Preview Rhythm Paradise Groove: The cult series returns, but is the formula still as tasty as ever? A closer look at TheGamer's first impressions

We'd been hoping for it for years: Rhythm Heaven Groove finally marks the return of Nintendo's saga on Switch, and after some time with the game, TheGamer confirms that it's clear the studio has lost neither its musical flair... nor its taste for the absurd!

Its structure remains true to the DNA of the franchise: on the menu, over 80 musical mini-games with minimalist controls - often a single button, sometimes two - where everything relies more on your ability to feel the tempo than on visual tracking. The animations are deliberately simple (or sometimes still very stylish in a cartoon-like way), and it's all about precision: every blink, every impact and every camera movement underlines it, the journalist notes. Once controller in hand, you find yourself nodding your head and tapping along to the beat: very quickly, only the rhythm remains.

The standout new addition concerns the Beatspell mode, a rhythmic "mini-RPG" with the innocent look of a fantasy quest "in the style of StreetPass Quest", but slipped in between two of Rhythm Paradise's offbeat spirits: you play as a hero experiencing turn-based duels against eccentric monsters, except that each spell or trap is cast by hitting the bass at the right moment. The better your timing, the greater the damage, with critical hits reserved for perfect timing.

What fascinated TheGamer's journalist is the freedom given to the player: you can start your spell on any beat of the measure, chain several successive spells without penalty, and build your own flow as long as you stay locked onto the rhythm. Chapters are scored based on the time taken to complete them, critical hits, and remaining health points, which immediately makes you want to start another round to scrape together one more star. Add to that local multiplayer for up to four players for certain games, and Rhythm Paradise Groove already looks set to become one of the must-plays in the Switch library, for anyone who loves it when game design plays out in 4/4 time. Roll on the full review, and the game's release!