This is my first ever Steam review.
English isn't my main language, so if I made any errors and/or spelling mistakes feel free to point them out.
On to the review then.
[h1] Introduction: [/h1]
Rhythm Girl is a rhythm game developed & published by Pauline Game.
You play as an unnamed [strike] thick [/strike] high school girl who is trained in kung fu and enters a magical music book which warps her to a dojo in a shopping(?) street.
[h1] Controls: [/h1]
[u] Mouse: [/u]
[table]
[tr]
[th]Buttons[/th]
[th]What they do[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Left/Right Mouse button[/td]
[td]Kick[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Hold Left Mouse button[/td]
[td]Power kick[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
[u] Keyboard: [/u]
[table]
[tr]
[th]Keys[/th]
[th]What they do[/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]D/K[/td]
[td]Kick[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Hold down D[/td]
[td]Power kick[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]P[/td]
[td]Pause the game[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]
[h1] Gameplay: [/h1]
The game plays like a standard rhythm game, in this case 'kick' different objects in synch to the beat, you can either use the [b] Left/Right mouse buttons [/b] or press [b] D/K on the keyboard [/b].
Both of the kick keys, either [b] Left/Right mouse buttons [/b] or [b] D/K keys [/b], are important to use during quick beats.
You can also use a powered up kick when holding down the [b] Left mouse button [/b] or [b] D key [/b]. This doesn't seem worth using though, since it kind of slows you down.
If you fail to kick an object your HP decreases and you'll enter a very short cool down period. In contrast, your HP rises if you do manage to hit an object.
Don't expect button mashing to get you through stages since that won't work.
I've also noticed that the songs during the stages aren't fully played out, with that I mean that they don't end where they're supposed to, and instead get a fade-out near the end or in the middle of the song. The 'Music box' does offer the full songs though.
There are a total of twelve songs in the game which need to be unlocked one by one, if you're stuck at a song and need some practice, then the 'Training' room is for you.
Unlike the training room, the normal game mode doesn't offer a 'help line' (I don't know what it's called) on when you need to kick an object exactly, which adds to the challenge the game offers.
Be sure to visit the 'Random Gate' where you can unlock extras like:
More menu options, increase HP, room decorations etc.
You need to collect 10 or more coins to open the door which you can earn by playing songs, the amount of coins you get depends on your final score.
For example:
If you fail a song you'll get 1 or 2 coins depending on how far you've come.
If you finish a song with a five star rating and have a high 'hit' rate you'll get 10 coins which is the max.
The game also has some typos, which isn't a major issue since this isn't a story focused game.
[h1] Pros: [/h1]
[list]
[*]Price
[*]Nice soundtrack
[*]Decent artwork
[*]Challenging
[*]Able to listen to the full songs once you unlock 'Music Box'
[*]Achievements
[*]Training mode
[/list]
[h1] Cons: [/h1]
[list]
[*]12 songs
[*]No way of instantly restarting a song if you fail it
[*]No way of quickly skipping the final score announcement once you've beaten a stage
[*]Uses one and the same stage/background (The dojo-like place) for all the songs you play
[*]Not really suited for casual players
[*]Song number 12 takes a bit too long to start (around 20 seconds), it can be a bit annoying if you fail it and have to keep restarting this song
[/list]
[h1] Conclusion: [/h1]
Overall Rhythm Girl is a solid and challenging rhythm game with a nice soundtrack. The 12 songs aren't many and It has it's flaws, but for this price it's worth picking up. If you're unsure on getting this, then wait for a sale (33% off was the lowest deal this game got).
[b] Recommended. [/b]
[h1] Note to developer(s): [/h1]
If it's possible, add an extra 'Easy mode' for casual players.
You can do this by completely removing the health bar so players can't fail a stage and still get a score at the end of a song depending on how good or bad they did. Or just remove the cooldown limit for failing to kick objects.
