Over the years, the number of rhythm games available on home consoles has waned significantly. While some titles like Taiko no Tatsujin and Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory occasionally keep fans of the genre satisfied, it truly feels like the era of Rock Band parties is long gone.
Starting in the late '90s, the rhythm genre was one of the most popular and successful markets for companies like Konami and Activision. Whether you were playing games at home or at the arcade, it was nearly impossible to ignore the cultural impact of games like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero.
10 Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure
Most rhythm games don't feature a story mode, but Rhythm Thief found a way to beautifully blend foot-tapping gameplay with an interesting narrative. You play as a young vandal attempting to unravel the mystery of Napoleon Bonaparte's resurrection while also searching for your missing father. You will have to tap or slide your stylus to the beat to accomplish these goals.
If Sega was able to write another intriguing mystery while including more of the game's signature jazz-influenced beats, it would allow Rhythm Thief to become more than just a hidden gem on the 3DS.
9 Sayonara Wild Hearts
It's only been a couple of years since Sayonara Wild Hearts was released, but what helps make it unique is that it's one of the few rhythm games in recent memory to enter the zeitgeist. Its hypnotizing style, short runtime, and synthwave-influenced soundtrack caught the attention of critics and casuals alike.
Playing Sayonara Wild Hearts is like experiencing an interactive pop album. The gameplay is fun, addictive, and elevated by the pulsing beats surrounding it. The soundtrack is great on its own, but it almost feels incomplete without the neon visuals and dreamlike flair of playing the game itself.
8 Theatrhythm
Surprisingly, it took Square Enix until 2012 to turn the rich library of music from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest (the latter unfortunately only saw a release in Japan) into a rhythm game.
Theatrhythm recreated classic scenes and moments from these franchises while you tapped the screen in various styles to the music. While the first two Final Fantasy Theatrhythm titles covered a majority of the games in the series, a new entry would be able to showcase music from the excellent Final Fantasy 14 library and the wonderful rearrangements of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Perhaps we could even see a Theatrhythm-style game for other series such as Nier or Octopath Traveler.
7 Dance Dance Revolution
This popular series of rhythm games from Konami not only boosted the genre's popularity at the time, but also allowed you to use your body as the controller. Using a stellar combination of licensed and original music, Dance Dance Revolution revolutionized how we could also use video games as a form of exercise.
For over a decade, Dance Dance Revolution was the indisputable champion of the genre. Its eventual Achilles heel would be the large dance mat you would be required to purchase (and eventually store in a box in your basement) to play. Titles like Just Dance would eventually offer a similar experience with less hardware, but it would be interesting to see if the series could innovate and return to home consoles.
6 Donkey Konga
While Donkey Konga as a game series left little impact on the industry, its original developers would eventually create the popular Taiko no Tatsujin series. It would be great to see that team collaborate with Nintendo once more to iterate and release a modern take on the Donkey Konga formula.
You may know of the bongo peripheral through watching speedruns of games like Dark Souls and Trackmania. The bongos have even been used to complete other rhythm games! It's a simple piece of hardware that allows you to smack or clap your way through a combination of licensed music and Nintendo originals. A new release in the series would hopefully have a massive library of songs to play with as well as a slightly quieter or adaptable bongo set.
5 Elite Beat Agents
Have you ever wished that there was a secret government agency whose sole purpose was to encourage people in tough situations with the power of music and dancing? Well, look no further than Elite Beat Agents! This cult classic DS title blended humor, fun gameplay, and a stellar mix of licensed music into a unique experience.
Unfortunately, only one game in the series was released in the West. Tapping through hilarious scenarios while Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat" plays in the background is truly gaming at its best. Since Nintendo has recently started remastering older games like Advance Wars, it would be great to see them either re-release Elite Beat Agents with its Japanese exclusive sequel or create an entirely new entry in the series with new music and motion controls.
4 Thumper
Similar to Sayonara Wild Hearts, Thumper is one of the few rhythm games to gain mainstream popularity over the last few years. What helps make it unique is its adrenaline-pumping gameplay, psychedelic visuals, and cosmic sound (which is composed by Brian Gibson, the bassist for noise-rock band Lightning Bolt.) Thumper can also be terrifying at times, especially when you're playing it in VR.
While Thumper is an unforgettable experience, the game always felt like it didn't reach its full potential. A sequel could allow the developers to play with new environments and moods, while also introducing new gameplay mechanics to master.
3 Rock Band
Rock Band played a pivotal role in the rhythm genre hitting its peak in popularity as well as its sudden crash in the late 2000s. While Guitar Hero helped bring plastic guitars into the homes of many, Rock Band expanded and nearly perfected the formula. Harmonix decided to add drumming and singing options to their game, as well as an excellent variety of music from across all eras and genres.
By the time Rock Band 3 was released (now with a fifth instrument, a keyboard) consumers were becoming burnt out on the formula and how expensive it was to purchase a new set for every release. This problem still exists today and would be the biggest obstacle for the series if they ever decided to make a comeback. Sure, Rock Band 4 still has DLC planned for its platform, but the game and instruments are incredibly expensive and hard to find these days. Perhaps now that Epic owns Harmonix they could fund the reboot with affordable instruments that wouldn't become a burden for the consumer's wallet or storage space.
2 PaRappa The Rapper
For many, PaRappa was the first character to take them by their hand and teleport them to the magical world of rhythm games. He even taught us skills such as karate and how to drive.
PaRappa was one of Sony's original mascots during the PlayStation era, and finding a way to modernize him would revitalize an interest from old fans while also bringing in new ones. Team Asobi (known for the Astro Bot series) would be the perfect team to work on a reboot. They are an incredibly creative team that could implement some cool DualSense features into a game about a rapping dog.
1 Rhythm Heaven
Rhythm Heaven is the pinnacle of the rhythm genre. Each game in the series offered you incredibly fun gameplay, songs that could be stuck in your head for days, and often hilarious scenarios for you to play through. The series was developed by the same team behind WarioWare and Tomodachi Life, which should give you a good idea of the general aesthetic.
It's been about six years since the last entry, Rhythm Heaven Megamix, was released for the 3DS. Physical versions of these games are incredibly rare to find, and access to digital versions will soon be impossible once Nintendo closes down the Wii U and 3DS eShops. A new game in the series would help keep this amazing brand alive and allow its amazing melodies to keep your feet tapping for another generation.