following the beat of the music, you often have to work together or compete against each other – all while using the same user-friendly two-button control system.
One of the local multiplayer games I love is Tennis Quest. Armed with tennis rackets and balls, you and your fellow players battle your way through hordes of monsters. You have to hit the ball in time with the music to blast your enemies away.
Cake Wait is a complete outlier. The aim of the game is to pick up a piece of cake using the A button at exactly 3:00 p.m. During the countdown, various distractions are thrown your way. Victory and defeat are decided by hundredths of a second.
My favourite game, however, is Archer Angels. In this retro-inspired shooter, you shoot arrows through blocks in order to hit a bomb in the centre. Your character automatically moves back and forth to the beat of the music. You’ll only manage to shoot away the blocks efficiently if you can neatly hit the A button to the beat of the music.
Rhythm Paradise Groove will be released on 2 July for the Switch. A test copy was provided to me by Nintendo.
In a nutshell
A crazy music game, packed with creative ideas and WTF moments
Rhythm Paradise Groove is a music game that breaks the mould in many ways. The idea behind it is gloriously simple – you just have to press buttons in time with the music in a variety of mini-games. What makes this Switch game unique is its incredibly quirky format. It repeatedly makes me stop and think, «What the f***?» Not because I think the game is bad – quite the opposite, actually. My brain just can’t compute how anyone could come up with all these wonderfully wacky ideas.
With over 110 mini-games, Rhythm Paradise Groove offers quite the array of content. Not all of the mini-games hit the mark, and on the whole, I would’ve liked to see more variety in the single-player games. It takes me about ten hours to get to the credits – not that they in any way spell the end of the game. If you’re masochistic or crazy enough, you could easily double or triple your playtime by earning medals for outstanding achievements and perfectly completed mini-games. The brilliant multiplayer mini-games give you even more hours of fun with friends.
Let’s hope fans don’t have to wait another ten years for a new instalment.
Pro
- Wide range of wild scenarios and ideas
- Straightforward, accessible gameplay
- Well-executed multiplayer (even better than single-player mode)
- Generous array of content
Contra
- Not all mini-games hit the mark
- Single-player mini-games are essentially very similar
Header image: Nintendo
Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
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