It can sometimes be Rhythm Hell, but no DS owner should overlook this unique title.
Rhythm Heaven is, of course, a rhythm game where you tap and flick to the beat in 50 mini-games (half of which are harder versions of the other games). As far as outrageous situations go, you can compare this game with EBA. At one point you're filling robots with fuel, then in the next scene you're a singing easter island head, and probably wackiest of all is the mini-game where you're training to be a professional ballerina swan under a captain…who's a duck. It makes no sense, but the characters are so darn hilarious and their designs are so cute you can't help but crack a smile (if you have a heart). Accompanying every wacky mini-game is the superb level of music. Its so darn catchy and amusing that it has to be heard to be believed - writing it down as "catchy" does it no justice. I still have the Munchy Monk theme stuck in my head, but I really don't mind.
Unfortunately, Rhythm Heaven can sometimes be Rhythm Hell. For an example is the way the game grades your performance: its either Try Again, OK/Just OK, Superb, or Perfect. Getting an OK rank in some cases is brutal if you don't know what you're doing (it helps if you know rhythm), but even then if you just make a few mistakes its considered a Try Again. Luckily, the game lets you pass a mini-game with an OK rank if you're having troubles with it, so even those without a huge sense of rhythm can bi-pass hard games. Players that have mastered the game early on will be annoyed, however, of the way the game deals with Perfect ranks: you can only get a Perfect on a song ONLY if it has a Gold medal on it and only when its randomly chosen. And you only have three chances to get a Perfect rank - if you blow it then you have to wait until it is chosen again.
Rhythm Heaven rewards the patient gamer, however, with side stories that tell about the characters, and various other articles. Getting Superb Ranks also earns you medals that unlock various rhythm toys and Endless Games once you gain enough. They won't command your attention for very long and you need A LOT of medals to even unlock them, but they're still okay to play with even though some of them would've made nice additional mini-games.
Even if you have lost faith in the rhythm genre and are not a fan of mini-game collections, this game is still a must play if you own a DS of any kind. Its can be brutal for some, but in the end this game deserves a Superb rank.