Rhythm Doctor (2025)

Rhythm Doctor will be a hard game to review. I can't recommend it enough, but what I can recommend is going into this game as blind as possible. It's a simple rhythm game with only a single button for input. While that may sound too easy and boring, I can assure you both of those can't be wildly further from the truth. The game starts off easy enough, with a standard "push the button at this moment", and you can see the moment coming up. Very shortly though, there will be different time signatures, visual clues to both help and hinder you, crazy fourth wall breaks, and more. The game never lets up and is near constantly introducing new elements to keep things fresh and keep you on your toes. Even in the very final "level", new elements are introduced that bring together almost everything you've worked your way through to get to that point. The final level, despite taking a good number of retries, kept a smile on my face throughout.

There's a neat story here where you are a remote working intern at a hospital that uses music to heal patients. That's really all you need to know. Through levels and short cutscenes you learn about each of these characters trials, motivations, etc and these all feel like realistic situations (for the most part). It's a simple, but heartfelt story!

The music is catchy as hell, which is really good as some of these levels you will be hearing it quite a bit trying to pass. I never got sick of the music and they span a few different genres.

If you like rhythm games and want to try something new, I can't recommend this game enough!

This is definitely a game that's bigger than the sum of its parts, while having some pretty impressive parts. Some of the rhythm lines can be a bit confusing, and the game is always trying to break your concentration, but when it clicks, it creates sensory euphoria. The music in the game is very much constructed like a musical, and crescendos at the end beautifully. The games levels, and especially the boss fights, and technically impressive and very creative. Highly recommended.

9/10

There's so many cool ideas packed in this little game it's almost overwhelming at times. It's definitely tough and also if you don't have an excellent sense for rhythm it might just be off-putting, but it's crafted with so much passion it's fantastic to witness.

Also, there's an easy mode so with a little practice the main story is really accessible

No notes 10/10

Unassuming at first glance, but that's for its own benefit imo.

Loved playing the small free demo back in 2015, and finally after 6 years I feel like my subconscious expectations have built up unreasonably high. From the start I didn't know if the game could continue to surprise or hook me past the first boss (which is the last level of the demo), but I'm glad to have been proven wrong.

If you can look past the (imo) hit-or-miss art direction, short length of the game, as well as some questionable difficulty curves and pacing ... well if you're a fan of rhythm games like Rhythm Heaven, then yeah this game should be a no-brainer for you to pick up and give a shot. Because yeah this game is fun, but it's also gushing with unexpected charm.

I'm looking forward to doing the extra challenges, as well as seeing how much changes in the full release.

I'm coming out of hibernation for a trice! How's everyone doing? Hope you're keeping safe and well. Going to return to Grouvee gold when I have some money come in from my GME stocks! :P

Just to say, this came out in early access today and I couldn't recommend it enough from its demo. One of the best rhythm games I've played!

An update to my last post of recommendations for the Steam festival demos, then! Although, I think there's only half an hour left on it, so you might have to catch them next time.

Of all of them, I definitely recommend Rhythm Doctor, Going Under, Say No! More, In Sound Mind, ULTRAKILL, Ring of Fire, Fights in Tight Spaces, NUTS, Paper Beast (VR only), Colt Canyon, Fight Crab, Iron Harvest and Unto The End. Bought Griftlands after selling my trading cards too because the demo was so darn good!

Everyone give Rhythm Doctor a try, though.