Is this our first look at Rhythm Heaven Fever?

I keep forgetting that Minna No Rhythm Tengoku (the Japanese Rhythm Heaven game on the Wii) and Rhythm Heaven Fever are technically two different titles. When it comes to gameplay, they’re the same game, but when it comes to sound and text, they both bring something slightly different to the table. That’s true of any Japanese game translated to English, but with a music game such as this, those differences can really make or break the experience.

If this footage of Rhythm Heaven Fever is legit, then it’s looking like fans of the original Japanese title may be in for something tolerable at worst, and actively great at best. The original Japanese voice acting is left in when possible and the new English voice work sounds sincere and right on beat. That’s about as good as it could get, right? This localization wont likely replace the original soundtrack for me, but so far, it’s shaping up to be a nice alternative for those moments I want to listen to people talk in a language that I am able to understand.

I’m not totally convinced this is real though. As we’ve seen with the My Little Pony, Team Fortress 2, Terry Crews, sexy man, and Jonathan Holmes remixes of the original wrestler level, it’s not impossible for dedicated fans to make their own unique adaptations of this now well loved tune.  Hopefully Nintendo will release something official on this soon. They better, as the game is coming out next month! I can’t wait to play it again, and for the very first time. 

Rhythm Heaven Fever – English demo [GoNintendo]