Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 115 reviews
  • music
  • story
  • humor
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure Game Cover
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"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
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Nintendo Ds
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 115 reviews
music30 positive mentions
grinding6 negative mentions
  • Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a charming and nostalgic JRPG that features a delightful story, endearing characters, and catchy musical numbers that evoke a sense of whimsy and fun.
  • The game's visuals are colorful and cute, enhanced by a CRT filter that adds to the nostalgic experience, making it visually appealing even by modern standards.
  • Despite its simplicity and ease, the game offers a light-hearted and enjoyable experience, making it a great entry point for newcomers to the JRPG genre.
  • The gameplay is extremely easy, even on hard mode, which can lead to a lack of challenge and engagement for seasoned players, making battles feel repetitive and unexciting.
  • Dungeon design is often criticized for being repetitive, with many areas looking similar and lacking variety, which can make navigation frustrating and tedious.
  • The game suffers from outdated design choices, such as cryptic progression triggers and a lack of strategic depth in combat, which may deter players looking for a more complex RPG experience.
  • music98 mentions

    The music in "Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure" is a defining feature, characterized by its catchy, whimsical songs that evoke a nostalgic, Disney-like charm. While some find the compositions cheesy and simplistic, many appreciate their heartfelt sincerity and the way they enhance the game's lighthearted tone. However, the lack of English subtitles for Japanese songs and some awkward placements of musical interludes have drawn criticism, yet overall, the soundtrack is celebrated for its memorable and enjoyable qualities.

    • “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.”
    • “For 'a musical adventure', there were like 5 total unique songs (and only one good song).”
    • “The only thing I would like to see changed is the option to have Japanese musical alongside English subtitles - I think original Japanese vocals make the experience more natural and fit the tone better, but the musical itself is a big part of the story, forcing me to look for the external subtitles to go with the Japanese setting.”
  • story80 mentions

    The story of the game is characterized as charming and whimsical, featuring a light-hearted plot centered around a female protagonist on a quest to rescue her prince, infused with humor and bittersweet moments. While some reviewers note its simplicity and occasional repetitiveness, many appreciate the engaging character interactions and emotional depth, making it a delightful experience for both newcomers and seasoned players. Overall, the narrative is well-received for its cute pixel art, memorable music, and ability to evoke both laughter and tears.

    • “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 alone is worth the play.”
    • “The main story is really cute and well written, there are multiple easter eggs to find in the world, and the game manages to get both a laugh and a tear out of me.”
    • “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.”
    • “It's a subpar, badly aged RPG with a generic early 2000's shoujo story.”
  • humor27 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and wit, featuring a mix of funny dialogue and bittersweet moments that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone, with humorous character interactions and catchy songs that contribute to its appeal, despite some critiques of the plot's depth. Overall, the game successfully balances humor with engaging storytelling, making it a delightful choice for both newcomers and seasoned players.

    • “Really is such a lovely little game that always made me laugh 💖✨️💕”
    • “The dialogue is very charming and is genuinely funny at times; the musical songs sound wonderful in both Japanese and English.”
    • “The humor (sometimes even a little dark) was hilarious.”
  • graphics21 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming, retro style, colorful visuals, and detailed character designs, earning scores around 8-10/10. While some reviewers note the graphics feel dated compared to modern standards, they appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of classic RPGs. Overall, the visuals are considered a highlight, enhancing the game's lighthearted tone and engaging story.

    • “With the old-school graphics and serene background music, the Marl Kingdom is a nice place to just chill.”
    • “The art style is charming and cute, the visuals are very good, 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.”
    • “Decent port, not really much graphics options and the game itself is like a PS1 game, but still pretty cute and fun.”
    • “Make sure you go into settings to change the graphics to CRT mode!”
  • gameplay19 mentions

    The gameplay is generally described as extremely easy and repetitive, lacking depth and strategy, making it more suitable for younger players or newcomers to the genre. While some appreciate the simplicity and find enjoyment in the story and music, many reviewers criticize the dungeon design and navigation as tedious, leading to a bland overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game offers a charming narrative that keeps some players engaged.

    • “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 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.”
    • “It's also ridiculously easy, even on hard mode, and the gameplay gets sort of repetitive, since the dungeons are all basically mazes made up of identical rooms and tunnels.”
    • “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.”
    • “Unfortunately you spend way too much time dungeon crawling for such poorly implemented gameplay.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and simplistic, particularly when aiming for 100% completion, as it often requires leveling multiple characters and farming for specific abilities. The inconsistent encounter rate adds to the frustration, making the process feel unnecessarily prolonged, especially for achievements that demand extensive farming and waiting. Overall, while grinding can enhance character strength, many feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.

    • “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 puppets for their side quests, which you just don’t need to do to beat the game.”
    • “I wish it didn't have random encounters; I've found the encounter rate tedious sometimes, and it's also wildly inconsistent.”
    • “The achievement to get 7 status effects requires hard farming and skipping turns for hours on end, waiting for the mobs to use the skills as a result.”
  • emotional6 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its heartfelt story and engaging musical scenes, which evoke a range of feelings from humor to heartbreak. Players appreciate the character dialogue that evolves from lightheartedness to deeper, more touching moments, culminating in a heartwarming ending that leaves a lasting impression. Overall, the game successfully combines comedy and emotional depth, creating a wholesome experience that resonates with players.

    • “The gameplay itself is very easy, but the main draw here is the heartfelt story and the musical scenes.”
    • “I felt the ending, though a bit predictable, was heartwarming and left me with a big stupid smile on my face.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability1 mentions

    Many users note that the game's lack of difficulty can hinder its replayability, as it may not provide enough challenge to encourage players to return for multiple playthroughs.

    • “The lack of difficulty is a significant drawback, as it severely limits replayability.”
    • “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back and play it again.”
    • “The game feels repetitive after the first playthrough, diminishing its overall replay value.”
  • character development1 mentions

    While the visuals of the game, including character designs and animations, are praised for their charm and creativity, there is no specific mention of character development in the provided text. The focus remains primarily on the aesthetic aspects rather than the growth or depth of the characters themselves.

  • optimization1 mentions

    The game's optimization features sharper graphics and updated image enhancements, successfully modernizing this classic title for contemporary audiences.

    • “Sharper graphics and updated image optimization bring this classic title into the present!”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is described as pleasant, enhanced by a variety of collectible elements that contribute to an engaging environment.

    • “The atmosphere of the game is pleasant, and there are various collectible elements.”
    • “The immersive environment draws you in, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
    • “The haunting soundtrack perfectly complements the visuals, creating a truly captivating atmosphere.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

28hMedian play time
21hAverage play time
8-34hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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