Rhythm games haven’t always been so explicit.
Today’s generation of rhythm games – including such noteworthy examples as “Thumper” and “Crypt of the NecroDancer” – are very clear about their design choices in relation to the objectives, generally providing an on-screen timed graphic of some sort meant to coincide with a gamer’s button press.
It all works within the flow of the music, but the idea being conveyed is clear. “Press a button … now!”
If the person playing times their button presses well enough, they are rewarded with praise, advancement, and sometimes even rewards.
This simple concept, of indicating to a gamer when and where they should push a button, as though the music itself isn’t enough of an indicator, has been around quite a while.
1996’s “Parappa the Rapper” is often credited with popularizing this template, and that game absolutely deserves every ounce of praise it has ever received … though it wasn’t exactly alone in creating this sub-genre.
Of course, musical games like “Simon” predate Parappa by a good bit, and if you consider them for longer than a minute, you do realize that while the rhythm of those games is an afterthought, it does emerge organically, particularly as it relates to the avoidance of running out of time.
Moreover, though Simon was an external device/toy unconnected to any dedicated hardware, it was absolutely electronic in nature with a requirement of interactivity in order that it might operate properly.
Within that context, we might accurately say that the origins of the rhythm video game actually lie nearly 50 years past.
And yet, the true heyday, the “golden era” if you will, was the mid-90s to mid-2000s.
“Parappa the Rapper” beget “Beatmania” which beget “Dance Dance Revolution” (Dance Dance is a whole different conversation that we shall come to at some point in this countdown, I can assure you) which went on to beget “Bust a Groove,” and on and on we went, along through games like “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” which themselves became MONSTER hits (with gamers and non-gamers alike).
The newer games within the genre (released within the past decade or so) distinguish themselves by offering interesting thematic elements such as specific characters and music an audience might gravitate towards (Kingdom Hearts! Zelda! The Beatles!), as well as deeper environments to explore that don’t merely consist of one static screen, or perhaps if we’re really gonna get crazy, a screen that scrolls towards you while the notes/button presses come flying at you in real time.
But there’s a noticeable, familiar chaining to this system. “Press a button … now!. Press a different button … now!”
It’s pretty much always this way.
And it doesn’t have to be.
To understand this, we merely need to circle back to a different sort of rhythm game that predates the likes of Dance Dance Revolution, Rock Band, and Parappa the Rapper. One that’s less explicit in its stated intent, yet no less demanding when the game fires up.
You are not visually or verbally told to press certain buttons … the game merely demands it of you instead.
You are required to do things a certain way to progress, and that way is rhythmic in nature.
Jump. Jump. Bounce. Bounce.
Pause. Jump. Pause. Jump.
Attack. Move. Attack. Move.
Enemies are spaced from one another to encourage these inputs. The music is smooth and appealing enough to pull you in, yet urgent enough to pull you forward.
Patterns emerge. The soundtrack mirrors the action and vice versa.
Jump. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.
Jump. Bounce. Bounce. Bounce.
And as you progress through the game, this oddity, of there being a rhythmic nature of one’s inputs, becomes more and more obvious, until eventually, there is little point in denying what is happening.
For those who have been paying attention, “Donkey Kong Country” offered up its own kind of rhythm game when it launched as a reboot/rebranding of Nintendo’s big ape in 1994.
And the series’ first sequel, “Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest,” managed to not only continue that tradition in resounding fashion, but also remains an absolute masterclass in incredible platforming to this day, refining and perfecting what its predecessor laid the groundwork for.
And what is that, exactly?
A true A+ rhythm platformer.
Donkey Kong Country 2 at a glance:
- Genre: Side-scrolling platformer
- Released: 1995
- Platform: Super Nintendo
- No. 17 in Complex’s “Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time”
Continue reading Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest — Retro Gaming Essentials (No. 32)
