One of my favorite genres is rhythm games. Why? I was (or once tried to be) a musician. I played the guitar, violin, and drums, but I didnโt practice proper time and speed with the songs I learned until I started learning the drums. If you’ve ever tried to learn an instrument, you know that practicing with a metronome is probably one of the most annoying things ever.ย ย
To make sure that Iโm practicing my sense of rhythm, I started to play rhythm games. They weren’t a perfect replacement for practicing with a metronome, but they made learning to keep time and follow a beat fun.
This list of the best rhythm games includes a mix of my favorites that I’ve played a ton as well as some great games that I haven’t played as much either because I donโt have the hardware or because they’re just not for me.
Rayark Games
First of all, I know what you might be asking, โRayark Games? Which one?โ The games I played are Cytus, Cytus 2, and Deemo. Thereโs also a game called VOEZ and apparently, itโs pretty good, but I havenโt played it yet. But since it is free on Google Play and Apple App Store, I suggest you give it a try. I have seen my older brother play it and it looks like a ton of fun.ย
Going back to the ones I played, letโs talk about Cytus first since this is the first and longest rhythm game I played.
Cytus (Android, iOS)
Cytus and Cytus 2 have extremely similar gameplay, and Iโd say that the main differences between them are with how the game itself looks. For both games, every time you play a song, you will have a line moving up and down. Each time it goes over a circle, you have to tap the circle.
To keep things spicy, there are three actions that youโre prompted to do. First is the tap I talked about. The second is hold, and the third is swiping and following a line.ย The rhythm parts come in with how the circles you tap are programmed. Itโs most likely going to follow a beat on the song you hear. Hereโs me trying to play Cytus 2 after two years of not playing it (Iโm a bit rusty):
If the rhythm part is not enough for you, both Cytus games have some stories within them, and both stories are being told in a post-apocalyptic setting. Itโs interesting, to say the least, and itโs enough for you to play every song on both games so you can unlock and unveil the stories hidden within them.
Deemo (Android, iOS)
Another Rayark game I played is Deemo. Itโs famous for its touching narrative about a young girl named Alice. She fell into a mysterious world with a tall creature named Deemo, and the only way that she can get back to her world is through playing the piano with the creature. The piano causes a tree to grow and Alice can then use that to climb up into a window floating in the sky. Yeah, the narrative is a one-way train ticket to Feels-ville.ย
The gameplay is a bit different to Cytus. Instead of following a scanning line, Deemoโs gameplay works a bit like Guitar Hero, except you play on a piano instead. Hereโs a clip of me playing Deemo, and again Iโm a bit rusty since I havenโt played these games for two years:
These rhythm games made by Rayark Games are fairly easy to play, but the challenge comes when you try to master each song with the highest points you can achieve. Itโs more of an arcade experience in that way, with its simple and addicting gameplay. Meanwhile, the narrative can be rewarding on both Cytus games and especially Deemo.
Geometry Dash (Android, iOS, PC)
Geometry Dash is interesting to me. I used to hear my younger brother playing this game and I thought that the songs were pretty annoying because they sounded so repetitive. But after playing the game myself, it turns out you really do have to play the same song over and over again, and each level takes a couple of hours to a few weeks to finish.ย Do I need to remind you that each level is supposed to last for only minutes?
Itโs technically a platformer game but the rhythm part comes with you tapping in sync with the song in certain parts of the level. More often than not, the beat can distract and confuse you since itโs still a platformer and you do need to pay attention to the obstacles youโre about to face. If you donโt pay attention, youโll end up tapping too much and making your character jump straight towards spikes.ย
The worst part? You die every time you hit an obstacle, and there are no extra lives here. Once you hit something, you need to start from the beginning. Since this game can get tricky (the easiest level took me two hours to clear and memorize), itโs rewarding and addicting to play. And if you want to practice your memory, reflexes, and sense of rhythm, Geometry Dash is a must-try.
Osu! (PC)
First of all, I have a big problem with Osu: the fact that I canโt play it anymore. I played it for a year and a half on my old Windows laptop and everything ran smoothly even though my laptop was a low-spec one. After I switched to a Mac a year ago, that ended. Osu is technically available on Mac, but itโs just not a great experience.
