Beat City

Beat city is a rhythm video game by THQ and Universomo for the Nintendo DS. It was released on April 20th, 2010 in North America, and on June 11th, 2010 in Europe.

Game Description
Can you feel the beat?

Life, color, and happiness are being drained from the people. Use the power of the beat to prove that rhythm is life and revitalize the city!

Join the beat!: Join a crazy cast of characters as they start a rhythm revolution in Beat City.

Be the beat!: Grab your stylus and tape, swipe, and hold along to the rhythm of 20 mini-games.

Hit the beat!: Restore music, color, life, and love with the power of the beat.

Production
Production on the game took place in mid-to-late 2009 and early 2010. It was confirmed for a release in April 2010 on January 12, 2010. The game itself was released on April 20th, 2010.

Gameplay
The game is played similarly to Rhythm Heaven. It is played with the DS turned sideways, similarly to a book, with the action taking place on one screen, and the player must use the stylus on the other. The player proceeds through several different stages, each with its own set of rules. There are three controls: tap, swipe (also known as flicking), and hold. Each stage begins with a tutorial where the stage is black and the player must figure out what to do on their own. Depending on the player's progress, you can build a set of stairs at the end of every day to help get Groovy Whale into the sky to get closer to his home planet. Each stage measures your quality based on a percentage, and if the player gets an 80% or higher you can unlock a character in the "Beat Album," a short profile of the characters featured in the game.

Reception
The game received mixed reviews from critics and players. Some people called it "bland" and "pointless," and others criticized it for being short or for being too similar to Rhythm Heaven, and one user described it as a "bargain bin Rhythm Heaven," whereas others praised it for being fun and quirky, having a unique plot and characters. One critic said that "(its) delightful presentation and super catchy chiptune soundtrack will get your toes tapping and your head banging in no time." One source said that "if you love Rhythm Heaven, you'll love Beat City. Simple as that." NintendoWorldReport gave it an average rating of 7.5/10.