Rhythm Doctor

For years rhythm games have maintained a very particular niche of fans, and in recent memory, not many games of the genre have found success outside arcades. It came as no surprise that their popularity wavered as rhythm games were repetitive, had expensive hardware, and for freshness, players were required to purchase content. But, not Rhythm Doctor, this indie title released in February 2021, by 7th Beat Games, is an absolute breath of fresh air in the genre.

Music for the Soul

Rhythm Doctor is a game where players are tasked with saving patients through rhythm. Instead of the traditional notes, arrows, and all types of crazy things the rhythm genre is used to throwing at players, the Rhythm Doctor game uses heartbeats as their basis. The way you win is by pressing the space bar whenever a heartbeat reaches the yellow portion, and the 7th beat, of the ECG vital line (measurement of heartbeats). It sounds fairly simple, yet it is so extremely refreshing, and such a unique take that it is hard no to fall in love with the title.

Something on the Line

Rhythm Doctor relies on its simple commands, and storyline to reel players in. Attaching the rhythm side of gaming with the core value of medicine that is saving lives, developers achieve a sense of importance to what’s happening on screen. The storyline is surprisingly good and fully developed for a rhythm game, which already makes the game very unique.

Nonetheless, different stages reflect that sometimes saving lives can be very simple and straightforward, but sometimes things get hectic and unpredictable, and this is the defining trait of the game: unpredictableness. If you were tasked with pressing the space bar as the heartbeats cross an imaginary point, this game wouldn’t be interesting, except that in your playthrough an insane variety of distractions and variables are thrown your way. Screen shakes, flashing lights, beat changes, different animations, flying notifications, and other distractions are what will keep you going back and playing this game for a while.

Awesome Playlist

Original soundtrack and a great variety of genres ensure that there is something for all types of music lovers in this game. Whether you like electronic music, jazz, pop, lo-fi, or rock, you will see your personal taste reflected in the game, and the good news is that the songs are well-crafted and would work alone outside of the game as well. The visuals, plus the laidback ambiance created make this a very relaxing and fun game to play.

Intensive Care Unit

Players will be impressed with how simple, yet effective the game design of this game is throughout the game. For this reason, when boss fights come around, players will be even more impressed by how the defining traits of this game wrap around in well-thought, engaging, and challenging levels.

Pros:

• Simple
• Engaging
• Challenging
• Good Soundtrack
• Unique Level Design
• Fresh Take on the Genre
• Customization Options

Cons:

• Short Campaign