The Rhythm Heaven franchise is making a long-awaited return to consoles with Rhythm Heaven Groove, set to launch on the Nintendo Switch. The series, which has seen limited new entries since its debut, is poised to offer its largest collection of rhythm-based minigames to date, alongside an entirely new RPG-style experience.
This upcoming title will feature more than 80 solo minigames and over 30 multiplayer games, encompassing both cooperative and competitive modes. Developer Nintendo has indicated that each minigame presents a distinct gameplay mechanic and an original musical track, ensuring variety for players. Examples of these minigames include Hoop Trundling, where players must jump in time with a line of characters; Brolly Good Show, which requires synchronized umbrella operation; Disc Dog, challenging players to time frisbee catches; and Feeding The Beast, a dinosaur-themed rhythm challenge.
Upon completing all games within a given collection, players will unlock a Remix. These Remixes combine the previously played games into a single, cohesive musical sequence, unified by a central beat. This format aims to maintain player engagement and challenge, even as the complexity of the integrated games increases.
Each minigame concludes with an evaluation of the player's performance, with an "Amazing" rating earning a medal. The preview highlighted that achieving perfect scores became increasingly difficult in later game collections. For instance, Slice N Dice, set in a kitchen, and Hop, Stop N Roll, featuring a lucky cat character, presented more demanding challenges than earlier games.
Multiplayer modes were also showcased, with a four-player competitive game called Cake Wait testing players' ability to press a button precisely as a disappearing timer hits zero. Another cooperative multiplayer game, Ninja Bodyguard, tasked players with protecting a carriage from archers, emphasizing camaraderie alongside rhythmic gameplay.
A significant new addition is Beatspell, an unlockable RPG-style mode. This mode becomes accessible after players earn a certain number of medals. In Beatspell, players engage in turn-based combat where commands are executed by tapping buttons in time with a beat progression around a diamond-shaped chart. Successfully executing these rhythmic inputs casts spells to damage enemies or heal the player. The preview session concluded after boss battles within the first two chapters of Beatspell.
Rhythm Heaven Groove is slated for release on Switch on July 2, 2026. The game is rated Everyone.