Rhythm-action games have evolved over the last five years or so, stretching beyond the realms of the simple foot patterns in the Dance Dance Revolution titles to the full-blown concert simulation of Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
Such games have always been loved by the mass market audience, but there is still an element of intimidation as casual gamers pick up the latest guitar controllers.
Rather than giving them a confusing mish mash of buttons, frets and whammy bars, Nintendo offers a simpler, more accessible experience in Rhythm Paradise.
Players simply tap and slide the stylus along with the music on the touch screen – placing the emphasis on a sense of rhythm rather than a firm grip on the controller.
There are more than 50 tracks available for gamers to master, ranging in difficulty to cater for both the more casual players and a hardcore audience.
As with other elements of the game, the featured songs are firmly rooted in Japan, composed by the country’s legendary pop music producer TSUNKU.
Rhythm Paradise further innovates the rhythm-action genre by replacing the traditional interface with something more interesting. Instead of representing the beat with bars or icons, the game features a variety of brief chararcter-led mini-games where tapping and sliding in time with the beat completes certain tasks.
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After a quick demonstration, gamers are left to tackle a variety of odd tasks. These include creating a path for a rolling log, painting a Japanese character, firing a catapult and refueling a robot – all with a few rhythmic taps on the screen.
It’s a system that offers a unique, endearing and often humorous take on a genre that can sometimes feel a
little monotonous.
The rhythm-based tasks are simple enough that anyone can enjoy them, but avid gamers will be keen to master every track and unlock additional games. The game even mixes up the formula by challenging players to tap or slide off-beat as well as on-beat in certain mini-games.
“Rhythm Paradise is an extremely fun and exciting game that will offer a completely new experience to all,” says Nintendo’s James Honeywell.
“The addictive mini-games encourage the players to tap and flick the stylus to complete various wacky tasks. This game has a unique sense of humour that will bring it life and make it fun for players of all levels.”
BEAT ‘EM UP
Rhythm-action games have always proven to be big hits thanks to their universal appeal, and this trend carries over to the handheld market. This has been demonstrated by the likes of the iPhone title Tap Tap Revenge – after all, plenty of people listen to music when they’re on the go.
Rhythm Paradise is quirky marriage of intense and addictive rhythm-action gameplay and fun mini-games – in a style reminiscent of another successful Nintendo franchise, WarioWare – means the title is certain to appeal to a wide audience.
As with all its titles, Nintendo will be putting considerable weight behind marketing the title, capitalising on the enhanced interest in the DS surrounding the debut of the DSi. The platform holder will be promoting Rhythm Paradise through online, trade and media initiatives, as well as adding another celebrity to the roster that already endorse Nintendo products.
“Rhythm Paradise will be just one of a number of strategic releases this year,” says Honeywell. “We hope that with the installed base of DS at over nine million in the UK there will plenty of people ready to try this exciting new titles.
“We have arranged a comprehensive marketing campaign featuring our latest celebrity endorsement from Beyoncé to ensure that a wide audience will be aware of the launch. The other key advantage of this launch will be how we are able to use it to continue promotion of DSi that will have only launched one month before and this title will be a key purchase for all those new customers.”
Hit singer Beyoncé will feature heavily in the mass market TV campaign, which will begin on April 27th and ensure high public awareness of the game’s release. A 48-sheet outdoor campaign will complement the TV ads.
In terms of online marketing, Nintendo will be using the game’s microsite and a combination of emails, key-word search activity and customer relationship marketing. There will be an extensive range of POS available to retailers, which will also feature Beyoncé.
Honeywell adds: “Launching so soon after the much-anticipated launch of DSi and featuring an endorsement from Beyoncé, we hope this will be a very popular title when it launches in May.”
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