Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
- August 29, 2022
- Engine Software BV
Get on Steam"Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure" is a light-hearted, story-driven RPG with musical elements. The player controls Cornet, a young girl with the ability to talk to creatures, as she embarks on a journey to save her beloved. Along the way, players will encounter colorful characters, solve puzzles, and engage in turn-based battles with catchy musical numbers. The game is known for its charming art style and memorable soundtrack.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Nintendo Ds
PlayStation
Playstation 3
Reviews
- The game features a charming and humorous story with engaging characters, making it enjoyable for players of all ages.
- The musical elements are a standout feature, with catchy songs that enhance the overall experience and evoke nostalgia.
- The visuals are colorful and cute, with well-designed sprites and animations that contribute to the game's charm.
- The gameplay is overly simplistic and easy, lacking challenge even on higher difficulty settings, which may disappoint seasoned RPG players.
- Dungeon design is repetitive, with limited variety in layouts leading to confusion and frustration during exploration.
- The game suffers from outdated mechanics and design choices, such as tedious backtracking and poorly implemented combat systems.
- music72 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in "Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure" is a standout feature, with many reviewers praising its catchy and heartfelt songs that evoke a nostalgic, Disney-like charm. While some found the English versions of the songs cheesy, they still appreciated the overall composition and how well the music complements the game's lighthearted tone and story. However, a few critiques noted that the musical integration could be improved, particularly regarding the timing of certain tracks and the option for Japanese vocals with English subtitles.
“The music is really well composed, fits the visuals and story of the game perfectly, and goes hand in hand with the game's overall tone. It actually enhances and establishes the tone more firmly, a lighthearted RPG with some really good songs worthy of an encore!”
“The characters, story, and especially music have so much love put into them that it's hard not to have a great time playing.”
“The songs are silly and a little basic in composition but still deliver in their hilarity and heart.”
“There are even a number of musical bits throughout the game, though even here they goofed up a bit, as one of the few songs where there's actual some level of choreography only plays if you idle on the title screen a bit when it should've played when starting a new game.”
“You see there is actually only very little interaction between the characters and only a few songs in the whole game.”
“It really feels like this was made with 'teenage girls' first JRPG' in mind, and hey good for them and good for you if it's your thing, but I can't sit through the song that plays in the demo on the main menu without wincing in pain, and I grew up doing musical theater.”
- story54 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story of the game is characterized as charming, humorous, and bittersweet, often revolving around classic themes of love and adventure, such as saving a prince from an evil witch. While some reviewers note its simplicity and occasional repetitiveness, many appreciate the engaging character interactions and emotional depth, making it suitable for both children and nostalgic adults. Overall, the narrative is seen as a delightful blend of lightheartedness and mature themes, enhanced by well-composed music and appealing visuals.
“Rhapsody is a surprisingly fun short story that subverts a few of the classic tropes and also manages to touch on mature themes now and then.”
“The story is more engaging than anything in this game, with cute, witty, humorous, and sometimes corny banter that draws the player to want more dialogue.”
“The main story is really cute and well written, with multiple easter eggs to find in the world, and the game manages to evoke both laughter and tears.”
“This is a very simple and easy tactics JRPG that has a very basic 'save the prince from evil' story.”
“The story advancements from 'chapter to chapter' are not strung together.”
“So after doing something to advance the plot, you have to talk to a random nobody for no reason, and they'll unlock the next story path.”
- humor21 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charming and witty dialogue, which balances funny moments with bittersweet undertones. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone and engaging character interactions, noting that the humor enhances the overall experience without overwhelming the narrative. While some feel the plot is underdeveloped, the game's comedic elements and catchy music contribute to its appeal, making it a delightful choice for both newcomers and seasoned RPG fans.
“Really is such a lovely little game that always made me laugh 💖✨️💕”
“The game has a lot of cute detail and funny dialogue.”
“Also the game basically tells you to talk to every NPC all the time which is nice since the dialogue everywhere is 10/10 hilarious.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant colors, detailed character and monster designs, and charming animations, earning scores around 8 to 10 out of 10. While some reviewers note a retro feel reminiscent of late 90s anime, the overall visual presentation is considered a standout feature that enhances the game's lighthearted tone and engaging story. The art style, likened to classic titles like Super Mario RPG, showcases a distinct charm that appeals to both nostalgic players and newcomers alike.
“The visuals are the best part about the game, featuring great monster and character designs, cute sprites, charming animations, and decent backgrounds (although they overuse the cave and dungeon ones).”
“The art style is charming and cute, with very good visuals, especially for its time, and the story is very engaging!”
“The world here was definitely designed with care and attention, and the graphics and music remind me a lot of one of my favorite RPGs, Super Mario RPG.”
“The graphics feel a bit retro at first, but when you consider it was the first game published by Atlus before its La Pucelle and Disgaea franchise games, it's understandable.”
“The art style is very distinct from anime back in the late 90s, reminds me of Sailor Moon which used to be on TV every morning before school starts.”
“Make sure you go into settings to change the graphics to CRT mode!”
- gameplay15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplicity and repetitiveness, making it feel bland and lacking in strategy. While some appreciate its accessibility for younger audiences and newcomers, others criticize the poorly implemented mechanics and tedious dungeon crawling. Overall, the gameplay is seen as easy and straightforward, often overshadowed by the game's story and charm.
“I loved everything from the story to the gameplay, and I look forward to finding out what happens next in the story.”
“The gameplay is simple but still fun.”
“Used to rent this all the time as a teen in the PS1 era, great JRPG, good artwork and monsters... rather easy game, battles go quickly and monsters can be recruited after battle, one thing I never see anyone mention about this title is the monster collecting aspect (monsters can be sold or stored in the first 2 towns) which can add more hours to your gameplay if you'd enjoy fighting and collecting... other than that, I would say this is a perfect game for young RPG fans/tactics battlers.”
“None of the gameplay elements work.”
“The dungeons are very repetitive and horrible to navigate; but in general terms it is a short and simple story without too many complications in terms of gameplay.”
“Gameplay: extremely easy (even on hard difficulty) and repetitive, zero strategy involved.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be simplistic and often tedious, particularly when aiming for 100% completion, as it requires leveling multiple characters for side quests. While some players felt grinding for powerful spells was unnecessary to complete the game, the random encounter rate was criticized for being inconsistent and occasionally frustrating.
“To be honest, it is pretty simplistic, and if you want to achieve 100% completion, it will be tedious since you need to level up several characters for their side quests, which you just don’t need to do to beat the game.”
“I never had to use items, and I didn't even bother grinding for the most powerful 'omega' spells.”
“I wish it didn't have random encounters; I've found the encounter rate tedious sometimes, and it's also wildly inconsistent.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt story and engaging musical scenes, which evoke deep feelings and reflection. Players appreciate the blend of comedic and touching moments, alongside impactful decisions that resonate on a personal level. Overall, the combination of narrative and music creates a heartwarming experience that lingers with players.
“The gameplay itself is very easy, but the main draw here is the heartfelt story and the musical scenes.”
“It is so heartwarming, with moments that will make you sit and think, decisions that will break your heart, and music that you can't help but sing along to.”
“They both go really well together and offer some nice comedic and touching moments.”
- character development1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the visuals of the game, including character designs and animations, are praised for their charm and creativity, the character development itself is not explicitly addressed in the reviews, leaving a gap in understanding how characters evolve throughout the game.
