You know what’s a really underrated place to get video games? Your local library. I feel incredibly privileged our local library has a wonderful selection of not only books, but movies, video games, board games, and even power tools you can borrow. Seriously, it’s amazing! If you haven’t gone to your library or maybe haven’t gone in some time, check it out! Video games or not, it’s a great public resource that can always use your patronage and support!
OK, public service announcement out of the way, let’s talk about Super Crazy Rhythm Castle, which I did indeed check out on a whim from the library. I was looking for something a few people could play together during a New Year’s Eve party we held at our place. And while we ended up playing a few Jack Box Games during our party, we did eventually play Konami’s seemingly unheard of rhythm game a day later. And wow… I was honestly kind of impressed.
The game is billed as a chaotic musical adventure game, and I can attest after playing the first few hours this is an accurate description. The game mashes up the rhythm genre of timed button presses to the beat with some action elements you’d see in a variety of other games. Think of something like Dance Dance Revolution meets Mario Party. You’ll be doing more than matching music notes as random modifiers, obstructions, and goals present themselves with each level. One stage has random blocks fall from the ceiling, which block your view of the falling notes you need to press, requiring you to stop the rhythm section to properly dispose of the obstructions. Another has you avoiding enemies that hit you and cause you to freeze for a few moments. Boss battles give you a health bar to defeat with the beat, and the variety goes on.
I was immediately enthralled by the game. It was DDR at it’s core, but it was so much more than just a controller dance game. The added gameplay elements were fun. They mixed up the rhythm just enough to make each stage fun, challenging, and rewarding. I count myself in the higher percentage of successful rhythm game players, having grown up cutting my teeth in the arcades and PS2 era of Bemani games, so the core gameplay of Super Crazy Rhythm Castle resonated easily with me. If the game were just that I think I would have liked it regardless. The addition of the fun twist just sweetened the deal. And we haven’t even talked about the songs yet, which were varied, catchy, and fitting given the context. Also, special shoutout to the Cartridges you find throughout the game, which are old Konami game soundtracks you can play, including Gradius and Castlevania! Loved that little Easter egg!
The best part of all of this? The game is multiplayer. Up to four players can take on the challenges together. As a multiplayer genre, rhythm games work incredibly well. Just Dance, Rock Band, DDR, and so many others lend themselves well to playing with friends. At the core of most of those games is the music: If you play better and more in rhythm, you score better and place higher. In SCRC though, the music is just part of the gameplay: in order to win you and your friends have to work cooperatively not not only play the song well but also overcome that stages objective. Maybe you’re launching broccoli into a void to defeat an evil vine monster. Or perhaps it clearing a stage by literally changing the tune mid-song in order activate a robot-creating machine. It’s wild! My friend group playing had an absolute blast discovering the nuance to each stage. I loved that the game could be enjoyed by players of any rhythm game skill level, meaning the fun and laughs just kept coming.
I will take a guess and assume this game was developed with multiplayer as the main driver. The game isn’t quite as good when playing solo. A lot of the joy is lost when you are playing by yourself and have to not only get all the song notes right, but also deal with all the chaos happening in the background. Part of the magic of Super Crazy Rhythm Castle is the cooperative madness you see among friends. Take that away, and you have a sort of bare bones rhythm game with a lot of humor and not much else. Additionally, while the actual button presses are well-synced and hit the right beats with the music, there isn’t a lot of variance between the musical gameplay. If you have any skill in rhythm games you’ll find this game sort of simple in comparison to something like a 12-foot song in DDR or playing Expert on Guitar Hero. If you’re looking for the next great rhythm game to master, this isn’t it…
However, if you’re looking for the next great game night to play with friends then this is definitely it! Super Crazy Rhythm Castle represents everything that I love about video games; it’s wild, it’s fun, you can play with friends, and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. The game offers around 30 songs with all the bonuses unlocked, and that’s just enough shenanigans for a group to enjoy over a few nights. The game appears to have reviewed relatively well upon release, but I somehow never heard of this one before seeing it on the shelf. And that is perhaps the greatest shame of all, as this is easily one of my favorites of the past few months and something I will have to include in any hidden gem recommendations going forward.
Laters,
Jsick
