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Rhythm Paradise Groove review: Gaming needs more whimsy like this
Groovy, baby!
Nintendo
- Alex Raisbeck
Published: Wednesday, 1 July 2026 at 1:00 pm
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A star rating of 4 out of 5.
Rhythm Paradise – or Rhythm Heaven in non-PAL hellscapes – is certainly in the running for the most Nintendo-coded series the company has ever released.
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Not in terms of sheer quality or popularity, as it could never compete with the likes of Mario or Zelda on those fronts.
Instead, I mean in what it is at its core; an endlessly creative series of bizarre and silly mini-games with flashy visuals. Rhythm Paradise Groove may be the best example of that yet.
For those of you living under an e-rock, Rhythm Paradise is a series of rhythm-based mini-games.
Set to music, you'll be given a cartoonish backdrop and a set of simple controls. Typically, this involves pressing a button to the beat, but now and then you'll have a couple of buttons to contend with.
It's never more than a couple of buttons, though, and while that may sound to the uninitiated like quite a boring experience, the genius lies in its simplicity.
Every game feels like a little treat in and of itself. A couple of minutes of simple fun that seemingly manages to scratch an itch each and every time.
Rhythm Paradise Groove. Nintendo
Each game also comes with its own wonderful theme, whether that's a woman chopping vegetables or a couple of kids chatting with an alien. Very few of them make sense, but that just adds to the bizarro charm.
Very rarely, there is a game that I feel is perhaps not as well implemented as it could be, whether the timings required are slightly off, or the game itself is either a bit too easy or hard.
That being said, considering there are 50 levels to enjoy, the existence of a few duds is easy to overlook when the hits are as enjoyable as they are.
The games come in sets of five: four mini-games and one remix stage that combines the previous four into one mega track.
These remixes are where Groove really shines. While the standard levels provide a fun challenge, remixes ramp up the speed and complexity and truly test your mettle and understanding of the games themselves.
Unfortunately, unlike the last entry, 2015's Rhythm Paradise Megamix, there is no story mode to play through, which is a bit of a blow, but there is something new in its place.
Beatspell is a new RPG-style mode that joins the fray. Each chapter of the mode takes you through a few battles with monstrous enemies, requiring you to cast spells to damage them and heal yourself.
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Your first spell requires you to press B then A on the beat, but things quickly get more complex.
Your next spell is B, B , A, with the second B on the half beat, while your third spell incorporates a rest.
In a vacuum, none of these inputs are particularly challenging, but as the difficulty ramps up from chapter to chapter, I found myself pleasantly surprised at how much I was pathetically flailing around trying to stay alive.
In my preview, I noted that I was worried that the mode may be too short. Having experienced it now, I think it's probably the right length for what it is.
There's a great concept here, and I think in a more fleshed-out form it could certainly be a standalone game in its own right, but in this simplistic format, it stays just about long enough to hit home.
Groove also features an excellent multiplayer mode, with options for both co-op and free-for-all games to enjoy.
As silly as the single-player mode is, there's a level of silly you just can't get on your own, and when you combine your own incompetence with that of your idiot friends, it really does enhance the experience.
Rhythm Paradise Groove. Nintendo
If you've played any Rhythm Paradise games before, then you certainly don't need me to tell you how great they are.
It's probably not the kind of game you're going to sit and play non-stop as you would many other games, but that's not the purpose it serves.
Instead, it sits perfectly in the smaller moments as a quick little dopamine burst, or as a bit of light entertainment to stick on when you're with some friends.
It doesn't require the same commitment as those other games, your Zeldas and Marios, and that means it can slide in just about anywhere.
While overcome by World Cup fever, I have often found myself booting up Groove in the downtime between matches, earning a few more medals in an hour or so where I otherwise would probably have just sat zoned out on my phone.
As with its predecessors, Rhythm Paradise Groove is a wonderful little game that offers up joy and challenge in equal measure.
At a time when the games industry seems single-mindedly focused on what's bigger and better, you can always rely on Nintendo to remind us that you can't have gaming without a little whimsy.
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Authors
Alex RaisbeckGaming writer
Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.
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