Ironically this game is at its worst when you have played all of the previous entries like I have. I thought I was setting myself up to have the most fun, and be able to pick out the most references etc by playing the games that came before this one. Unbeknownst to me, the remasters of the old games take up 75% of this game, and are completely in their original forms, with the same music and same button timings. For some of these games it was my 8th time playing the same game across different platforms, and it did start to drag.

I liked most of the new additions, though with the format of this game there wasn't much space for their full depth to be explored, which was a shame.
I don't know how I feel about the new scoring and skill star system. On the one hand, it gets rid of any ambiguity that was present with the old system, and where you needed to avoid mistakes. Taking away the requirement to perform well on a section left a void that was filled by the skill star, where you have to have absolutely perfect timing - compared to the usual close enough - on one specific input. It did become quite frustrating when the skill star was placed right at the end of a couple-minute long level, on a pattern that only shows up once or twice on the whole level so you can't really practice the timing.

In the end I picked up all the skill stars and all superbs in the main story, completing my sweep of the Rhythm Heaven series. I didn't end up going for all of the challenges levels, but these and the perfects will make for a fine challenge when I inevitably return to this fantastic series of games.

Rhythm Heaven has always been a difficult game to master. This isn't Warioware or Hatsune Miku. This game requires precise timing, and you must be really in tune with the beat. I had to physically tap my foot or nod my head to keep myself in rhythm for some of these minigames.

The game has a typical Nintendo-esque storyline in the vein of Warioware, with goofy characters. The art style is nice and cute, with skippable dialogue, which most people will probably do. Each section contains four mini-games that you must pass to move on to the next set of four mini-games. These games are some new and mostly old from the previous two games. Mini-games require you to press the A or B button or tap the stylus (this is an optional alternative). Being on the beat is a bit more forgiving than previous mini-games, and scoring is a lot more generous. If you are just a couple of points from passing, the game will give them to you out of pity, and the boss stages will let you pass if you spend 30 coins for at least trying. My biggest gripe with the previous games was the lockout from progression, which would make you want to quit playing.

My favorite mini-games are the ones that have something physical to track. The LumberBear one is a perfect example. Logs get laid out in front of you, and each mini-game has a second type of beat to follow. There is usually a fast-paced rhythm and then one where it requires longer pauses or rapid-fire button presses (in the form of three most of the time). The first tower you play is actually much harder than the later towers because the second version of these mini-games is longer, which allows you to miss more and still pass. There is a practice mode before each game starts and if you miss too much the bottom screen will show a rhythm pattern for you to follow. This helps as some patterns are just hard to get down. Again, another way for the series to be more forgiving this time around. 

There are some mini-games I was just terrible at or weren't designed in a way that made staying on beat intuitive. There is always a visual or audio cue, but sometimes the mini-games will trick you and pull the camera out, obscure your view, or cut the audio, and this requires mastering the mini-game. It all becomes muscle memory at a certain point. This isn't a casual rhythm game or mini-game compilation like we're used to. Can we call this a hardcore rhythm game?

You can unlock trophies and other extra mini-games in the museum and cafe. This never really interested me, as this isn't a game I wanted to finish 100%. Once you finally finish the story mode, there's no real reason to come back to this game unless you really love punishment. I found this game wasn't relaxing at all for how tense and focused you have to be to play it and pass the story stages. Even with the goofy characters and skippable dialogue, the story mode is quite long, with seven towers to finish. The graphics are great, and each mini-game looks unique and charming. This has that wacky Nintendo signature all over it. If you disliked previous Rhythm Heaven games, I would give this a shot since it is more forgiving and the timing has been somewhat refined.

My first experience with Rhythm Heaven, and what an introduction. If the goal of this collection of top hits was to show me why Rhythm Heaven is so special, it definitely achieved that with Megamix.

Although the gameplay is very simple, with just a few button presses in sync with the rhythm, it is incredibly fulfilling to find yourself in the flow. This is largely due to the exceptional audio design, captivating music, and charming visuals that come together to give this package a distinct personality and offer some of the most gratifying experiences in the rhythm genre.

This is also a meaty package with over 100 consistently excellent mini-games that offer replay value with perfect scores that you can achieve, which are super stressful but very satisfying to do. Moreover, there are numerous remixes of these mini-games that will truly challenge your skills.

My only few complaints with this game are that the structure in story mode sometimes pads itself out, and the coins feel like a band-aid solution to the inconsistent difficulty curve that creeps in out of nowhere every once in a while, especially when you get to the gates as you progress through the story mode.

In conclusion, I now understand why Rhythm Heaven is so beloved. Megamix has provided me with an exceptional rhythm experience that I will always remember, and it has sparked my interest in exploring this genre further. I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity to play it.

An extremely well put together and extensive entry in the series that'll probably keep you busy for a while if you're a completionist. All the new games added are pretty fun, and the returning roster of games is mostly pretty good (I would've preferred a little more from DS and Tengoku, personally.)

Docking it one star because while I do believe this is a really good Rhythm Heaven game, I can't help but feel like it's missing a special something I really liked about the previous entries, hard to put my finger on it exactly, but I guess I feel like there's kind of an experimental edge to it that's missing for me, there aren't any stuff like the rhythm toys in the game, not a lot of weird secrets, and only 4 endless games. (Also no real reward for getting all perfects.) It's not a huge issue but it holds it back from being my favorite. I still believe this to be an extremely solid Rhythm Heaven game, particularly for beginners, however, and a good end point (presumably for a while, anyways) to the series. It's got a lot of love put into it and it's clear to see and hear while playing.

I dunno. I definitely see why other people like it but the lack of flicking and tapping makes it way more difficult for me personally. My thumb will literally snap into a 90 degree angle before it presses the A button. Or sometimes it locks up and I can't press in time. The "Tap Mode" (I think it's called that?) feels kind of like a consolation prize, it's absolutely what it says it is and there's no flicking. The QoL features like being able to see how good your timing actually was on the bottom screen & the practice modes supporting the player a little better (like showing you the beat if you mess up too many times in a row) are great though, I don't mind those.

I didn't really have fun with it and find it less accessible because of my hypermobility, but all that being said I'm sure literally anyone else could and I can't find it in me to straight up diss a Rhythm Heaven game. Maybe it wouldn't have thrown me off this badly had I played the Wii game before this one so I could see what direction the series was going in.

TL;DR: I hate having disordered fine motor skills