With that out of the way, letโs get into Osuโs gameplay mechanics. Remember Cytus? Well, Osu is similar to Cytus in the sense that you also have to click, swipe, and hold circles. But there’s an added challenge. With Osu, you have to point your cursor and click the circle using your mouse or keyboard keys.
Itโs pretty trippy and I never really got the hang of it. I have heard and seen that using a drawing tablet and stylus instead of a mouse and keyboard is the best way to play Osu. I don’t doubt that because I tried it for months with a mouse and it was really just a painful experience for me.ย
Remember when I said I played Osu for a year and a half? That’s not entirely accurate. See, there are four gameplay modes in Osu. Thereโs Osu!, Osu!mania, Osu!catch, and Osu!taiko. The one that I played the most is Osu!mania, which is more like a replica of O2Jam and Beatmania.
You mainly play using your keyboardโs d,f, spacebar, j, and k keys. It works a bit like Deemo and Guitar Hero where the notes are falling down and you have to press the right key at the right time.ย
If Osu!mania is more or less a replica of Beatmania and O2Jam, Osu!taiko is a replica of Taiko no Tatsujin or Taiko: Drum Master. Itโs an arcade game but it was also available on PlayStation 2. For that one, you just have to press keyboard keys or you can also use a taiko controller attached to your PC.
Lastly, we have Osu!catch, which is really just another version of osu!mania, but instead of pressing keys, you have to make your character โcatchโ the falling notes, which look like fruit. I personally see it as crap, and I donโt like playing it.ย
But Osu is a must-play if youโre looking for a good rhythm game. Itโs technically a 4-in-1 game, which is cool already. But the best part is that Osu is community-driven, in the sense that the beat maps or songs you can download and play are mostly created by other players. With that, you can play basically any song you want, as long as you or someone in the community design a beat map for it.ย
Lastly, Osu is free for PC and Mac (though, the Mac version sucks as I mentioned). There’s also a paid version of Osu that comes with tons of added benefits that make the experience much better.
With that said, you do need to use a drawing tablet to get the best experience on Osu. But if youโre looking to develop some cutting-edge hand-eye coordination, I highly suggest that you play this game.ย
Beat Saber (PC, Oculus, PS4)
Last but certainly not least is Beat Saber. I just want to say right away that I donโt have a lot of experience playing this one since I donโt have my own VR headset. But the idea itself is enough for me to include it in this list.
The gameplay is extremely intuitive. You use a VR headset and two handheld controllers, which become two lightsabers inside your virtual space. Using these two lightsabers youโll need to slice through boxes coming at you at the right time and in the right direction. To see what that gameplay looks like, hereโs a video of the game in action:
It looks fun, right? I mean, even though youโll look extremely weird while youโre playing it, itโs still fun and itโs a great game to play with your family. Granted, you have to take turns on your VR headset or you have to buy a lot of VR headsets to enjoy local multiplayer. But still, Beat Saber can be a great game for you to play on your own (as exercise) or with your family on game nights.
Plus, like Osu, Beat Saber has a whole community of players making custom beat maps so you can find a wide variety of songs to play.
The best part? You donโt even need a PC or a separate game console to play Beat Saber and other VR games anymore! VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2 aren’t just an accessory anymore. They’re a whole console in itself.
The article is very useful and interesting. Thank you very much. Happy wheels
Beat Saber may still be a fun game for you to play with your family on game evenings
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The game with music is very attractive to music lovers like me. For me, Rayark Games is more attractive than the stickman fighter that I often play.
Drift Hunters is a fun automobile game.
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I watch them for more important facts, then play run 3 for pleasure, because the info presented is so fascinating. This is a fantastic take on the endless runner genre.
I have participated in a few games that you are recommending in this article of yours, in general the attraction of these games is very great and there are many people who have taken the time to conquer it.
Where I live there is a very good music dancing game called Audition.๏ปฟ
I donโt have the hardware or because theyโre just not for me.
Osu! is my go-to when I need a quick music fix. But I’m curious – have you tried Thumper? It’s a bit more intense, but man, it’s a wild ride! What’s your personal fave from this lineup?