If the "Legend of the Paladin Sword" in the 90s still represents a literary traditional martial arts story, then these small independent games now are to put the perspective on the present, with a universal breath of life. "Rhythm Doctor" puts the name into two, the first two words - rhythm, as the name suggests, is about the game's gameplay, musical rhythm, the last two words doctor, the main scene of our game - hospital.
Today we're going to take a look at what makes this alternative rhythm game different.
First, it seems easy but not simple to play
The gameplay is simple, and one sentence is enough to summarize: press the button every seventh tone. Although there is a two-beat tone in the second act, the gameplay is mostly the same.
Players will take on the role of an employee who has come to the hospital for an internship, using the latest rhythm therapy to resettle the patients' restless hearts with a simple button.
There is such a definition on the store page of this game - rhythm game, and there is no doubt that this is the most perfect interpretation of this game.
While in-game operations can be done with a single finger, the designers are clearly not prepared to let you press this button casually. In the process of moving notes from the left side to the right side of the decision area, there will be a variety of "special effects" to hinder the player, including but not limited to the flower screen, pops, and notes disappearing.
At its most exaggerated, your game window will even shrink without permission, and then ghostly run around your screen, literally. And this special effect can be said to be one of the biggest features of this game, because it is not only "hindering", many special effects are well integrated with the theme and plot of the current level, which can be said to be sudden but not abrupt, which is really valuable.
Under the obstruction of various kinds, the vision we rely on most in daily life has become the most untrustworthy thing. So you may wish to close your eyes when playing and feel with your heart, after all, it is really difficult to rely on hand speed and eyesight alone.
Second, the difficulty curve is not very friendly
Contrary to the minimalist operation, the difficulty of this game is actually hardcore, and the player will be stuck in the third level as soon as possible.
As mentioned above, during the performance (or therapy), there will be all kinds of unexpected elements to hinder the player, and if necessary, we have to rely on our own "feelings" to act. But if the player's "feeling" is not very good, under the repeated failure, it will evolve into a simple and boring backplane. If you are a player who is not very good at the airwave with the gameplay of this game, it is easy to be dissuaded at this stage.
In addition, the difficulty progression between levels is not very reasonable, which is especially evident between 1-2 and 1-3, 2-2 to 2-3. The previous level is still the teaching level that can reach the A evaluation at first sight, and the next level will immediately come to a BOSS battle that even passes hard. What's worse is that there are too many distractions in individual levels, and if some of the special effects are not turned off, the player will not even know what is wrong, and will have to make mistakes in confusion on the same beat.
In response to these problems, the game also provides a low-difficulty mode to relax the timing of the decision, but a certain degree of card level is still inevitable. And what is confusing is that the game itself does not actively inform the player of the existence of these load reduction systems, which is also a less human place.
Third, it is a doctor and a patient
The game gives rhythm to the gameplay "meaning and plot", which is a surprising thing. You should know that in the integration of other gameplay and elements, the music game has not been done well, and it is not easy to do. "Rhythm Doctor" sets the "rhythm treatment" heart disease, giving the player the meaning of correctly fighting "healing". And naturally added a doctor-patient theme plot to the game.
Players can immerse themselves in the game to feel the pain of patients and the toil of healthcare workers. The game will have dramatic conflicts, 3X's Monologue by Dr. Page, and the player can really feel the pressure from patients, bosses, friends and family, and even social and political aspects. If the remote treatment methods like in the game can be realized, it is better to reduce the work pressure of medical staff.
In addition to the doctor-patient theme, the game portrays the individual actions and settings for each character. The interaction between the characters will also make people's eyes hot, especially the 2X animation performance about "love", which makes full use of the screen motion mechanism to vividly portray the movement of the characters. Players can feel the excitement of male musicians running to female baristas.
In general, because it is the EA version, the Rhythm Doctor content is still slightly insufficient, but it can't hide its excellence, if you are a player who loves music, then you have no brains to start with.