Tremendous Loopy Rhythm Fort was one of many video games I used to be most intrigued by out of the September 2023 Nintendo Direct. This seemed like a enjoyable, chaotic rhythm recreation expertise, however most intriguing of all was this was a Konami-published recreation. Whereas Konami has develop into a controversial writer in AAA video games, when it comes to rhythm video games Konami has a deep catalog of classics. Would Tremendous Loopy Rhythm Fort be part of that pedigree?
Tremendous Loopy Rhythm Fort takes place on the titular fort; you (and as much as three different gamers) are challengers, seeking to unseat King Ferdinand and develop into king of the fort. To do that, it is advisable to play various rhythm-based challenges, although loads of these have you ever juggling a number of totally different different duties directly–assume one thing just like the chaos of Overcooked. You would possibly want to maneuver obstacles, gather gadgets, or take care of enemies whereas additionally attempting to maintain enjoying the comparatively easy three-button rhythm recreation. Whereas issues could be performed solo (which I did in penning this assessment), it appears like it might be a recreation higher served for individuals to play collectively, as these duties can typically really feel overwhelming alone.
Rhythm game-wise, issues are fairly fundamental. Every stage has you choose up a controller in-game to play the rhythm sections, after which hit three keys to play. It feels respectable, however in tougher moments I felt like issues weren’t as correct as they could possibly be, but in addition the maps ramp up considerably over the course of the sport. I don’t assume it’s compelling sufficient to play simply as a rhythm recreation, however you possibly can problem every of the songs on their very own in a separate part, so there may be loads for individuals who need simply the rhythm recreation by itself. My largest difficulty was the controls, which might’t be remapped. Two of the buttons are the L and R shoulder buttons, which really feel means too small and awkward for a few of the extra intense rhythm gaming. The ZL and ZR buttons find yourself getting used for different functions, however I want they’d been used for the rhythm recreation as a substitute; that may in all probability really feel far more snug.
One of many issues I cherished most about Tremendous Loopy Rhythm Fort is the aesthetic. There’s a surreal vibe to all the fort, the place there are walkways of pianos, escherian staircases, large eyeballs, and a whole part manufactured from meat. This can be a recreation that revels in weirdness and oddities, which is without doubt one of the most enjoyable issues to proceed to find. I laughed at a few of the merchandise descriptions and a few of King Ferdinand’s snarky dialogue, and a significant facet of my enjoyment was eager to see what creative visuals would are available subsequent. The presentation right here is admittedly pleasant.
Nonetheless, the place this recreation falters most is in its music alternative. A lot of the songs you play all through are pretty generic songs bought from numerous music libraries. That’s to not say the songs are unhealthy–I discovered myself getting them caught in my head at occasions. For one track, I actively seemed as much as see if there was an artist, which is how I discovered that it was from a Japanese music library that could possibly be used for industrial functions. The songs are strong, however they repeat far an excessive amount of for a comparatively quick recreation. I want they’d both licensed some higher music for this, or, ideally, use a few of Konami’s huge again catalog of rhythm-game soundtracks. There are just a few songs that you will discover which might be Konami songs, however these are simply playable as a facet exercise. One outstanding instance is the track Smooooch, which has proven up in a number of rhythm video games and was within the trailer (which is without doubt one of the issues that drove my curiosity on this recreation). I believe that is the place my disappointment primarily lies within the music alternative. Fairly than being concerning the songs within the recreation, it’s the songs that aren’t within the recreation however could possibly be.
In the end Tremendous Loopy Rhythm Fort is a flawed however attention-grabbing recreation that’s wildly inventive but doesn’t all the time reside as much as its ambitions or different Konami rhythm video games. Nonetheless, this was a enjoyable expertise that I’m glad I used to be capable of attempt. I’m hoping this recreation is simply the primary of extra rhythm recreation experiments by Konami (or different builders!) as a result of I’d like to see this Fort extra polished or with a greater tracklist.