The Nintendo Switch 2 is here, but that doesn’t mean the gaming giant has stopped putting out certified bangers for the original Switch.
Hot off the heels of the release of the unbelievably viral Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, we’re getting another entry in a long-running franchise that’s been dormant for a decade in Rhythm Heaven Groove (or Rhythm Paradise Groove if you’re in the UK).
This new Rhythm Heaven doesn’t seem keen to reinvent the wheel, but that’s certainly not a bad thing. After playing it at a recent Nintendo event, I can already see myself nipping back into its incredibly moreish beat-based minigames whenever I have a spare few minutes once it’s out.
Feel the groove
At its core, Rhythm Heaven is all about hitting a small number of buttons in time with a musical beat. It’s a simple formula that’s easy to pick up, but one that’s deployed in loads of novel and interesting ways.
The handful of minigames that I sampled in Groove ranged all the way from prompting a little round guy to jump through hoops at the right time to chomping flowers as they fly through the air as a marching dinosaur.
My personal favorite, ‘Slice N Dice Kitchen’, had me tapping on cue to catch flying bell peppers and tomatoes to keep them out of the paws of a mischievous, greedy cat. Every game’s mechanics are demonstrated clearly via introductions that teach you exactly which beat you need to make your input on, and little twists, like the sudden changing of colors on screen or complete removal of visual prompts, keep you on your toes as you transition into the real thing.
The minigames are all accompanied by catchy music, with basic beats that gradually ramp up as the actions become more complex and even some full-on songs with Japanese lyrics here and there. Completing a sequence of minigames unlocks a special remix that combines all the games at once to really put your skills to the test, and chasing the highest ranks is likely to be a significant musical challenge.
The presentation is simply adorable too, with a charming cartoon look that just screams Nintendo and amusing text-to-speech dialogue.
Despite being comfortingly familiar for returning fans, Rhythm Heaven Groove does have some surprises up its sleeve. The local multiplayer games are a blast (this one cake-grabbing mini-game that has four eager snackers competing to get their hands on a tasty treat the exact second a clock hits 3pm was especially fun) and there’s even a more story-focused, role-playing game (RPG) style mode that has you making different button combos to cast a variety of spells and defeat enemies in a raft of dungeons.
I walked out of my hands-on session with a huge smile on my face and, honestly, can one really ask for anything more? I can’t wait to try the full thing and, judging by my experience so far, it might just become my favorite Nintendo Switch release of 2026.
Although I did preview the game on Nintendo Switch 2 via backwards compatibility, it is worth reiterating that, yes, this will be a native Nintendo Switch title when it drops on July 2, 2026, which is great news if you’re still holding on to that older hardware.
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
