Rhythm Tengoku

Japan’s arcade scene is very much alive and well. Even if you have to do a bit of looking around to find the right machine, there is always a chance that an old favorite will be glowing in the dark waiting for your coin. Today, Rhythm Tengoku was our lucky find at a ’70s bowling alley on the posh side of town.Developed by the programmer Kazuyoshi Osawa, the mind behind the WarioWare series, the game is of the beat-based music genre that challenges you to match up the rhythms to simple actions. Of course, all of this is accomplished while controlling characters in a pixelated, acid trip wonderland. Although originally released on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, it was eventually ported to an arcade version (multiplayer) in 2007 to relative success. Rhythm Tengoku is one of those games that reminds us at here at Axiom about what we love in arcade gaming, simple concepts with a healthy dash of weird. What other game has you pulling out the stray facial hair from an onion head man…and all to an ill beat!