Rhythm Fighter from Coconut Island Games and Echo Games is a fun 2D roguelike action game in which you must do everything in time to the beat. Check our Rhythm Fighter review!

 

In Rhythm Fighter from Coconut Island Games and Echo Games you’ll be taking on a fun 2D roguelike action game in which you must do everything in time to the beat. Commander Chaos, the most infamous Beatarain in the universe, sets his sights on Earth, and uses the dark Beat Energy to turn all vegetables into his evil minions. Luckily, the mysterious Mr. Disco swoops in just in time to save the day, using the bright Beat Energy to revive all of the defeated heroes, so that they can once again fight the good fight and save the world.

You must move and attack in time to the beat, so you’ll need to press and hold the move button – pressing right on the D-Pad, and then press the R button to move right. If you want to go left, then press left on the D-Pad in time with the music, and then the R button. To attack, you can press the Y button to unleash your fury. Sometimes it’s best to avoid some enemies – say, exploding mushrooms – so get out of their vicinity before it’s too late! You can also roll by pressing the B button, which will allow you to sneak past some enemies. The A button will trigger your fighter’s skill, which can prove to be very useful when surrounded.

 

Since this is a 2D roguelike in which you move, attack, dodge, and activate skills in time to the beat, that means that each area you visit will be randomly generated, composed of a set of rooms that will be identified by a variety of symbols, letting you know what you’re going to be running up against. This could include rooms in which you fight regular enemies, rooms in which you have to fight more powerful opponents, rooms where you can purchase things – more on this in a bit – rooms with treasure to collect, a trap zone, a speed zone you must reach before the timer expires, and more!

As you defeat enemies, you will gain access to new areas on the map, as well as to safes that will usually contain coins as well as a variety of items and cards that can aid you on your quest to defeat Commander Chaos. You could, for example, find some Dropkick Gloves that will allow you to jump in to the air and dropkick forward over three spaces, dealing some bonus damage to the enemies on your path, a pair of Stinging Knuckles for a chance to poison your enemies, or a beat card like Evil alchemy, which reduces the perfect range but boost your attack by 25%. You could also find food to restore some of the health you’ve lost along the way, which is just as valuable as anything else you collect!

The many coins that you collect can be used with the merchants that you meet along the way to purchase items to heal some of your wounds, to make a wish at a wishbone fountain, or to purchase weapons or beat cards for your arsenal. Along with coins, you will also end up colleting some Beat Energy, which is the game’s currency that carries on between runs, thus allowing you to use it to boost your fighter! Thanks to Beat Energy, you can improve each of your fighters. They all start with a one-star rating, and as you upgrade them, they will get a boost to their hit points, attack, perfect damage bonus, and perfect range. On top of this, every now and then, they might even learn a new skill!

Rhythm Fighter features an in-game achievements system that allows you to earn trophies for your efforts. Trophies can then be used to unlock additional rewards, new fighters, and more! Your first set of trophies will unlock for playing the game and dying, so that you’re sent to the main hub. After this, you can get achievements for beating each stage in the game a first time, for collecting a ton of coins, for buying 100 times form the automat, for researching a ton of new technologies, for defeating hundreds of each enemy type, or for landing hundreds of perfect hits, to name some examples.

If you’re into rhythm games and roguelikes and are looking for a fun game to take for a spin that mixes both with lots of stuff to unlock and many different customization options, then Rhythm Fighter is a good option on Nintendo’s console. It has a weird premise, solid gameplay mechanics, a colorful presentation, and a good soundtrack, which is something you really need in a rhythm-based game. Rhythm Fighter is out on Nintendo Switch with a $16.99 price.

Disclaimer
This Rhythm Fighter review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by Coconut Island Games.