“Rhythm Heaven Fever” is just the kind of game Nintendo is good at: easy to learn, hard to master and diabolically addictive. In vintage Nintendo style, “Fever” introduces a simple concept — tap A along with the beat — and then changes things up, engrossing you more than you would initially imagined possible.
The game has you playing the percussion part of various songs, and in fact could largely be played with your eyes closed. But then you’d miss out on the ridiculous visual cues that accompany each song. “Fever,” a music game as much as “Guitar Hero,” disguises its Percussion 101 curriculum as a series of laughably contrived tasks. In one song, you’re hitting golf balls a monkey throws at you. In the next, you’re tap-dancing, or assembling widgets in a factory, or striking poses as a pro wrestler.
Eschewing motion controls, “Fever” features only two moves — hitting A, or hitting A and B together — and it’s a kind of thrill to realize, in the thick of the insanity, that the game could be played with an original Nintendo controller.
| ‘Rhythm Heaven Fever’ |
| » System: Wii |
| » Price: $39.99 |
| » Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |
Trouble is, there’s not much to the game beyond that. “Fever” is the kind of game that’s intensely involving when you’re playing it but that you don’t think much about when it’s not in front of you.
One problem is that not one of the 50-odd songs here approaches the pop gold on “Fever’s” excellent DS predecessor, “Rhythm Heaven.”
Another is that the series still hasn’t figured out how to tie the songs together into a more meaningful package. “Fever” occasionally interrupts you with a challenge to get a perfect score on a random song, and attempting this is as exciting as anything in video games. But the rewards for perfect performances are so paltry, many people will just skip these challenges.
Still, for those looking for simple gameplay — or to stealthily nudge a budding drummer — “Fever” could burn up your living room.
