Rhythm Sprout: Sick Beats & Bad Sweets

About

Rhythm Sprout: Sick Beats & Bad Sweets is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by SURT and was released on February 1, 2023. It received very positive reviews from players.

"Rhythm Sprout: Sick Beats & Bad Sweets" is a rhythm-based dungeon crawler game where players control a vegetable hero defeating candy monsters with the power of music. Navigate procedurally generated levels, battling enemies in rhythm-based combat, and gather ingredients to craft powerful weapons and items. The game features a catchy original soundtrack and challenging gameplay for rhythm game enthusiasts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Rhythm Sprout: Sick Beats & Bad Sweets screenshot

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95%

Audience ScoreBased on 620 reviews

music124 positive mentions

The game features a fantastic and varied soundtrack that keeps players engaged and entertained throughout.
The gameplay is simple to learn but offers a challenging experience, making it accessible for beginners while still providing depth for experienced players.
The humorous story and charming visuals add to the overall enjoyment, creating a fun and immersive atmosphere.

The difficulty spikes significantly after the initial levels, which can be frustrating for players and may lead to a lack of enjoyment.
There are issues with control customization and input latency, particularly when using controllers, which can hinder the gameplay experience.
The game is relatively short, and some players feel it lacks content and variety, leading to a desire for more levels or a level editor.

