The list of games expected to appear at Nintendo’s E3 2021 presentation was pretty long, but even so,Nintendomanaged to slip a few surprises in there. One of those surprises wasWarioWare: Get It Together!,a new multiplayer installation in theWarioWarefranchise.WarioWarehasn’t gotten much attention lately. AlthoughWarioWare Goldreleased for the Nintendo 3DS in 2018, it wasn’t a huge sales success, potentially because it never got released for the Switch.WarioWare: Get It Together!appearing at E3 goes a long way to publicizing the game and communicating to fans of the minigame franchise that there’s a new, Switch-focused entry on the way.
It’s nice to see Nintendo reviving franchises lately.WarioWarein particular is an interesting but exciting choice to bring back, since it’s a little unorthodox in the current market as a minigame compilation. Nintendo does seem to like games like this,considering other franchises likeMario Party,so maybe Nintendo is trying to explore minigames again. If that’s the case, there’s another minigame series that it should look at.Rhythm Heavenhasn’t gotten a new game in quite a few years. IfWarioWareis worthy of an appearance on the Switch, thenRhythm Heavenis too.
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Rhythm Heaven’s Legacy With Nintendo
Rhythm Heavenhas never been Nintendo’s most famous franchise – it’s pretty impossible to compete with the likes ofSuper MarioandThe Legend of Zelda.However, it’s had a consistent presence on Nintendo consoles for some time now.Rhythm Tengokuon the GBA kicked off the franchise as a Japan exclusive, and from then on, the Nintendo DS, Wii and Nintendo 3DSall gotRhythm Heavengames.For a while, Nintendo seemingly thought it important that these musical minigame compilations showed up as regularly as possible, offering rhythm game fans a compelling reason to own its consoles.
The series is pretty well remembered too, even if it’s not the most famous of Nintendo games.Rhythm Heavenis recognizable for its goofy, cartoony art style and the strange characters associated with each of its individual minigames, like Karate Joe or the Chorus Kids.Super Smash Bros. Ultimatealso has quite a few Spirits that referenceRhythm Heaven,which indicates that Nintendo still thinks of it fondly as a franchise, even if there hasn’t been a new game in the series since 2016. SinceRhythm Heavenis pretty well known and Nintendo still likes to reference it, it’s frankly surprising that it hasn’t made a new installation for the Switch.
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WarioWare Could Set Up Rhythm Heaven
Nintendo could actually be usingWarioWare: Get It Together!to see if there’s a market forRhythm Heaven,too. After all, they’re very similar games: they’re both minigame compilations with a ton of original characters with quirky personalities that make their games memorable.WarioWare’s reception could say a lotabout how viableRhythm Heavenreally is on the Nintendo Switch.Rhythm Heavenprobably doesn’t need to rush to get onto the Switch if Nintendo is still introducing new Switch models, but ideally, it won’t wait forever to return.
It’s possible that anotherRhythm Heavengame is already in development and that Nintendo will surprise fans by releasing it very close to its announcement.Game Builder Garagerecently showcased Nintendo’s propensity for keeping a game completely under wraps, then suddenly revealing it and releasing it very promptly afterwards.WarioWare: Get It Together!isn’t so different, since it’s only a couple months away from release. Rhythm games may be largely associated with dance games or motion controls at this point, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room forRhythm Heavento make a comeback. In fact, a new look atRhythm Heaventhat makes use of Switch JoyCons might be a great way to refresh the series.
