Even though we, Guitar Hero widowers, have been crying about the demise of the rhythm genre post-2010, it’s not like we haven’t had some pretty good titles being released over the past years. Be it a new Taiko no Tatsujin game, an indie like LOUD, or even action-rhythm hybrids like Hi-Fi Rush or Metal: Hellsinger, we’ve been getting enough stuff to satiate our needs. At least until the eventual arrival of an instrument-based savior once more, to fill that nostalgic void. Rhythm Sprout is yet another entry in the genre that will just do that, satiate us for a while with some decent presentation and gameplay, but won’t set the world on fire.

In Rhythm Sprout, you play as a sentient onion knight wearing that kind of tracksuit you see in stereotypical depictions of Russians living in Brighton Beach. He’s in an ongoing quest to save the world, as per the King’s orders. Also, let me inform you that the king is a giant sentient broccoli. Each level depicts another step in our hero’s journey, all told through the medium of rhythm-based gameplay. A very simplified version of that.

The core gameplay loop revolves around using the game’s rhythm-based control scheme to go from point A to point B of a level. You just need to press the respective button indicated onscreen to the beat of the song. For a pink block, press one of the face buttons. If a yellow block shows up, press any direction on the d-pad. For a blue block, press RB or LB. That’s pretty much it. It’s a very simple scheme, which allows you to get the basics quickly. Rhythm Sprout does a pretty good job at gradually increasing its difficulty curve the further you progress through the story. So even if the music itself, while great, won’t stay in your mind after shutting the game down, you will feel motivated to keep on playing it for the challenge.

Sure, Rhythm Sprout is repetitive and simplistic, since there’s just so much you can do when coming up with a three button combination, not to mention the intentionally basic art style, but its level structure made up for these shortcomings. Play one or two levels, skip the cutscenes (the story is cute but these scenes are boring and last forever), satiate your rhythm hunger, shut the game down, play it again after a few hours or a day, rinse and repeat. There’s just enough content to keep you busy, as well as alternate difficulty settings and modes.

There’s nothing inherently bad about Rhythm Sprout, nothing that makes it a deal-breaker. Sure, it gets repetitive after a while, but considering its level-based structure, you can easily play it in short bursts and have quite a bit of fun with it. It’s a very competent rhythm game with cutesy visuals, a decent gameplay loop, an adequate difficulty curve, and a sizeable amount of content. We are still starving for the kind of rhythm game which will descend from the heavens and satiate our desperate Guitar Hero-esque needs, and while Rhythm Sprout is NOT said game, it can surely entertain you for a while.

 

Graphics: 7.0 Cute, colorful, cheerful, and devoid of any kind of visual delays which could hinder the gameplay. With that being said, a bit too forgetful and simplistic.	Gameplay: 7.5 It’s a very simplified take on a hardcore rhythm game, with few buttons and icons being used throughout the entirety of the campaign. Easy to learn, hard to master, but repetitive after a while, unfortunately.
Sound: 8.0 An assortment of cheerful electronic beats that fit in perfectly with the game’s world and control scheme. As to be expected from a rhythm game, it’s the best aspect about it.	Fun Factor: 7.5 It’s cute, it’s inventive, and its difficulty curve is adequate. It might be repetitive as all hell due to how simplistic it is, but it’s fun in shorter bursts, especially considering the decent amount of content available.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Rhythm Sprout is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of Rhythm Sprout was provided by the publisher.