I just wanted to play the funny seal game, not a ''trying to not get fired'' simulator, I could play that in real life!

To say I was charmed to hell and back by the original Rhythm Hell animation when it released back in March would be an understatement, because it kinda was the thing that put me in the mood to basically eventually beat the entire Rhythm Heaven series this year (or at least the ones I hadn't beaten or even played already, which was three quarters of them); it's funny, creative, has a neat visual style, has seals, and it's cruel as fuck... that's a Rhythm Heaven minigame if I've ever seen one! And as its playable own thing, it’s a perfect representation of the original thing; it is indeed pure suffering!

Taking control of it makes you realize how much it does pass as something that could have perfectly been in one of the games as its own bigger side-game; it reminds me a bit of the minigame Quiz Show a little bit if it was more technical and music-dependent, but I mean, this is way better, ‘cause c’mon… this has SEALS. And I really mean that it’s more technical: you better have some basic knowledge of musical notations and symbols, ‘cause even if you do, this game is here to screw you up. That in tandem with the speed ups and slow downs make it tricky to get just an ‘’Ok!’’, tho it’s worth if only to get to see the funny little end-cards.

It's cool, it’s funny, it’s can be cool to try to get high-scores, it gets the job done; it’s the definition of a novelty game, something that it’s noteworthy for what proceeds it and what it’s trying to imitate, and it’s really nothing beyond that… but it’s one of those things that it’s just neat that it even exist, this is something that anyone can check out and give a try and that makes me smile, mainly because the original video made me smile, but also because… well, it’s a pretty fun bite-sized experience that it loved what it’s alluding to, and even if it’s HARD, it got me in the spirit for some rhythm, you could say I do got a bit of rhythm after all…

Check the original animation if you haven’t already btw, probably pretty much everyone already has by this point, but it’s always worth sharing funny stuff… specially it has SEALS WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

EDIT POST-MAESTRO

Returned to it today to get the coveted Superb and turs out this game pulls some cheeky stuff. The real ''ending'' is locked behind the 12th round, but from that point on, rounds won't have any sound clues, and even tho that goes against what the original series was about (even at its hardest), this is no heaven, this is hell, and seeing as a cruel yet hilarious extra challenge for those willing to get even higher scores, it really works.

I myself I'm done, and I do not have it in me to put myself through that and I wouldn't recommend it to even my worst enemy, but to those brave and skilled enough, who knows, you might have a blast trying to achieve even higher numbers...

Reviewed on Nov 24, 2023


1 Comment


5 months ago

Added new final thoughts after discovering that it has a liiiiiiiittle more to it! It doesn't really change my opinions on the game, but I think it was worth talking about, even if just a little bit...