Rhythm Heaven, called Rhythm Paradise in PAL regions and Rhythm World in South Korea, is a rhythm game created and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the second game in Nintendo's Rhythm Heaven series, following the Japan-only Rhythm Tengoku (2006) for the Game Boy Advance. The game was first released in Japan in July 2008 and later in North America, Europe, Oceania, and South Korea in 2009. It is the first game in the Rhythm Heaven series to be made available outside of Japan.

Like its predecessor, Rhythm Heaven includes many rhythm mini-games that challenge players to follow the rhythm using audio cues until the end of each game, where players receive a rating based on their performance. Unlike its predecessor, which used buttons for controls, this game mainly uses the Nintendo DS's touch screen and stylus. Players use the stylus to flick, tap, and slide their fingers to play each rhythm game.

Rhythm Heaven received mostly positive reviews, with praise for its music, art style, and variety of games. It was followed by Rhythm Heaven Fever for the Wii in 2011.

Gameplay

Rhythm Heaven is played on the Nintendo DS using the touch screen, with the device held vertically. This method of playing is similar to other DS games, such as Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day! and Hotel Dusk: Room 215. Players use a stylus to interact with the game, completing rhythm-based levels called "rhythm games." Each level has its own rules, and controls include tapping, holding, dragging, and flicking the stylus across the screen. A later guitar-themed minigame called Rockers 2 and unlockable guitar lessons also use the DS's shoulder buttons to simulate bending guitar notes.

The game includes fifty rhythm games divided into ten sets. Each set contains four rhythm games and a themed Remix level that combines elements from the previous games into one song. Completing the sixth Remix unlocks additional sequel levels that follow the same rules as earlier levels but are harder and sometimes include new patterns. These sequel levels also include rhythm games from other sets.

In each rhythm game, players must match the rhythm throughout the level. Most levels allow practice before attempting to clear the game, except for Remix stages and some sequel games that feature new patterns.

After completing a rhythm game, players receive a rank based on their performance. Ranks range from "Try Again" for poor performance to "Superb" for nearly perfect play. To advance to the next level, players need a "Just OK" or "OK" rank. Achieving "Superb" ranks unlocks Medals, which grant access to bonus content like Endless Games, Rhythm Toys, and Guitar Lessons. Any rhythm game with a "Superb" rating can be randomly selected for a "Perfect" attempt, where players must complete the game without mistakes. Players get three attempts per cycle, and completing a "Perfect" run earns additional rewards in the game's cafe, such as song sheets and lyrics.

The game defaults to right-handed mode, but players can switch to left-handed mode by flipping the screen 180 degrees. This change moves the action screen to the right side of the device, and some minigames are mirrored to accommodate this adjustment.

Music

Rhythm Heaven features original music composed by Tsunku and Masami Yone, with vocals performed by TNX artists such as Canary Club, the Possible, and Tsunku himself (credited as Occhama). These vocals were re-recorded in English for the Western version by other singers, including Ayaka Nagate, a former member of the Tsunku-produced group Coconuts Musume, as were some of the voice cues. Plans to include the Japanese songs in the music player section were canceled due to space limitations. Soundtrack albums for the game have been released in Japan but not in North America. The European version of the game, called Rhythm Paradise, includes full localizations of the songs in French, German, Italian, and Spanish, including the vocal songs in the Fan Club, The Dazzles, Frog Hop, Karate Man, and Airboarder rhythm games. The South Korean version, known as Rhythm World, includes a full Korean localization of the songs.

Development

Rhythm Heaven was created by Nintendo SP&D1 with the help of Tsunku, a music record producer. Both Nintendo SP&D1 and Tsunku also worked on the original Rhythm Tengoku. The idea for the game came from Nintendo programmer Kazuyoshi Osawa, who had previously worked on Metroid and WarioWare games.

Developing the game was not easy for the team. Osawa did not like using buttons, so he thought about using the Touch Screen for controls. The team considered letting players touch the edge of the Touch Screen, but they found this too difficult to use.

The Flick action, a special way to control the game, took time to create. At first, it was hard for the team to make the Flick action feel fair for players. They realized that combining Flick with music would help players develop a good sense of timing. It took about two to three months to study the Flick action and six months to include it in the game. Tsunku liked the Flick action even though it took a long time to develop. At that time, he came up with the idea for Frog Hop, which became one of the first games made for Rhythm Heaven. Like many other games, there are differences in how the game and its sequels were released in different parts of the world.

Reception

Rhythm Heaven received mostly positive reviews on the Metacritic website, which collects and summarizes game reviews. Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the game scores of 8, 8, 9, and 9, for a total of 34 out of 40.

Wired magazine gave the game a score of 9 out of 10, calling it a creative, complex, and challenging game. The Daily Telegraph scored it 8 out of 10, stating that its features made it more than just a simple music game, turning it into an engaging challenge for perfecting rhythm. The magazine compared it to Elite Beat Agents, a highly praised music game, but noted that Rhythm Heaven’s simple design gave it a unique quality.

The A.V. Club gave the game a B grade, calling it "the cutest drum machine on the market." Jeremy Parish of 1Up.com gave it a B+, but noted that it did not improve on the original Rhythm Tengoku game. He said, "If this seems like very strict criticism for a game that is highly recommended, it’s only because it follows the example of a perfect game. Rhythm Heaven does its job well, but those who played the original know the idea has been done better."

As of December 2014, Rhythm Heaven had sold 3,040,000 copies worldwide. It was also the sixth best-selling game in Japan in 2008.

Sequels and legacy

Rhythm Heaven was followed by Rhythm Heaven Fever for the Nintendo Wii in 2011. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata believed the game had value for family play. He said, "When others play and make rhythm mistakes, it can still be fun."

Four years later, in 2015, another Rhythm Heaven game was released for the Nintendo 3DS. It is called Rhythm Heaven Megamix. This game includes games from earlier versions, such as the DS edition, Fever, and the original Rhythm Tengoku, as well as new games.

Rhythm Heaven is often included in the WarioWare and Super Smash Bros. series.

In March 2025, Nintendo announced a new Rhythm Heaven game called Rhythm Heaven Groove. The game will be released in 2026.