music
318 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, diverse, and well-composed tracks that enhance the overall experience, with many players noting its ability to get stuck in their heads. While some reviewers mention that the rhythm-focused gameplay can lead to repetitive song sections, the soundtrack's quality and variety across genres, including electronic and rock, are highlighted as standout features. Overall, the music is considered a major strength of the game, contributing to its charm and replayability.
- “You know a game is good when your neck and foot have semi-permanent tendinitis by bopping along with the best soundtrack I have ever heard.”
- “The music is out of this world and in of itself worth the buy, and the graphics, gameplay, is in my opinion astounding!”
- “The soundtrack is obviously great; it's a rhythm game so of course it will have some great music and I found every track to be incredibly memorable and fun.”
- “Which is certainly an interesting way to make a rhythm game but not a way I'd recommend, as you end up having dozens of very same-y songs that aren't memorable.”
- “No, instead, the song completely changes with no period of habituation, leaving you scrambling to figure out what you're even supposed to play.”
- “The transitions between portions of the songs become increasingly lazy, and the difficulty leap from the last story level to the first bonus level is impossible.”
story
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
57%
2%
The story of "Rhythm Sprout" is characterized by its humorous and silly narrative, featuring a charming onion knight on a quest to save a princess, which many players found engaging and entertaining. While the main story is relatively short, clocking in at around 2-4 hours, it is filled with light-hearted jokes and colorful characters that enhance the overall experience. However, some players noted that the story can feel rushed and may lose its appeal after completing the main campaign, particularly when tackling the more challenging bonus content.
- “With the addition of a humorous story, a beginner mode, and a cast of colorful characters in a world full of veggies, fruits, and candy, Rhythm Sprout makes for an enjoyable time.”
- “One of the funniest games I've ever played; I went in for the rhythm game mechanics but stayed for the story, which made me laugh out loud many times.”
- “The game has a lovely charm to it, and I absolutely adore the characters and the humor throughout the story.”
- “It was a big disappointment to me when I realized I had no desire whatsoever to keep playing after I beat the main story (and the prequel up to the final boss).”
- “Since this game does have a story and prequel to it, I will just say it's not interesting one bit.”
- “The only real negatives about the game are that while this game's plot/story is fairly basic, they really try to make the whole thing a bunch of jokes.”
humor
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Rhythm Sprout" is widely praised for its charming and goofy storytelling, featuring colorful characters and silly jokes that often elicit genuine laughter. While many players find the dialogue and comedic timing engaging, some note that the humor can be hit-or-miss, with occasional cringe moments. Overall, the game's lighthearted approach and fun writing contribute significantly to its appeal, making it a delightful experience for fans of rhythm games.
- “Rhythm Sprout is a surprisingly hilarious rhythm game with some very challenging late levels and a cute art style and overall fun gameplay loop.”
- “One of the funniest games I've ever played; I went in for the rhythm game mechanics (that are simple but very well executed) but stayed for the story (that may seem silly at first, but made me laugh out loud a lot of times).”
- “The game has a lovely charm to it and I absolutely adore the characters and the humor throughout the story.”
gameplay
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
51%
4%
The gameplay is characterized by a simple yet engaging three-button rhythm mechanic that is accessible for beginners while offering a challenging experience as players progress. The combination of catchy music, humorous dialogue, and visually appealing design enhances the overall enjoyment, although some players noted issues with certain mechanics and controls that can detract from the experience. Overall, the game provides a satisfying and fun rhythm gameplay loop, making it a solid choice for fans of the genre.
- “Rhythm Sprout is a surprisingly hilarious rhythm game with some very challenging late levels and a cute art style and overall fun gameplay loop.”
- “The gameplay is simple with only 3 buttons, but it's really fun, and the difficulty scaling as you progress is done well.”
- “Tight gameplay, fantastic OST, super visually pleasing levels/characters, unlockables, fun modifiers for lots of replay value... can't really ask for more.”
- “What really drags this game down for me are the innate mechanics.”
- “It's a shame, because the music, animations, and simple gameplay concept actually have a lot of merits, but it's nearly impossible to enjoy actually playing the game when the controls are so janky and uncomfortable in unique ways depending on the control scheme you choose.”
- “The bomb mechanic is incredibly clunky at times, and the song length, in addition to the fact that there's no practice tool or replay function, makes getting a full combo on certain levels a hellish nightmare.”
graphics
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
34%
7%
The graphics of "Rhythm Sprout" are widely praised for their cute and polished aesthetic, reminiscent of classic titles like Animal Crossing and Katamari Damacy. Players appreciate the vibrant visuals that complement the catchy music and humorous dialogue, although some feel the art style could benefit from more depth. Overall, the game's charming graphics enhance the fun and engaging rhythm gameplay, making it appealing even to those who may not typically enjoy rhythm games.
- “Rhythm Sprout has excellent visuals, humor, and music.”
- “The music is catchy, the dialogue is goofy, and the visuals are delightful!”
- “The tracks are awesome, coupled with the great graphics and scenery that makes each of the 30 levels unique.”
- “Fun take on a rhythm game, but be wary, despite Rhythm Sprout's graphics, it gets really difficult pretty quickly into the story.”
- “The visuals are cute, but feel like it's lacking.”
- “Don't be scared off by its cartoonish art style; there is some serious love and attention here.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The game offers solid replayability through various features such as score and combo targets that unlock skins and weapons, as well as modifiers like turbo mode and randomized maps. While the total number of levels is limited to 30, players can still find value in replaying for completionist goals and to enjoy the music and story. Overall, the combination of unlockables and gameplay modifiers provides enough incentive for players to revisit the game.
- “The game itself is pretty short if you're an experienced rhythm game player, but it has good replayability, especially if you want to unlock all the outfits, weapons, and bonus levels.”
- “It's hard, especially if you want to 100% each track, but that gives the game so much replayability!”
- “Level modifiers are available upon repeat plays of a level to give you an added challenge and a bit of replayability (turbo, randomizer, etc.).”
- “Hate that there's not a lot of songs (30 levels total) and wish there was some workshop support to make your own levels, but there's modifiers like turbo mode and a seeded random mode for every level, so replayability isn't an issue at all.”
- “I also don't see myself revisiting this if I get a perfect on every stage, but that in and of itself is enough replayability to justify a purchase at some point.”
- “Took me 4 hours to get all achievements in the game and the modifiers give the game some replayability.”
emotional
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game evokes strong emotional connections through its varied and wholesome music, reminiscent of the PS1 era, which enhances the overall aesthetic. The compositions reflect intricate ornamentation and emotional depth, drawing on influences from the romantic era to create a rich cultural and emotional experience for players.
- “The music was cool, varied, and wholesome, and the game had a weird aesthetic hearkening me back to the PS1 era with games like Rescue Shot.”
- “Their compositions embraced intricate ornamentation, emotional expression, and the exploration of new musical forms, such as the concerto and the fugue.”
- “It has served as a means of cultural expression, religious devotion, entertainment, and emotional connection.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is enjoyable, but it suffers from significant control optimization issues, making it physically taxing to play for extended periods. Players find the left-hand controls cumbersome, particularly due to the confusing layout of dodge buttons, and overall controller responsiveness is lacking.
- “The game is fun, but it needs some control optimization. You can't accurately play more than 2 songs without killing the muscles in your forearm. The left-hand controls are difficult to acclimate to, as it has two dodge buttons in the middle instead of one, and controller inputs are in just as bad of a state.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for being cute and enjoyable, contributing to an overall positive experience for players.
- “Very cute and enjoyable game, great atmosphere.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, although players have noted that lowering the graphics settings to medium can help extend battery life.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck, but I turned down graphics to medium to prolong battery life.”