The list of games expected to appear at Nintendo's E3 2021 presentation was pretty long, but even so, Nintendo managed to slip a few surprises in there. One of those surprises was WarioWare: Get It Together!, a new multiplayer installation in the WarioWare franchise. WarioWare hasn't gotten much attention lately. Although WarioWare Gold released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2018, it wasn't a huge sales success, potentially because it never got released for the Switch. WarioWare: Get It Together! appearing at E3 goes a long way to publicizing the game and communicating to fans of the minigame franchise that there's a new, Switch-focused entry on the way.
It's nice to see Nintendo reviving franchises lately. WarioWare in particular is an interesting but exciting choice to bring back, since it's a little unorthodox in the current market as a minigame compilation. Nintendo does seem to like games like this, considering other franchises like Mario Party, so maybe Nintendo is trying to explore minigames again. If that's the case, there's another minigame series that it should look at. Rhythm Heaven hasn't gotten a new game in quite a few years. If WarioWare is worthy of an appearance on the Switch, then Rhythm Heaven is too.
Rhythm Heaven's Legacy With Nintendo
Rhythm Heaven has never been Nintendo's most famous franchise -- it's pretty impossible to compete with the likes of Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. However, it's had a consistent presence on Nintendo consoles for some time now. Rhythm Tengoku on the GBA kicked off the franchise as a Japan exclusive, and from then on, the Nintendo DS, Wii and Nintendo 3DS all got Rhythm Heaven games. For a while, Nintendo seemingly thought it important that these musical minigame compilations showed up as regularly as possible, offering rhythm game fans a compelling reason to own its consoles.
The series is pretty well remembered too, even if it's not the most famous of Nintendo games. Rhythm Heaven is recognizable for its goofy, cartoony art style and the strange characters associated with each of its individual minigames, like Karate Joe or the Chorus Kids. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also has quite a few Spirits that reference Rhythm Heaven, which indicates that Nintendo still thinks of it fondly as a franchise, even if there hasn't been a new game in the series since 2016. Since Rhythm Heaven is pretty well known and Nintendo still likes to reference it, it's frankly surprising that it hasn't made a new installation for the Switch.
WarioWare Could Set Up Rhythm Heaven
Nintendo could actually be using WarioWare: Get It Together! to see if there's a market for Rhythm Heaven, too. After all, they're very similar games: they're both minigame compilations with a ton of original characters with quirky personalities that make their games memorable. WarioWare's reception could say a lot about how viable Rhythm Heaven really is on the Nintendo Switch. Rhythm Heaven probably doesn't need to rush to get onto the Switch if Nintendo is still introducing new Switch models, but ideally, it won't wait forever to return.
It's possible that another Rhythm Heaven game is already in development and that Nintendo will surprise fans by releasing it very close to its announcement. Game Builder Garage recently showcased Nintendo's propensity for keeping a game completely under wraps, then suddenly revealing it and releasing it very promptly afterwards. WarioWare: Get It Together! isn't so different, since it's only a couple months away from release. Rhythm games may be largely associated with dance games or motion controls at this point, but that doesn't mean there's no room for Rhythm Heaven to make a comeback. In fact, a new look at Rhythm Heaven that makes use of Switch JoyCons might be a great way to refresh the series.
WarioWare: Get It Together! releases September 10 for Nintendo Switch.